Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about CloudToolStack — our tools, guides, privacy practices, and supported cloud providers.
General
- What is CloudToolStack?
- CloudToolStack is a free platform with 576 interactive cloud engineering tools and 201 in-depth learning guides. It covers AWS, Azure, GCP, Oracle Cloud (OCI), and multi-cloud environments. Every tool runs entirely in your browser — no sign-up required, no data sent to any server.
- Is CloudToolStack really free?
- Yes. All tools, guides, and articles are completely free with no registration required. The site is supported by display advertising (Google AdSense). Advertising has no influence on editorial content; see our Editorial Standards for the full content/ads separation policy.
- Do I need to create an account to use the tools?
- No. Every tool is available immediately without creating an account, providing an email address, or signing in. Just navigate to any tool and start using it.
- Who builds and maintains CloudToolStack?
- CloudToolStack is independently built and maintained by cloud engineers with hands-on production experience across AWS, Azure, GCP, OCI, and the smaller providers. We do not name individual editors publicly, but every guide, tool description, and article is reviewed by a human and verified against primary provider documentation before publishing. Our full editorial methodology — sourcing, fact-checking, AI use, revisions, and corrections — is documented on the Editorial Standards page.
Privacy & Security
- Is my data safe when using these tools?
- Absolutely. Every tool runs 100% in your browser using client-side JavaScript. Your data — IAM policies, ARNs, CIDR blocks, configurations — never leaves your device. We have no servers that process, store, or transmit your input. This is a deliberate architectural choice to protect sensitive infrastructure data.
- Do you store any of my configurations or inputs?
- No. We do not store, log, or transmit any data you enter into our tools. The only data stored locally in your browser is your theme preference (light/dark), cookie consent choice, and recently visited tools — all using localStorage, which never leaves your device.
- What cookies does CloudToolStack use?
- We use essential localStorage entries for theme and consent preferences, and optional advertising cookies from Google AdSense when you consent. Full details are in our Cookie Policy. You can reject non-essential cookies at any time using the consent banner.
Tools
- How many tools does CloudToolStack have?
- We currently have 576 tools covering AWS (130), Azure (128), GCP (118), OCI (70), and multi-cloud comparisons (70). Tools span IAM & security, networking, compute, storage, serverless, and monitoring categories.
- Are the tool outputs production-ready?
- Our tools generate syntactically valid configurations based on current cloud provider specifications. However, you should always review generated configurations against your organization's security policies and test in a non-production environment before deploying to production.
- Do the tools connect to my cloud account?
- No. None of our tools connect to any cloud account, API, or external service. They generate configuration JSON, YAML, or CLI commands that you copy and paste into your own infrastructure-as-code templates, cloud console, or CLI.
- How often are the tools updated?
- We regularly update tools when cloud providers release new services, change pricing, or modify API specifications. Each tool and guide displays its last-updated date so you know how current the information is.
Learning Guides
- How many learning guides are available?
- We have 201 learning guides covering topics from getting started tutorials to advanced architecture patterns. Guides span AWS (35), Azure (35), GCP (35), OCI (35), and multi-cloud comparisons (30).
- Are the guides suitable for beginners?
- Yes. Each guide indicates its difficulty level — beginner, intermediate, or advanced. We have dedicated "Getting Started" guides for each cloud provider that walk you through account setup, first deployments, and core concepts from scratch.
- Do the guides include real code examples?
- Yes. All guides include real CLI commands, Terraform configurations, CloudFormation/ARM/Bicep templates, and SDK code examples. Code snippets are written from scratch and tested — not copied from official documentation.
Editorial & Trust
- How is the site funded?
- CloudToolStack is supported by display advertising through Google AdSense. We do not run sponsored content, accept affiliate commissions from cloud providers, or take guest posts. We may add an optional paid Pro tier in the future for users who want higher daily usage limits, but the core tools, guides, and articles will remain free. Our funding model is described in full on the Editorial Standards page.
- How do you fact-check your guides and tools?
- Every claim involving a specific number, limit, region, ARN format, or price is checked against the cloud provider's official documentation before publishing. Primary sources are official provider documentation, provider pricing pages read live, and direct empirical testing in real provider accounts where documentation is ambiguous. We deliberately avoid citing third-party blog posts as primary sources because they decay quickly when providers change their docs.
- Do you use AI to generate content?
- Yes — we use AI tools (including large language models) to help draft, outline, and accelerate writing, the same way most modern technical teams do. Our policy is that nothing is published unedited. Every guide, tool description, and article is reviewed and edited by a human, and any facts are verified against primary sources before going live. We do not generate filler content to pad word counts.
- What happens when you find an error?
- If you spot a factual error, broken calculation, or outdated information, email corrections@cloudtoolstack.com or open an issue on our GitHub repository. We respond to substantive corrections within a few business days and update the content in place, bumping the Last Updated date. Major corrections that change a guide's conclusions are noted inline at the top of the guide.
- How is editorial content separated from advertising?
- Editorial content (guides, tool descriptions, blog articles, FAQs) is written entirely independently of advertisers. Our writers do not see the advertiser list, and editorial coverage of a cloud provider does not change based on whether that provider purchases advertising. All advertising on the site is clearly distinguishable from editorial content per Google AdSense policy. This is documented in detail on the Editorial Standards page.
- Is the site independently operated?
- Yes. CloudToolStack is independently owned and operated. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, sponsored by, or financially supported by Amazon, Microsoft, Google, Oracle, IBM, DigitalOcean, Linode, Alibaba, or any other cloud provider. All cloud provider names and service names are trademarks of their respective owners.
- Where can I read your full editorial process?
- Our Editorial Standards page documents the complete editorial process: mission, independence, sourcing and verification, use of AI, dating and revisions, corrections policy, privacy-first architecture, accessibility, and content/advertising separation. The page is reviewed annually and updated whenever the editorial process changes.
Cloud Providers
- Which cloud providers does CloudToolStack support?
- We support five cloud providers: Amazon Web Services (AWS), Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud Platform (GCP), Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI), and multi-cloud comparisons that evaluate services across all four providers side by side.
- Is CloudToolStack affiliated with AWS, Azure, GCP, or Oracle?
- No. CloudToolStack is an independent project not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Amazon, Microsoft, Google, or Oracle. All cloud provider names and service names are trademarks of their respective owners.
- Why did you add Oracle Cloud (OCI)?
- Oracle Cloud has emerged as a serious contender for enterprise workloads, offering competitive pricing, the Autonomous Database, Ampere ARM compute, and a strong networking stack with FastConnect and Azure interconnect. Many cloud practitioners now work with OCI alongside the other major providers, so we added comprehensive OCI coverage.