CloudQuery is an open-source ELT framework that syncs cloud infrastructure and SaaS data into SQL destinations teams already run. Platform, data, and security teams declare syncs in YAML, run them on a schedule from a Go CLI, and query the resulting tables with ordinary SQL for inventory, compliance, and cost work. It serves teams comfortable running infrastructure that want their cloud estate queryable as data.[1]
Quick verdict
CloudQuery suits platform and security teams that want their AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud inventory queryable in the PostgreSQL, BigQuery, or Snowflake they already run. Its plugin-based ELT syncs materialize hundreds of cloud tables on a schedule with incremental state, so compliance, cost, and posture checks run as SQL over fresh snapshots. The catch is operational: pricing counts rows synced per year with annual billing, every sync needs a CloudQuery Cloud login, and throughput stays bounded by source-API rate limits. If you need live ad-hoc lookups instead of snapshots, choose Steampipe; if you want a managed no-code pipeline, choose Fivetran or Airbyte.[1][2][3]
Key features
80+ source plugins Sync AWS, GCP, Azure, Kubernetes, Cloudflare, Datadog, GitHub, Google Workspace, Microsoft 365, Okta, Snyk, Stripe, Tailscale, Terraform, and Vercel through versioned plugin binaries with their own release cadence.[1]
Warehouse-native destinations Land synced tables in PostgreSQL, BigQuery, Snowflake, S3, Elasticsearch, or Kafka, so existing BI tools, notebooks, and SIEM pipelines consume cloud inventory without a new query language.[1]
YAML-declared scheduled syncs Define each sync as a versioned configuration file and run it every two minutes to weekly, from cron, GitHub Actions, Kubernetes CronJobs, Airflow, Dagster, or the CloudQuery Cloud UI.[1][2]
Incremental syncs with state Track changes between runs instead of re-syncing whole estates, which keeps large accounts practical and preserves the change history that drift detection and audits depend on.[1][2]
Policy packs for compliance as SQL Run more than 2,000 managed policies across CSPM, CIS, and FinOps packs, or author custom packs; Reddit's detection team runs 300 CSPM policies over its synced inventory.[1][2]
MCP server for AI agents Expose the synced estate to AI assistants through a Model Context Protocol server, so agents answer inventory and posture questions from fresh tables.[1]
Reproducible GitOps deployments Version every sync configuration, pin plugin versions, and promote changes through review like application code, with scheduling options that fit teams already running cron or orchestrators.[1][2]
Self-hosted open core Install the CLI on Linux, macOS, or Windows and run the common production path, AWS to PostgreSQL, inside your own network, keeping synced data in infrastructure you control.[1][2]
Who will love it
Platform teams standardized on the warehouse will love it: CloudQuery puts cloud inventory where analysts, dashboards, and access controls already live, in PostgreSQL, BigQuery, or Snowflake.[1]
Security teams doing compliance as code will love it: CSPM, CIS, and FinOps policy packs plus custom SQL policies give versioned, scheduled, auditable checks, as Reddit's 300-policy deployment demonstrates.[1][2]
GitOps-shaped infrastructure teams will love it: versioned YAML, pinned plugins, and cron or CI scheduling fit teams that already manage Terraform and workflows as code.[1][2]
Who should avoid it
Row-volume annual billing means cost scales with estate size and sync frequency, with no public per-month figure, and every setup including trials requires a CloudQuery Cloud account login.[1]
Throughput stays bounded by source-API rate limits, large estates may need sharded workers, and materialized snapshots lag the live estate by design rather than answering point-in-time questions.[1][2]
Some integrations are closed-source with details on their plugin pages, so teams should confirm plan gating for the sources they need before committing.[1]
What the reports suggest
One community aggregate (G2 listing showing 5.0/5 from 2 reviews) plus one vendor-published customer interview used as background only. No independently quotable Reddit or G2 user reports were accessible.
1 cited community source. G2 review text was not retrievable, so no quotation or sentiment finding is drawn from it. The vendor interview is vendor-selected and Reddit-specific. The sample is too thin to generalize user satisfaction.
