Cloud Custodian
A policy-driven rules engine for cloud compliance, security, and cost management
- Also known as
- cloud-custodian
What is Cloud Custodian?
Cloud Custodian enables management of cloud resources through filtering, tagging, and policy-driven actions using a YAML DSL. It supports real-time compliance enforcement and cost optimization across AWS, Azure, GCP, and other cloud platforms.
Cloud Custodian pricing
We don't have Cloud Custodian's full plan breakdown yet (its pricing page resisted automated reading). Here's what we could confirm. Always check live pricing for exact numbers.
What Cloud Custodian does
The capabilities that matter for cloud security software, normalised so it lines up with every alternative. “-” means we haven't confirmed it, not that it's missing.
- CSPM (posture / misconfig)
- ✓
- KSPM (Kubernetes posture)
- ✓
- CWPP (workload protection)
- ✗
- CIEM (entitlements)
- ✗
- DSPM (data posture)
- ✗
- IaC / pipeline scanning
- ✓
- Agentless scanning
- ✓
- Runtime protection
- ✗
- Cloud coverage
- AWS, Azure, GCP (primary); Kubernetes, Tencent Cloud, OpenStack (beta)
- Compliance frameworks assessed
- Encryption, access controls, tag policies, cost management
- Open-core scanner available
- ✓
Platform & deployment
Independently observed- CLI
- Cloud / SaaS
- Hybrid
- On-premise
- Self-hosted
Integrations (8)
Independently observed- AWS CloudWatch Events←•
- AWS Config Rules→•
- Azure EventGrid←•
- GCP AuditLog←•
- GCP Pub/Sub←•
- EC2 Systems Manager Automation→•
- Terraform
- Slack•
Security & compliance
Known vulnerabilities: 0 (0 in the last 12 months) sourcea count reflects scale & disclosure, not quality
Cloud Custodian FAQ
Common questions about Cloud Custodian, answered from independent, dated evidence.
What is Cloud Custodian?
Cloud Custodian enables management of cloud resources through filtering, tagging, and policy-driven actions using a YAML DSL. It supports real-time compliance enforcement and cost optimization across AWS, Azure, GCP, and other cloud platforms. It is indexed under Cloud Security Software.
Source: https://cloudcustodian.io/
Is Cloud Custodian free to use?
Cloud Custodian is open source, so it can be self-hosted and used at no licence cost. It is released under the Apache-2.0 licence. Pricing changes often, so verify at source before relying on it.
Source: https://cloudcustodian.io/
What platforms does Cloud Custodian support?
Cloud Custodian supports a command-line interface. Platforms we have not confirmed are simply not listed here rather than ruled out.
Source: https://cloudcustodian.io/
Can Cloud Custodian be self-hosted?
Yes. Cloud Custodian can be deployed cloud / SaaS and self-hosted, so it does not have to run on the vendor's infrastructure.
Source: https://cloudcustodian.io/
Is Cloud Custodian open source?
Yes. Cloud Custodian is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, a permissive licence that generally allows commercial use and modification. Licence terms can change between releases, so verify against the repository for the version you intend to use.
Cloud Custodian alternatives
Other cloud security software we track, ranked by the same independent score.
- Wizlow · 49%
- ProwlerOpen-source cloud security platform for automated compliance and security assessmentslow · 30%
- UptycsCloud security monitoring and threat detection from development through production runtimehigh · 75%
- Checkovlow · 47%
- Laceworklow · 27%
- Palo Alto Prisma CloudCloud-based security platform combining threat prevention, data protection, and network defense with shared intelligence across multiple security productslow · 33%
Compare Cloud Custodian
Side by side against other cloud security software, attribute by attribute, with a source on every value.
The vioscaleAI score: one lens on the evidence
Not user reviews and not a paid placement: a confidence-weighted blend of the independent signals below (adoption, activity, security posture, and more), which you can sort and re-weight yourself. Vendors can correct their listing but can never move their rank, and stars are weighted low as a vanity metric. It is one way to read the evidence for Cloud Custodian, not the verdict.
| Signal | Score | Weight | Contribution | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Development activity | 51 | 0.09 | 4.8 | ✓ |
| Capabilities | 75 | 0.06 | 4.7 | ✓ |
| Security score | 87 | 0.04 | 3.7 | ✓ |
| Release cadence | 70 | 0.05 | 3.6 | ✓ |
| Dependent projects | 32 | 0.06 | 2.0 | ✓ |
| Stars | 71 | 0.03 | 1.9 | ✓ |
| Integrations | 26 | 0.06 | 1.6 | ✓ |
| Security posture | 0 | 0.21 | 0.0 | - |
| Package downloads | 0 | 0.14 | 0.0 | - |
| Developer Q&A activity | 0 | 0.06 | 0.0 | - |
Computed . Re-weight it by intent, or see the full method.
All data & sourcesshow ↓
Every value we hold, with its source, retrieval date, and confidence. This is the evidence behind the score: don't trust it, verify it.
Activity
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Commits last 30d | 42 | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 65% |
Adoption
Content
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Faq | 5 items | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 67% |
Features
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Capabilities | Ciem: No · Cspm: Yes · Cwpp: No · Dspm: No · Kspm: Yes · Iac scanning: Yes | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 60% |
Integrations
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Count | 7 | mediumsource · 2026-09-10 · 60% |
Language
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Python | highsource · 2026-09-10 · 90% |
License
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Spdx | Apache-2.0 | highsource · 2026-09-10 · 95% |
Pricing
Release
Reliability
| Attribute | Value | Evidence |
|---|---|---|
| Status page | Yes | mediumsource · 2026-08-03 · 60% |
Security
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