AWS CloudFormation
AWS CloudFormation provisions and manages AWS resources using templates. Define infrastructure as code, version control it, and deploy consistently across environments.
Table of Contents Core Concepts Common Patterns CLI Reference Best Practices Troubleshooting References Core Concepts Templates
JSON or YAML files defining AWS resources. Key sections:
Parameters: Input values Mappings: Static lookup tables Conditions: Conditional resource creation Resources: AWS resources (required) Outputs: Return values Stacks
Collection of resources managed as a single unit. Created from templates.
Change Sets
Preview changes before executing updates.
Stack Sets
Deploy stacks across multiple accounts and regions.
Common Patterns Basic Template Structure AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09' Description: My infrastructure template
Parameters: Environment: Type: String AllowedValues: [dev, staging, prod] Default: dev
Mappings: EnvironmentConfig: dev: InstanceType: t3.micro prod: InstanceType: t3.large
Conditions: IsProd: !Equals [!Ref Environment, prod]
Resources: MyBucket: Type: AWS::S3::Bucket Properties: BucketName: !Sub 'my-app-${Environment}-${AWS::AccountId}' VersioningConfiguration: Status: !If [IsProd, Enabled, Suspended]
Outputs: BucketName: Description: S3 bucket name Value: !Ref MyBucket Export: Name: !Sub '${AWS::StackName}-BucketName'
Deploy a Stack
AWS CLI:
Create stack
aws cloudformation create-stack \ --stack-name my-stack \ --template-body file://template.yaml \ --parameters ParameterKey=Environment,ParameterValue=prod \ --capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM
Wait for completion
aws cloudformation wait stack-create-complete --stack-name my-stack
Update stack
aws cloudformation update-stack \ --stack-name my-stack \ --template-body file://template.yaml \ --parameters ParameterKey=Environment,ParameterValue=prod
Delete stack
aws cloudformation delete-stack --stack-name my-stack
Use Change Sets
Create change set
aws cloudformation create-change-set \ --stack-name my-stack \ --change-set-name my-changes \ --template-body file://template.yaml \ --parameters ParameterKey=Environment,ParameterValue=prod
Describe changes
aws cloudformation describe-change-set \ --stack-name my-stack \ --change-set-name my-changes
Execute change set
aws cloudformation execute-change-set \ --stack-name my-stack \ --change-set-name my-changes
Lambda Function Resources: LambdaFunction: Type: AWS::Lambda::Function Properties: FunctionName: !Sub '${AWS::StackName}-function' Runtime: python3.12 Handler: index.handler Role: !GetAtt LambdaRole.Arn Code: ZipFile: | def handler(event, context): return {'statusCode': 200, 'body': 'Hello'} Environment: Variables: ENVIRONMENT: !Ref Environment
LambdaRole: Type: AWS::IAM::Role Properties: AssumeRolePolicyDocument: Version: '2012-10-17' Statement: - Effect: Allow Principal: Service: lambda.amazonaws.com Action: sts:AssumeRole ManagedPolicyArns: - arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/service-role/AWSLambdaBasicExecutionRole
VPC with Subnets Resources: VPC: Type: AWS::EC2::VPC Properties: CidrBlock: 10.0.0.0/16 EnableDnsHostnames: true Tags: - Key: Name Value: !Sub '${AWS::StackName}-vpc'
PublicSubnet1: Type: AWS::EC2::Subnet Properties: VpcId: !Ref VPC AvailabilityZone: !Select [0, !GetAZs ''] CidrBlock: 10.0.1.0/24 MapPublicIpOnLaunch: true
PrivateSubnet1: Type: AWS::EC2::Subnet Properties: VpcId: !Ref VPC AvailabilityZone: !Select [0, !GetAZs ''] CidrBlock: 10.0.10.0/24
InternetGateway: Type: AWS::EC2::InternetGateway
AttachGateway: Type: AWS::EC2::VPCGatewayAttachment Properties: VpcId: !Ref VPC InternetGatewayId: !Ref InternetGateway
PublicRouteTable: Type: AWS::EC2::RouteTable Properties: VpcId: !Ref VPC
