Nullstone

Nullstone is a developer platform for launching and managing applications in cloud providers such as AWS. It can run containers, serverless apps, static sites, and applications on servers. Teams can create preview environments from a pull request or branch and remove them after review or testing. Infrastructure is provisioned with Terraform modules that teams can fork, adapt, or build themselves. The platform launches infrastructure in customers’ cloud accounts and says it cannot access their data; secrets remain in that account in a vault such as AWS Secrets Manager. Security details include SOC 2 Type II certification and role-based access controls. Integrations listed for logging and metrics include Datadog, NewRelic, and SumoLogic; CI/CD options include CircleCI, Jenkins, and GitHub Actions. Its open-source CLI supports deployments, infrastructure provisioning, data retrieval, and module management. The free Individual plan includes one user, one environment, and 10 deploys per week. Startup is $50 a month; Growth is listed at $100 a month, with a note that it starts at $500/month. The SaaS service is hosted only and cannot be independently installed or run by customers.

Nullstone combines application deployment, infrastructure provisioning, and preview environments in a cloud-focused developer platform. Its hosted-only service and plan limits are important considerations for teams assessing fit.

Nullstone suits development teams that want to deploy cloud workloads and manage infrastructure through Terraform modules. Teams needing preview environments, access controls, or integrations with listed monitoring and CI/CD tools may also find its scope relevant.

Nullstone is a cloud application delivery platform for teams that want deployment, infrastructure provisioning, and temporary environments in one workflow. It is best suited to developers standardizing AWS or GCP delivery around Terraform while keeping infrastructure in their own accounts. The main trade-off is a hosted service with sharply defined user, environment, and deployment quotas on its lower plans.

Overview

Nullstone can launch containers, serverless applications, static sites, and software running on servers. That breadth makes it useful when one team supports several workload styles rather than a single Kubernetes-centric pattern. Its documented Git source is GitHub, and its deployment targets include AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, ECS, and Lambda.

Infrastructure is provisioned through Terraform modules. Teams can use those modules, fork and customize them, or create modules from scratch, giving experienced infrastructure engineers more control than a fixed application platform. Preview environments can be created from a pull request or branch and destroyed after review or testing, which is valuable for change validation but makes the Startup plan’s three active previews a meaningful ceiling.

Nullstone operates a managed control plane while placing launched infrastructure in the customer’s cloud account. It says it does not access customer data. Its security information states that it is SOC 2 Type II certified, that secrets remain in the customer account in a vault such as AWS Secrets Manager, and that role-based access controls support least-privilege access. The open-source CLI covers deployments, infrastructure provisioning, data retrieval, and infrastructure-module management on macOS, Windows, and Linux. That CLI does not make the SaaS service self-hostable: the terms describe the service as hosted-only and prohibit customers from independently possessing, running, or installing it.

Key features

Deployment and infrastructure

Terraform-based modules connect application delivery with repeatable cloud infrastructure. The ability to bring your own Terraform on Growth is especially important for teams with established modules or governance requirements; lower plans are better for teams willing to work within Nullstone’s module model. Integrations documented for Datadog, NewRelic, and SumoLogic cover logging and metrics, while CircleCI, Jenkins, and GitHub Actions cover CI/CD workflows.

Preview environments

Branch- and pull-request previews give reviewers a disposable deployment instead of relying only on local or shared environments. Automatic destruction after review or testing helps control that temporary footprint, although teams with many simultaneous reviews will need to watch the active-environment allowance.

Security and access

Customer-account deployment, customer-held secrets, SOC 2 Type II certification, and RBAC address common control concerns. Enterprise adds single sign-on, self-hosted runners, and a self-hosted state backend for organizations that need more control over execution and state.

Pricing

Nullstone uses a freemium model. The Individual plan is free for one user and one environment, with 10 deploys per week, AWS or GCP support, and community forum support. It is a sensible evaluation or solo-developer tier, but the single-user and weekly deployment limits make it unsuitable for a multi-developer release process.

