Refine Documentation

Everything you need to deploy + run Refine

Architecture, per-cloud setup, security posture, pilot rollout, and daily-use reference. All current as of Refine v3.3.0. PDFs are bundled with every customer delivery — these copies are kept in sync.

Getting started

Start here if you're new to Refine or just subscribed.

PDF · ~30 pages

Product Brief

Capabilities, multi-cloud coverage, competitive positioning, FAQ. The single doc to read first.

Download →
PDF · End-to-end walkthrough

Customer Quickstart

Set up the Refine server on AWS, connect your first cloud account, learn the daily-use flow. ~60 min start to finish.

Download →
PDF · Reference

System Requirements

What Refine needs to run: instance sizing by account count, supported AWS regions, disk + memory minimums, OS requirements.

Download →

Architecture & security

For your security team, architects, and reviewers.

PDF · Single-page diagram + narrative

Architecture (Marketplace)

How Refine deploys in your AWS account, where data lives, what crosses the boundary (nothing — zero egress to Blacktip).

Download →
PDF · Network topology

Network Architecture

Detailed network paths, security groups, NACLs, optional VPC endpoint configurations, and air-gap variants.

Download →
PDF · IAM reference

IAM Permissions

Exact IAM policy text for every role Refine creates. Used by security reviewers to validate the read-only-by-design claim.

Download →

Deployment

Pick the path that matches how you subscribed.

PDF · AWS Marketplace BYOL

Marketplace Deployment Guide

For customers who subscribed via AWS Marketplace. Stack launch, license-request form, S3 license upload, first login.

Download →
PDF · Direct-sales delivery ZIP

Direct-Sales Deployment Guide

For customers who received a delivery ZIP from Blacktip directly. EC2 sizing, setup wizard, PostgreSQL production option, HTTPS via ALB.

Download →
PDF · Air-gap deployments

Air-Gapped Setup

For GovCloud, FedRAMP, and classified-network deployments. Sneakernet-compatible delivery, offline Ed25519 license verification, zero internet dependency.

Download →
PDF · GovCloud variant

GovCloud Setup

GovCloud-partition specifics. CloudFormation differences (Cost Explorer paths dropped), partition ARNs, FedRAMP inheritance.

Download →

Connect your cloud accounts

One guide per cloud. Refine supports all three in a single deployment.

Part of Deployment Guide

AWS account connection

One-click CloudFormation per AWS account. Creates the per-account Lambda collector + S3 bucket. External-ID protected.

Download →
PDF · Azure subscription onboarding

Azure setup

One-line curl | bash in Azure Cloud Shell. Creates Entra ID app, Reader role, Storage Account, and daily Cost Management Export. Supports Azure Public + US Government.

Download →
PDF · GCP project onboarding

GCP setup

Terraform module. Creates Service Account with viewer + BigQuery data-viewer roles, plus BigQuery billing export.

Download →
PDF · Enterprise SSO

LDAP / AD / Entra ID

Wire Refine into your existing directory. RBAC mapping for ROOT / ADMIN / USER roles, plus per-account-group scoping.

Download →

Day-to-day operation

Once Refine is running.

PDF · Page-by-page reference

User Guide

Every page, every dashboard, every recommendation type. The complete reference for FinOps teams using Refine daily.

Download →
PDF · 90-day playbook

Pilot Rollout Playbook

How to run a successful 90-day Refine pilot: stakeholder mapping, week-by-week milestones, value-realization checkpoints, executive presentation.

Download →

Can't find what you need?

Every Refine delivery ships with the same docs bundled in the ZIP. If you have a question that isn't covered here, or you want the latest version delivered with your release, email support@blacktip-ops.com. Typical response within 1 business day.