Composer: a visual canvas for your cloud stack
Updated
Composer is a visual canvas in the Wolkra console where you draw a complete stack of servers, networks, load balancer, firewalls and volumes, see what it will cost per month, and apply it in the right order with one click. An optional AI assistant can draft the stack for you from a short description.
Why a canvas
Building a multi-server setup one form at a time is slow, and it is easy to forget a piece: the firewall on the database, the network on the second app server, the volume for uploads. Composer shows the whole design at once, so you can see how the parts connect before anything exists.
What you can place
- Cloud servers, with plan, image and labels
- Private networks to connect them
- A load balancer in front of servers
- Firewalls attached to servers
- Block storage volumes attached to servers
Draw a connection from a server to a network, from a load balancer to its targets, or from a firewall to the servers it protects. The canvas keeps the design readable as it grows.
See the monthly cost first
As you add and change resources, Composer adds up the monthly cost of the whole design using live prices. You know what the stack will cost before you apply it. Because billing is hourly and capped at the monthly price, the figure shown is also the most a full month can cost for those resources.
Apply in order
When you are happy with the design, apply it. Composer creates the resources in a sensible order: networks first, then servers and volumes, then the load balancer and firewalls that point at them. You follow progress on the canvas as each piece comes up.
The AI assistant
The optional AI assistant turns a description into a first draft. For example:
Two web servers behind a load balancer, a database on a private network with a 100 GB volume, and a firewall that only allows HTTP and HTTPS from outside.
The assistant places the resources and connections on the canvas. Nothing is created until you review the draft, adjust plans or names, check the cost and apply. You stay in control of what runs and what it costs.
A typical workflow
- Open Composer in your project.
- Start from an empty canvas or ask the assistant for a draft.
- Adjust plans, images, labels and connections.
- Check the monthly cost.
- Apply, and watch the stack come up in order.
Once applied, every resource is a normal Wolkra resource. Manage it in the console or through the API like anything else.
Typical uses
- A first production layout for a SaaS startup
- A web hosting stack with a load balancer and private database
- Development environments that mirror production
- Explaining an architecture to a teammate before building it
- Learning how private networks, load balancers and firewalls fit together
Composer compared with the console and the API
| Console pages | Composer | API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | One resource at a time | A whole stack at once | Repeatable automation |
| Shows connections | Per resource | On one canvas | In your code |
| Monthly cost before creating | Per resource | For the whole design | You calculate it |
| Skill needed | None | None | Scripting |
They are not either-or. Many people sketch a new environment in Composer, apply it, and then hand day-to-day changes to scripts that call the API. Teams use the canvas to agree on a design before anyone creates anything: share the project with a colleague through teams and security, open Composer together and discuss the layout while the price is right there on screen.
Pricing basis
Composer itself is free. You pay for the resources it creates, by the hour from your prepaid balance, capped at each resource's monthly price. See the pricing page.
Limits to know
- Composer creates resources in your current project and location. Today that is Frankfurt.
- The AI assistant drafts; it does not apply anything without you.
- Composer covers servers, networks, a load balancer, firewalls and volumes. Other resources are managed in their own console pages.
Related products
- Cloud servers, private networks, load balancers, firewalls and block storage
- API for scripted changes
- Teams and security to share projects with your team
Draw your stack
Design it, price it, apply it. Sign up for Wolkra and open Composer in your first project.
Frequently asked questions
What is Wolkra Composer?
Composer is a visual canvas in the Wolkra console. You draw a stack of servers, networks, a load balancer, firewalls and volumes, see the monthly cost, and apply it.
Do I see the cost before anything is created?
Yes. Composer shows the monthly cost of the whole design before you apply it, so there are no surprises on your balance.
What does the AI assistant in Composer do?
The optional AI assistant drafts a stack from a plain description, such as two web servers behind a load balancer with a private database. You review and change the draft before applying it.
In what order are resources created?
Composer applies the stack in a sensible order, for example networks before the servers that join them and servers before the load balancer that targets them.
Does Composer cost extra?
No. Composer is part of the console. You pay only for the resources it creates, billed by the hour like everything else.