PublicRoute: Type: AWS::EC2::Route DependsOn: AttachGateway Properties: RouteTableId: !Ref PublicRouteTable DestinationCidrBlock: 0.0.0.0/0 GatewayId: !Ref InternetGateway
PublicSubnet1RouteTableAssociation: Type: AWS::EC2::SubnetRouteTableAssociation Properties: SubnetId: !Ref PublicSubnet1 RouteTableId: !Ref PublicRouteTable
DynamoDB Table Resources: OrdersTable: Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table Properties: TableName: !Sub '${AWS::StackName}-orders' AttributeDefinitions: - AttributeName: PK AttributeType: S - AttributeName: SK AttributeType: S - AttributeName: GSI1PK AttributeType: S - AttributeName: GSI1SK AttributeType: S KeySchema: - AttributeName: PK KeyType: HASH - AttributeName: SK KeyType: RANGE GlobalSecondaryIndexes: - IndexName: GSI1 KeySchema: - AttributeName: GSI1PK KeyType: HASH - AttributeName: GSI1SK KeyType: RANGE Projection: ProjectionType: ALL BillingMode: PAY_PER_REQUEST PointInTimeRecoverySpecification: PointInTimeRecoveryEnabled: true
CLI Reference Stack Operations Command Description aws cloudformation create-stack Create stack aws cloudformation update-stack Update stack aws cloudformation delete-stack Delete stack aws cloudformation describe-stacks Get stack info aws cloudformation list-stacks List stacks aws cloudformation describe-stack-events Get events aws cloudformation describe-stack-resources Get resources Change Sets Command Description aws cloudformation create-change-set Create change set aws cloudformation describe-change-set View changes aws cloudformation execute-change-set Apply changes aws cloudformation delete-change-set Delete change set Template Command Description aws cloudformation validate-template Validate template aws cloudformation get-template Get stack template aws cloudformation get-template-summary Get template info Best Practices Template Design Use parameters for environment-specific values Use mappings for static lookup tables Use conditions for optional resources Export outputs for cross-stack references Add descriptions to parameters and outputs Security Use IAM roles instead of access keys Enable termination protection for production Use stack policies to protect resources Never hardcode secrets — use Secrets Manager
Enable termination protection
aws cloudformation update-termination-protection \ --stack-name my-stack \ --enable-termination-protection
Organization Use nested stacks for complex infrastructure Create reusable modules Version control templates Use consistent naming conventions Reliability Use DependsOn for explicit dependencies Configure creation policies for instances Use update policies for Auto Scaling groups Implement rollback triggers Troubleshooting Stack Creation Failed
Get failure reason
aws cloudformation describe-stack-events \
--stack-name my-stack \
--query 'StackEvents[?ResourceStatus==CREATE_FAILED]'
Common causes:
- IAM permissions
- Resource limits
- Invalid property values
- Dependency failures
Stack Stuck in DELETE_FAILED
Identify resources that couldn't be deleted
aws cloudformation describe-stack-resources \
--stack-name my-stack \
--query 'StackResources[?ResourceStatus==DELETE_FAILED]'
Retry with resources to skip
aws cloudformation delete-stack \ --stack-name my-stack \ --retain-resources ResourceLogicalId1 ResourceLogicalId2
Drift Detection
Detect drift
aws cloudformation detect-stack-drift --stack-name my-stack
Check drift status
aws cloudformation describe-stack-drift-detection-status \ --stack-drift-detection-id abc123
View drifted resources
aws cloudformation describe-stack-resource-drifts \ --stack-name my-stack
Rollback Failed
Continue update rollback
aws cloudformation continue-update-rollback \ --stack-name my-stack \ --resources-to-skip ResourceLogicalId1
References CloudFormation User Guide CloudFormation API Reference CloudFormation CLI Reference Resource and Property Reference