Startup costs $50.00 per month for two users and two environments. It raises the allowance to 30 deploys per week, includes three active preview environments and custom domains, supports AWS or GCP, and retains community forum support. This fits a small team that needs real preview workflows; the user, environment, and preview caps will constrain a growing engineering group.

Growth is listed at $100.00 per month, with billing stated as “Starts at $500/month.” It supports 5 to 100 users, unlimited environments, unlimited deploys, bring-your-own Terraform, RBAC, AWS or GCP, and a dedicated Slack channel. Those capabilities target teams that have outgrown quotas and need custom infrastructure and stronger access control, but the stated starting billing makes it a materially larger commitment than the headline plan amount suggests.

Enterprise has custom pricing and adds unlimited users, single sign-on, multi-cloud support, self-hosted runners, a self-hosted state backend, and SLAs. It is the relevant tier for organizations with formal reliability, identity, or deployment-isolation requirements. A 14-day trial is available.

Platforms

Nullstone provides API, web, Linux, macOS, and Windows access. The hosted control plane is paired with its CLI, while deployments can target AWS, GCP, Kubernetes, ECS, and Lambda. GitHub is the documented Git source.

Who it's for

Choose Nullstone if your team wants one workflow for application deployment, Terraform-based provisioning, and pull-request previews while retaining infrastructure in its own cloud account. It is particularly well matched to AWS- or GCP-focused teams supporting mixed workload types and willing to use a hosted control plane.

Look elsewhere if independently running the platform is mandatory, if your primary source is not GitHub, or if your team needs more users, environments, previews, or deploys than the lower plans allow without moving to Growth or Enterprise.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Supports containers, serverless apps, static sites, and server workloads in one delivery platform.
• Terraform modules can be forked, customized, or built from scratch, with bring-your-own Terraform on Growth.
• Pull-request and branch previews can be destroyed after review, limiting temporary environments.
• Infrastructure and secrets stay in the customer’s cloud account, with stated SOC 2 Type II certification and RBAC.
• Open-source CLI supports deployment, provisioning, data retrieval, and module management across major desktop operating systems.

Cons

• The hosted service cannot be independently installed or run, ruling it out for self-hosting requirements.
• Individual and Startup impose tight user, environment, deployment, and preview limits.
• Growth’s pricing is presented as $100.00 per month but says billing starts at $500/month, complicating budget estimates.
• Individual and Startup rely on community forum support rather than a dedicated channel.

Alternatives

Devtron Release Orchestration is a freemium, web and self-hosted option with a free tier for up to 50 vCPUs, 10 users, and one cluster; choose it when self-hosting and Kubernetes-oriented limits fit better.

Flux CD is a free, open-source Kubernetes delivery project that requires a Kubernetes cluster; pick it for a Kubernetes-native tool rather than a broader hosted application platform.

GitOpsHQ offers freemium web and self-hosted plans, including a forever-free tier for one organization and two projects per organization; it suits smaller GitOps administration needs.

Portainer provides a free Business Edition tier for up to three nodes with no time limit; choose it when node-based container management is the priority.

Carvel kapp-controller is a free Apache 2.0 open-source project for Linux and self-hosted use.

env0 has a free tier with up to 250 runs per month, 30 active environments, one concurrent run, and unlimited users and agents; it is a stronger fit when those environment and run allowances matter most.

GitLab Package Registry offers a free plan with five users per top-level group, 400 compute minutes per month, and 10 GiB of adjustable storage; choose it for package-registry needs within GitLab.

Google Config Sync is included with Google Kubernetes Engine and requires a GKE-supported cluster version and fleet registration.

The GitOps Tools and Preview Environment Software lists provide broader category comparisons.

Verdict

Nullstone is a strong choice for cloud-focused teams that want Terraform-controlled infrastructure, mixed workload deployment, and disposable pull-request environments without moving resources out of their own accounts. Choose it for that integrated workflow and its security controls; look elsewhere when self-hosting, non-GitHub sources, or larger lower-tier quotas are non-negotiable.