CloudQuery vs. Cloud Asset Inventory Tools

Platform teams managing cloud infrastructure face a fundamental problem: 81% of organizations struggle with asset visibility gaps, while 87% operate multi-cloud environments that fragment their infrastructure oversight [Vertice]. The traditional approach of logging into multiple cloud consoles doesn't scale when you're managing thousands of resources across AWS, Azure, and GCP.

Four distinct approaches to cloud asset inventory management

SQL-Native Tools

CloudQuery and Steampipe both recognize that platform engineers prefer standard SQL over proprietary query languages. CloudQuery focuses on persistent inventory with scheduled synchronization, while Steampipe provides real-time API queries without storage [CloudQuery].

Graph-Based Platforms

Cartography and CloudCraft use Neo4j to map infrastructure relationships, excelling at dependency analysis and attack path discovery [GitHub]. The graph approach provides superior relationship analysis but requires Cypher query expertise.

Security Auditors

Prowler and Scout Suite target security teams with 500+ built-in compliance checks across frameworks like CIS, NIST, and SOC 2 [GitHub]. These tools excel at point-in-time security assessments but lack broader asset management capabilities.

Native Cloud Services

AWS Config, Azure Resource Graph, and Google Cloud Asset Inventory offer deep cloud-specific integration with zero setup complexity, but cannot address multi-cloud environments [Amazon], or event multi-account setups.

Technical architecture drives capability differences

CloudQuery

CloudQuery's managed cloud asset inventory platform eliminates the operational complexity of building cloud asset inventories. Unlike self-hosted solutions, the platform provides fully managed data pipelines that sync cloud data from 70+ official integrations with read-only permissions to your cloud environment. Teams get unified asset inventory, SQL query capabilities, and pre-built reports without setting up databases, managing infrastructure, or handling data pipeline maintenance [CloudQuery].

The cloud asset inventory platform provides several key capabilities:

• Unified asset inventory across all cloud providers
• SQL console for custom queries and compliance checks
• Pre-built dashboards and reports for immediate insights
• Alerting when cloud config data isn't up to compliance
• Cross-cloud resource relationship mapping
• No infrastructure setup or database management required

Steampipe: zero-ETL for real-time queries

Steampipe's PostgreSQL Foreign Data Wrapper approach provides immediate insights through live API calls without persistence requirements [GitHub]. The single binary installation contrasts with CloudQuery's database configuration requirements, making it ideal for ad-hoc investigations [Cobalt].

Key technical differences create distinct use cases:

• Real-time data without synchronization delays
• No infrastructure overhead or storage costs
• 140+ data sources across multiple platforms
• Embedded PostgreSQL with standard SQL interface

Independent analysis confirms the architectural trade-offs: "CloudQuery is better for persistent data storage and historical analysis, while Steampipe excels at real-time queries without infrastructure setup" [Chandrapal Badshah].

Multi-cloud capabilities separate market leaders

Native cloud provider tools offer excellent single-cloud capabilities but fundamental limitations for multi-cloud environments. AWS Config charges $0.003 per configuration item and $0.001 per configuration evaluation, creating significant costs at scale [Amazon]. Azure Resource Graph provides free KQL queries but only covers Azure resources [Microsoft].

CloudQuery supports 50+ cloud and software providers with unified data models, enabling cross-cloud queries that native tools cannot provide [CloudQuery]. Organizations report 30% cost reduction compared to native per-item pricing models, particularly relevant for large-scale deployments [CloudQuery].

Steampipe provides 140+ data sources across cloud, SaaS, and infrastructure platforms. While Steampipe itself doesn't persist data, Turbot Pipes offers snapshot capabilities for selected queries and reports, enabling some historical analysis [Altimetrik].

Comprehensive competitive comparison

Quick decision matrix

CloudQuery strengths and competitive gaps

Let's be honest about what CloudQuery does really well and where other tools might be a better fit for your team.

CloudQuery's managed platform approach is honestly where CloudQuery pulls ahead of the pack. Our customers regularly tell us stories about ditching their homegrown scripts and infrastructure headaches once they moved to the platform.

We've seen teams go from spending weeks setting up data pipelines to getting actionable insights about their cloud configuration in hours. The 50+ integrations mean you're not constantly writing new connectors when your organization adopts another SaaS tool. And when you need to answer questions like "which SSL certificates expire next week and who owns them?" That's where the SQL flexibility really shines [AWS].

Let's talk about where CloudQuery isn't the obvious choice. For teams that live and breathe in a single cloud provider, the native tools often make more sense initially. Why introduce another vendor when AWS Config or Azure Resource Graph gives you exactly what you need with zero setup? The learning curve is practically non-existent if you're already deep in that ecosystem. These tools can also sometimes handle automatic resolution of issues they find in your cloud.

Matching Cloud Asset Inventory tools to requirements

Choose CloudQuery when

• Managing multi-cloud environments (2+ cloud providers)
• Requiring historical analysis and compliance reporting
• Building long-term infrastructure management systems
• Operating at enterprise scale (1,000+ resources)
• Team has SQL expertise and database infrastructure

Choose Steampipe when

• Performing ad-hoc security investigations
• Preferring lightweight deployments without infrastructure
• Working primarily with investigation workflows
• Budget constrains infrastructure investments

Choose native tools when

• Operating single-cloud environments
• Leveraging cloud-specific advanced features
• Team has deep cloud-specific expertise

Wrap Up

The key takeaway? The cloud asset inventory market has evolved beyond one-size-fits-all solutions into specialized tools that genuinely solve specific problems well. CloudQuery's managed platform approach makes the most sense when you're dealing with multi-cloud environments and need persistent asset inventory without operational overhead. Steampipe dominates real-time investigations and offers incredible out-of-the-box compliance reports. Native tools like AWS Config win for single-cloud simplicity, while specialized security tools excel in their niches.

This specialization is actually healthy, it means you can choose tools that align with your team's expertise, infrastructure complexity, and long-term cloud strategy rather than settling for generic solutions that do everything poorly.