Tailpipe

AWS Integration Setup

Automated Infrastructure Deployment for AWS

Connect your AWS account to Tailpipe using our fully automated setup script.

The script creates secure, read-only access to your AWS Cost and Usage Reports and CloudWatch metrics.

What Gets Created

Our setup script automatically provisions:

S3 Bucket – Stores your AWS Cost and Usage Report data

Cost and Usage Report Export – Hourly billing data with all cost allocation tags

IAM Role – Least-privilege, read-only access with External ID protection

CloudFormation StackSets (AWS Organizations only) – Deploys CloudWatch access to child accounts

Estimated Time to Setup

Management Account (without Organizations): 5-10 minutes
Management Account (with AWS Organizations): 10-15 minutes
Standalone Account: 5 minutes

Security and Privacy

Tailpipe ensures that your data is protected at all times.

Read-Only Access – Cannot modify any AWS resources
External ID Protection – Prevents unauthorized access (confused deputy attack prevention)
No Long-Term Credentials – Uses IAM role assumption
Audit Trail – All access logged in CloudTrail
You Stay in Control – Remove access anytime with our cleanup script

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

AWS CLI installed and configured (Installation Guide)

jq command-line tool (Installation Guide)

An AWS account with Administrator access

Your Tailpipe External ID (provided during onboarding)

Quick Start

1. Download the Setup Script

# Clone the repository (requires GitHub access)
git clone https://github.com/tivarri/tailpipe-cloud-data-export.git
cd tailpipe-cloud-data-export/aws

2. Run the Setup Script

# Interactive mode (recommended for first-time setup)
./setup-tailpipe.sh

# Or automated mode (for CI/CD)
REGION=us-east-1 EXTERNAL_ID=your-external-id ./setup-tailpipe.sh

# Preview changes first (dry-run)
DRY_RUN=1 ./setup-tailpipe.sh

3. Share Configuration with Tailpipe

The script outputs a JSON configuration containing your IAM role ARN and S3 bucket details. Share this with your Tailpipe Account Manager.

What Happens Next?

1. AWS begins generating Cost and Usage Reports (first report within 24 hours).
2. Tailpipe connects using the IAM role you created.
3. Your carbon emissions data appears in Tailpipe within 24-48 hours.

Resources

Complete Setup Guide – Detailed documentation with troubleshooting
Setup Script – Main automation script
Cleanup Script – Remove all resources

Need Help?

Contact our support team at [email protected] or consult our Troubleshooting Guide.

Ready to Get Started?

Connect your cloud accounts to Tailpipe and start tracking carbon emissions today: Get Started with AWS | Get Started with Azure | Get Started with GCP

Questions? Contact our team at [email protected]