CloudPaw: Visual AWS Architecture Studio

January 19, 2026

Background

Data Cats needed a faster way to move from whiteboard architecture sessions to implementation. Existing workflows required manual translation of diagrams into infrastructure-as-code, which introduced delays and inconsistent patterns.

Approach

We built CloudPaw as a static-deployable web application that supports drag-and-connect architecture modeling for common AWS components. The studio includes:

• A visual canvas with node linking
• A guided architecture assistant for pattern recommendations
• Ready-to-load reference samples
• Local workspace persistence and JSON import/export
• Direct export of a starter Python AWS CDK project

Outcomes

CloudPaw now provides a repeatable path from architecture concept to an implementation baseline. The current release models 12 AWS services and is covered by unit tests for recommendation/CDK logic plus end-to-end Cypress coverage for key user flows.