tools / cloud-tools

Top 10 Cloud Tools

Cloud tools cover the CLIs, infrastructure-as-code platforms, and cloud management utilities that engineers use daily to provision, query, and govern cloud resources. They are the building blocks of every cloud operations workflow.

Why this category matters

Cloud providers expose hundreds of services through APIs that are impractical to use without well-designed tooling. Cloud tools abstract provider-specific complexity, enable automation, and bring cost and security visibility to engineering teams.

When to use these tools

Adopt cloud tools from day one of cloud adoption. Start with provider CLIs and IaC frameworks, then add cost estimation, query, and governance tools as your cloud footprint grows.

01. AWS CLI

Commercial

Best for: Command-line management of all AWS services for scripting and automation

Pros

Official and comprehensive
Excellent scripting support
Auto-completion with aws_completer

Cons

AWS-only
Some commands are verbose and complex

+ key features & alternatives

Full AWS service coverage
JSON/YAML/table output formats
Named profiles
AWS SSO integration

Alternatives: AWS Console, Terraform, Pulumi

official site ↗ CloudOps path → Cloud Engineer roadmap →

02. Azure CLI

Commercial

Best for: Command-line management of Microsoft Azure resources and services

Pros

Official Microsoft CLI
Good interactive mode
Cross-platform (Linux, macOS, Windows)

Cons

Azure-only
Some operations require falling back to ARM templates

+ key features & alternatives

Full Azure resource coverage
Interactive mode
JMESPath queries
Bash and PowerShell support

Alternatives: Azure PowerShell, Terraform, Pulumi

official site ↗ CloudOps path → Cloud Engineer roadmap →

03. Google Cloud CLI (gcloud)

Commercial

Best for: Command-line management of Google Cloud Platform resources

Pros

Official GCP CLI
Good component update system
Interactive shell for discovery

Cons

GCP-only
SDK size is large

+ key features & alternatives

Full GCP service coverage
Config profiles
Beta and alpha command groups
Interactive shell

Alternatives: GCP Console, Terraform, Pulumi

official site ↗ CloudOps path → Cloud Engineer roadmap →

04. Terraform Cloud (HCP Terraform)

SaaS

Best for: Managed remote state, runs, and collaboration for Terraform infrastructure

Pros

Removes local state management burden
Team collaboration features
Sentinel policy integration

Cons

Commercial pricing for team features
Adds dependency on HashiCorp cloud

+ key features & alternatives

Remote plan and apply
State management
Policy enforcement via Sentinel
Private module registry

Alternatives: Atlantis, Pulumi Cloud, Spacelift

official site ↗ InfraOps path → Platform Engineer roadmap →

05. Pulumi

Open core

Best for: Infrastructure as code using general-purpose programming languages (TypeScript, Python, Go)

Pros

Real programming languages enable testing and reuse
Multi-cloud support
Active community

Cons

Steeper learning curve for ops teams used to YAML/HCL
Pulumi Cloud required for some collaboration features

+ key features & alternatives

Multi-language IaC
Pulumi Cloud state backend
Component and package ecosystem
Policy as code

Alternatives: Terraform, CDK, Crossplane

official site ↗ InfraOps path → Platform Engineer roadmap →

06. CloudQuery

Open source

Best for: Cloud asset inventory and security compliance using SQL queries across cloud providers

Pros

SQL familiarity for cloud queries
Multi-cloud and multi-destination
Free open-source core

Cons

Requires a database backend to store results
Policy writing requires SQL knowledge

+ key features & alternatives

Multi-cloud asset sync to any database
SQL-based querying
400+ cloud resource types
Policy packs for compliance

Alternatives: Steampipe, Cloud Custodian, AWS Config

official site ↗ CloudOps path → Cloud Engineer roadmap →

07. Steampipe

Open source

Best for: Querying cloud APIs and resources in real time using standard SQL

Pros

No data pipeline needed for ad hoc queries
Huge plugin ecosystem
Compliance benchmarks included

