Cloudcraft

Interactive AWS and Azure architecture diagrams with live components

KINDA · partial replacement
price variesestimated build time multi-dayreplaced by 0 people

The visible cloud architecture diagrams loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Cloudcraft earns its keep through interaction polish, collaboration, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.

Build verification: not recorded. How we judge buildability

What you give up

  • presentation and enterprise controls
  • multiplayer cursors and comments
  • large template libraries
  • high-fidelity import and export

Why people still pay

Cloudcraft: The shapes are easy; customers pay for low-friction editing, reliable exports, collaboration, and a canvas that never fights them.

Your build guide

The stack, security requirements, and agent rules for a focused replacement.

Before you start

  • Runtime and tools: TypeScript, React, SVG or Canvas and IndexedDB with a versioned JSON project format.
  • Before starting: A browser with IndexedDB, licensed example assets and fonts, and an agreed output size.
01
TypeScript, React, SVG or Canvas and IndexedDB with a versioned JSON project format
02
Data design: Store DiagramNode, Connection, Boundary and CostAssumption; region, units, price date and usage quantity accompany every estimate, and subnet membership is explicit.
03
Setup: A browser with IndexedDB, licensed example assets and fonts, and an agreed output size
engineering roadmap

Implementation plan

1

Phase 1

Pin the working slice and create its example input: Diagram a small AWS deployment with VPC boundaries, compute, database and storage nodes, then attach manually reviewed monthly cost assumptions. Confirm setup: A browser with IndexedDB, licensed example assets and fonts, and an agreed output size.

2

Phase 2

Implement persistence and write-time invariants before decorating the UI: Store DiagramNode, Connection, Boundary and CostAssumption; region, units, price date and usage quantity accompany every estimate, and subnet membership is explicit.

3

Phase 3

Connect the working view to real saved state. Maintain one document model for preview, undo and export. Use stable element IDs; save after completed gestures, handle storage quota errors and provide explicit file backups.

4

Phase 4

Expose the app-specific limits and recovery path in context: Start with a small icon set and manual data entry. Do not call the drawing deployable Terraform or an authoritative bill; reverse cloud discovery requires separately scoped credentials.

5

Phase 5

Walk through this concrete acceptance case and preserve its exported evidence: Move a database into a private subnet, change the region and export SVG; topology updates while stale region pricing is flagged instead of reused silently. Finish the README and backup/restore instructions; report unfinished capabilities explicitly.

the pro prompt
download AGENTS.md
Build the following focused alternative to Cloudcraft. This is a deliberately limited personal or small-team substitute, not parity with the paid service.

WORKING SLICE
Diagram a small AWS deployment with VPC boundaries, compute, database and storage nodes, then attach manually reviewed monthly cost assumptions.

SETUP AND ARCHITECTURE
Use TypeScript, React, SVG or Canvas and IndexedDB with a versioned JSON project format. Prerequisites: A browser with IndexedDB, licensed example assets and fonts, and an agreed output size. Before integrating anything, record actual versions and permissions, plus model files or provider limits only where used, in the README; make unavailable dependencies visible rather than simulating success.

DOMAIN MODEL AND INVARIANTS
Store DiagramNode, Connection, Boundary and CostAssumption; region, units, price date and usage quantity accompany every estimate, and subnet membership is explicit.

IMPLEMENTATION CONTRACT
Maintain one document model for preview, undo and export. Use stable element IDs; save after completed gestures, handle storage quota errors and provide explicit file backups. Provide an input/setup view, the main work view, and a review/export view appropriate to this workflow. Preserve the last saved state if a job or save fails. Include empty, loading, permission-denied, partial and retryable-error states. Log identifiers and error categories without secret values or unnecessary private content.

APP-SPECIFIC BOUNDARY AND RECOVERY
Start with a small icon set and manual data entry. Do not call the drawing deployable Terraform or an authoritative bill; reverse cloud discovery requires separately scoped credentials.

ACCEPTANCE SCENARIO
Move a database into a private subnet, change the region and export SVG; topology updates while stale region pricing is flagged instead of reused silently. Also reopen the app after an interrupted operation, confirm the saved record/export remains inspectable, and document the recovery action. These are implementation acceptance requirements, not a claim that this guide has been tested.

DELIVERY
Deliver a runnable repository with migrations or project-format versioning, a non-sensitive example, environment/permission setup, the exact manual acceptance steps, and a backup/export-and-restore walkthrough. Implement the working slice before optional integrations; list any deferred paid-product capabilities honestly. Do not add capabilities outside the working slice just to resemble the original product.

PROJECT RULES FOR AGENTS.md
Keep the domain invariants above executable at the write boundary. Propose scope changes before adding providers or permissions. Never fabricate source evidence, publish results, identity matches or successful delivery. Preserve user originals and require an explicit confirmation for destructive changes or external publication.

$ open in your agent (prompt prefilled, you press enter), copy the prompt or copy or download AGENTS.md

prior art · use these instead of building, if you'd ratherExcalidrawOpen-source diagram canvas with an approachable interaction model.↗
share on X ↗

Cloudcraft pricing

planmonthlyannual (per mo)what you get
free$0/user$0/user1 user; manual diagrams; maximum drawing size 12 × 15 components; all designer componentsCommercial use allowed.
pro$99/user$40.83/user1 team; live AWS/Azure scanning; unlimited diagram size; 30-day version history$490 billed annually, equivalent to $40.83/month.
enterprise$120/user$100/userMultiple teams; unlimited diagram size; 90-day version history$1,200 billed annually; volume discounts begin at 15 users.

free tier1 user; manual diagrams; maximum 12 × 15 components per drawing

billingmonthly + annual; 14-day Pro trial and 30-day money-back guarantee

hidden costsUsers added to an annual account are prorated. Enterprise volume discounts begin at 15 users; GovCloud is quote-based. Existing Datadog customers may receive SSO without the normal Enterprise upgrade.

pricing sources checked 2026-08-12 · pricing source ↗

Questions about Cloudcraft

Can you build your own Cloudcraft with AI?

Partly. The visible cloud architecture diagrams loop is buildable, but a credible replacement needs more than the first screen. Cloudcraft earns its keep through interaction polish, collaboration, so expect a weekend or multi-day build and a narrower personal scope.

What does the Cloudcraft build prompt cover?

The prompt starts with this scope: Diagram a small AWS deployment with VPC boundaries, compute, database and storage nodes, then attach manually reviewed monthly cost assumptions. Full-product capabilities excluded from the comparison include: presentation and enterprise controls; multiplayer cursors and comments; large template libraries. Follow the implementation plan and its prerequisites before expanding the build.

How do I use the prompt, AGENTS.md and agent skills?

Start with the Cloudcraft prerequisites and stack, then copy the prompt into your coding agent. Save the project rules as AGENTS.md in the project root. Linked skills are optional packages or source instructions for specific tasks; review their current contents and install only those matching the chosen stack. A skill does not supply API credentials or verify the finished app.

How long will this Cloudcraft project take?

The catalogue estimate is multi-day for the limited scope. Setup, integration approvals, debugging, deployment and ongoing maintenance can add time. This is an estimate, not a delivery guarantee.

What would I give up by replacing Cloudcraft?

presentation and enterprise controls; multiplayer cursors and comments; large template libraries; high-fidelity import and export. Cloudcraft: The shapes are easy; customers pay for low-friction editing, reliable exports, collaboration, and a canvas that never fights them.

What can I use instead of building Cloudcraft?

The prior-art section lists Excalidraw as starting points. Review their current scope, license and maintenance before adopting one.

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