Accessible evidence is vendor-published: a named Reddit engineer interview, enterprise customer logos, and a thin G2 aggregate of 5.0/5 from 2 reviews with no retrievable review text. No independently quotable Reddit or G2 user reports were accessible, so teams should trial their own heaviest accounts before committing to row-volume pricing.[1][2][3]
Alternatives and when to choose them
CloudQuery frames its alternatives as Fivetran, Airbyte, Matillion, and Hightouch; this catalogue positions it against Fivetran and Airbyte for managed-pipeline teams.[1]
Choose Steampipe for live ad-hoc lookups with no database to manage, and CloudQuery for scheduled posture, drift detection, and historical analysis over materialized tables.[1]
Questions worth asking
What is the best CloudQuery alternative for non-technical users?
Fivetran or Airbyte suit non-technical teams better, because their managed connectors remove the CLI, YAML, and scheduler operation that CloudQuery assumes. Choose them when no engineer owns pipelines; choose CloudQuery when engineers want versioned, self-hosted syncs.[1]
Is CloudQuery really no-code?
How much does CloudQuery cost per month?
CloudQuery prices Cloud plans by rows synced per year on annual billing, varying with integration tier, row volume, sync frequency, and support level, and publishes no per-month figure. There is a free trial plus non-profit and startup discounts; check current pricing before estimating, since estate size and schedule dominate cost.[1]
Can you self-host CloudQuery?
Sources and editorial review
Source research. Reviewed on October 9, 2026. Written by Sanjib Sah. AI assisted; reviewed by a human editor.
We have not run or tested this product.
One community aggregate (G2 listing showing 5.0/5 from 2 reviews) plus one vendor-published customer interview used as background only. No independently quotable Reddit or G2 user reports were accessible. G2 review text was not retrievable, so no quotation or sentiment finding is drawn from it. The vendor interview is vendor-selected and Reddit-specific. The sample is too thin to generalize user satisfaction.
- CloudQuery: The ELT Framework for the Modern Stack
official · Observed October 9, 2026
Official homepage: open-source ELT positioning, 80+ sources, 20+ destinations, YAML scheduling every 2 minutes to weekly, incremental state, 2,000+ policy packs, MCP server, open-core self-hosting, row-per-year pricing, named customers, Fivetran/Airbyte/Matillion/Hightouch comparison framing.
- CloudQuery Pricing
official · Observed October 9, 2026
Official pricing: rows synced per year on annual billing varying by tier, volume, frequency, and support; free trial and discounts; support tiers to 24/7 with SLAs; FAQs confirm self-hosting, closed-source integrations, mandatory Cloud login, and source-API rate-limit bounds.
- Steampipe vs CloudQuery: Architecture and Trade-offs
official · Observed October 9, 2026 · Published August 23, 2026
Vendor architecture comparison dated August 2026: live-query federation versus materializing ELT, 38 versus 2,789 AWS tables, CloudQuery strengths in scheduled/incremental syncs and history, guidance to choose Steampipe for point-in-time questions.
- How Reddit Secures Its Cloud with CloudQuery
official · Observed October 9, 2026
Vendor-published customer interview with Reddit detection and response engineer Nathan Handler: centralized security data lake, 300 CSPM policies, asset inventory, custom CIS/SOC2 policies, Terraform Cloud integration, hours-to-ingest and same-day policy turnaround. Vendor-selected account, not an independent report.
- Quickstart | CloudQuery Docs
official · Observed October 9, 2026
Official quickstart docs: CLI install on Linux, macOS, Windows; cloudquery login; AWS-to-PostgreSQL common production path; full versus incremental sync modes; configuration, scheduling, and deployment guides.
- CloudQuery Reviews on G2
community · Observed October 9, 2026
G2 listing observed with aggregate 5.0/5 from 2 reviews; no review text, author names, or dates were accessible in the rendered page, so no quotation or finding is drawn beyond the aggregate and its small sample.