Cons

Not designed for high-frequency automated queries
In-memory results are not persisted by default

+ key features & alternatives

Real-time SQL queries via plugins
350+ plugins covering 100+ services
Benchmark and control framework
Dashboard builder

Alternatives: CloudQuery, AWS Config, Cloud Custodian

official site ↗ CloudOps path → Cloud Engineer roadmap →

08. Infracost

Open source

Best for: Cloud cost estimation for Terraform and OpenTofu changes in CI/CD pipelines

Pros

Free open-source tool
Integrates into PR workflows
Supports Terraform and OpenTofu

Cons

Terraform/OpenTofu-only scope
Pricing accuracy depends on cloud provider API data freshness

+ key features & alternatives

Terraform plan cost diff
CI/CD comment integration
Multi-cloud pricing
Cost policies

Alternatives: env0, Spacelift cost estimation, AWS Cost Explorer

official site ↗ FinOps path → Cloud Engineer roadmap →

09. Cloud Custodian

Open source

Best for: Policy-as-code engine for cloud governance, compliance, and cost optimization

Pros

Free and open-source
Strong AWS support
Can auto-remediate policy violations

Cons

YAML policies can grow complex
Azure and GCP support less complete than AWS

+ key features & alternatives

YAML policy definitions
Multi-cloud support (AWS, Azure, GCP)
Real-time and scheduled enforcement
Audit and reporting

Alternatives: Steampipe, CloudQuery, AWS Config Rules

official site ↗ CloudOps path → Cloud Engineer roadmap →

10. AWS CDK

Open source

Best for: Defining AWS infrastructure using familiar programming languages that compile to CloudFormation

Pros

Type-safe infrastructure with IDE support
Reusable constructs and patterns
Deep AWS service coverage

Cons

AWS-only
CloudFormation limits still apply underneath
TypeScript most mature, other languages lag

+ key features & alternatives

TypeScript, Python, Java, C# support
Construct library
CDK Pipelines
AWS Solutions Constructs

Alternatives: Terraform, Pulumi, AWS CloudFormation

official site ↗ CloudOps path → Cloud Engineer roadmap →

Quick comparison

Tool	License model	Best for	Top alternative
AWS CLI	Commercial	Command-line management of all AWS services for scripting and automation	AWS Console
Azure CLI	Commercial	Command-line management of Microsoft Azure resources and services	Azure PowerShell
Google Cloud CLI (gcloud)	Commercial	Command-line management of Google Cloud Platform resources	GCP Console
Terraform Cloud (HCP Terraform)	SaaS	Managed remote state, runs, and collaboration for Terraform infrastructure	Atlantis
Pulumi	Open core	Infrastructure as code using general-purpose programming languages (TypeScript, Python, Go)	Terraform
CloudQuery	Open source	Cloud asset inventory and security compliance using SQL queries across cloud providers	Steampipe
Steampipe	Open source	Querying cloud APIs and resources in real time using standard SQL	CloudQuery
Infracost	Open source	Cloud cost estimation for Terraform and OpenTofu changes in CI/CD pipelines	env0
Cloud Custodian	Open source	Policy-as-code engine for cloud governance, compliance, and cost optimization	Steampipe
AWS CDK	Open source	Defining AWS infrastructure using familiar programming languages that compile to CloudFormation	Terraform

Cloud Tools — FAQ

What is the difference between Terraform and Pulumi?

Terraform uses HCL, a declarative domain-specific language. Pulumi lets you write infrastructure code in general-purpose languages like TypeScript, Python, or Go, which can simplify complex logic and testing.

How do I estimate cloud costs before applying infrastructure changes?

Infracost integrates with Terraform and OpenTofu to produce cost diffs in CI pipelines, showing the projected monthly cost change of every plan before it is applied.

What is Steampipe used for?

Steampipe lets you query cloud resources and APIs using standard SQL. You can join AWS EC2 instances with S3 buckets or IAM policies in a single query, making ad hoc cloud inventory and compliance checks much faster.