Sign in Subscribe

Explain the concept of AWS CloudFormation in infrastructure as code (IaC).

Last updated on 


AWS CloudFormation is a service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that enables you to define and provision infrastructure resources in a declarative manner, using templates. It falls under the category of Infrastructure as Code (IaC), which is a practice of managing and provisioning infrastructure through machine-readable script files rather than through physical hardware configuration or interactive configuration tools.

  1. Templates:
    • At the core of AWS CloudFormation is the template. A template is a JSON or YAML formatted text file that describes the set of resources and properties needed to deploy and configure your AWS infrastructure. Templates are written in a declarative language, specifying what resources should exist and their configurations, rather than the step-by-step procedures to create them.
  2. Resources:
    • Resources are the building blocks of your infrastructure. These can be AWS services like EC2 instances, S3 buckets, IAM roles, etc. Each resource is defined in the CloudFormation template, and the template provides the necessary details about the resource, such as its type, properties, and dependencies.
  3. Stacks:
    • A stack is a collection of AWS resources created and managed as a single unit. When you deploy a CloudFormation template, it creates a stack. Stacks can be easily created, updated, and deleted. They represent the state of your infrastructure as defined by the CloudFormation template.
  4. Parameters:
    • Parameters allow you to customize your CloudFormation templates. They provide a way to input custom values at runtime, making the templates more flexible and reusable. For example, you might define parameters for specifying instance types, key pairs, or other configuration details.
  5. Mappings:
    • Mappings provide a way to create conditional mappings between keys and a corresponding set of named values. This is useful for creating reusable templates that can adapt to different scenarios. For instance, you might use mappings to define AMI (Amazon Machine Image) IDs based on the region or environment.
  6. Outputs:
    • Outputs allow you to retrieve information about the resources created by your CloudFormation stack. This information can be useful for connecting different parts of your infrastructure or for displaying outputs to the user. For example, you might output the DNS name of a created resource.
  7. Functions:
    • CloudFormation provides a set of intrinsic functions that you can use within your templates. These functions help you perform various operations, such as referencing resource attributes, performing string manipulation, or creating conditionals.
  8. Change Sets:
    • Before making changes to an existing stack, CloudFormation allows you to preview the changes using a feature called change sets. A change set is a summary of the proposed changes to the stack, including additions, modifications, or deletions of resources.
  9. Stack Policies:
    • Stack policies allow you to control updates to certain stack resources. You can specify a policy to prevent updates to critical resources or to allow updates only under specific conditions.
  10. Rollback:
  • If any part of the stack creation or update fails, AWS CloudFormation can automatically roll back to the previous known state. This helps in maintaining the consistency and integrity of your infrastructure.

AWS CloudFormation simplifies and automates the process of managing AWS infrastructure by allowing you to define and version your infrastructure as code. This approach enhances repeatability, consistency, and traceability while providing the ability to scale and manage infrastructure changes more efficiently.