Brainboard

Brainboard is a cloud infrastructure design and management solution that, according to the vendor, empowers engineers to create cloud-native designs before diving into code. It is designed to cater to companies of all sizes, from startups to enterprise-level organizations. Cloud architects, DevOps engineers, infrastructure managers, IT consultants, and software development companies are among the professionals and industries that can benefit from Brainboard's capabilities.

Key Features

Design First: According to the vendor, Brainboard enables engineers to design cloud-native architectures visually before diving into code. Users can drag and drop cloud infrastructure resources, data resources, custom resources, and Terraform modules from various cloud providers. The design area allows users to configure Terraform parameters, and the code is auto-generated in real-time with built-in infrastructure-as-code (IaC) best practices.

Import and Export: Users can import existing Terraform files from public or private repositories or directly from cloud providers like Azure (AWS coming soon). Architecture designs can be exported in PNG, PDF, or JPEG formats for easy sharing and documentation purposes.

Templates and Modules: Brainboard provides a catalog of pre-built cloud architecture templates that users can choose from, including architectures for Jenkins, AWS VPC with subnets and security groups, Azure multi-region web application with Cosmos DB, GCP load balancer, and more. Users can build their own library of architectures and templates for future reuse. The platform supports importing Terraform modules, allowing users to leverage existing modules and easily incorporate them into their designs.

Collaboration and Real-time Editing: Brainboard supports real-time collaboration, allowing multiple users to work on cloud architectures simultaneously. Users can invite team members to collaborate on designs, making it easy to work together and gather input from stakeholders. The platform provides a smooth and responsive design area, ensuring a seamless editing experience.

CI/CD Engine: According to the vendor, Brainboard features a visual CI/CD engine that allows users to design and control cross-environment deployment strategies without the need for YAML coding. Users can create pipelines, add actions, and configure approval requirements for deploying cloud infrastructure. Git integration enables users to trigger deployments through pull requests and seamlessly integrate with their existing workflow.

Centralized Cloud Management: Brainboard provides a centralized view of projects, environments, and architectures, making it easy to manage and organize cloud infrastructures. Users can store Terraform state files securely in their own remote backend, ensuring data privacy and unifying the source of truth. The platform allows for granular access control to variables and secrets, providing enhanced security and governance.

Multi-Cloud Support: According to the vendor, Brainboard natively supports multiple cloud providers, including Azure, AWS, OCI, GCP, and Scaleway, allowing users to design and manage architectures across different cloud environments.

Efficient Shortcuts and Navigation: Brainboard offers shortcut-friendly navigation, allowing users to quickly navigate through architectures and perform Terraform actions with keyboard shortcuts.

Third-party Integrations: According to the vendor, Brainboard can integrate with existing tools like Infracost, Checkov, Slack, or OPA, helping to optimize cloud costs and cloud security.

Security and Remote Backends: According to the vendor, Brainboard enhances the security of cloud infrastructure by emphasizing design and allowing for secure storage of Terraform state files.