CloudFormation Tutorials

Template Workflow

1. Define the infrastructure in YAML or JSON.
2. Validate the template.
3. Create or update the stack.
4. Review stack events and outputs.

Example commands:

aws cloudformation validate-template --template-body file://template.yml
aws cloudformation create-stack --stack-name demo --template-body file://template.yml
aws cloudformation update-stack --stack-name demo --template-body file://template.yml

A Simple Template Shape

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Description: Basic web stack
Parameters:
  InstanceType:
    Type: String
    Default: t3.micro
Resources:
  WebServer:
    Type: AWS::EC2::Instance
    Properties:
      InstanceType: !Ref InstanceType
      ImageId: ami-12345678
Outputs:
  InstanceId:
    Value: !Ref WebServer

Practical Guidance

• Start with one stack per lifecycle boundary.
• Use parameters for environment-specific settings.
• Prefer outputs over hard-coded cross-stack assumptions.

References

• AWS CloudFormation
• CloudFormation documentation