View a markdown version of this page

Examples of CloudFormation stack operation commands for the Amazon CLI and PowerShell - Amazon CloudFormation
CancelUpdateStackContinueUpdateRollbackCreateStackDeployDeleteStackDescribeStackEventsDescribeStackResourceDescribeStackResourcesDescribeStacksGetTemplateListStackResourcesListStacksUpdateStackValidateTemplate
Services or capabilities described in Amazon Web Services documentation might vary by Region. To see the differences applicable to the China Regions, see Getting Started with Amazon Web Services in China (PDF).

Examples of CloudFormation stack operation commands for the Amazon CLI and PowerShell

The following command line examples demonstrate how to perform individual CloudFormation actions with the Amazon CLI and PowerShell. These examples include only the most commonly used actions. For a complete list, see cloudformation in the Amazon CLI Command Reference.

The examples in this guide use the convention of a backslash (\) to indicate that a long command line continues on the next line.

Topics

Cancel a stack update

Use the cancel-update-stack command command to cancel a stack update. For more information, see Cancel a stack update.

CLI
Amazon CLI

To cancel a stack update that is in progress

The following cancel-update-stack command cancels a stack update on the myteststack stack:

aws cloudformation cancel-update-stack --stack-name myteststack
PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Cancels an update on the specified stack.

Stop-CFNUpdateStack -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see CancelUpdateStack in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4).

Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Cancels an update on the specified stack.

Stop-CFNUpdateStack -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see CancelUpdateStack in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5).

Continue rolling back an update

Use the continue-update-rollback command to continue rolling back an update. For more information, see Continue rolling back an update.

CLI
Amazon CLI

To retry an update rollback

The following continue-update-rollback example resumes a rollback operation from a previously failed stack update.

aws cloudformation continue-update-rollback \
    --stack-name my-stack

This command produces no output.

PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Continues rollback of the named stack, which should be in the state 'UPDATE_ROLLBACK_FAILED'. If the continued rollback is successful, the stack will enter state 'UPDATE_ROLLBACK_COMPLETE'.

Resume-CFNUpdateRollback -StackName "myStack"
Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Continues rollback of the named stack, which should be in the state 'UPDATE_ROLLBACK_FAILED'. If the continued rollback is successful, the stack will enter state 'UPDATE_ROLLBACK_COMPLETE'.

Resume-CFNUpdateRollback -StackName "myStack"

Create a stack

Use the create-stack command to create a stack. You must provide the stack name, the location of a valid template, and any input parameters. The parameter key names are case sensitive. If you mistype a parameter key name, CloudFormation doesn't create the stack and reports that the template doesn't contain that parameter.

The following examples show how to create a new stack with the specified name, template, and input parameters.

CLI
Amazon CLI

To create an Amazon CloudFormation stack

The following create-stacks command creates a stack with the name myteststack using the sampletemplate.json template:

aws cloudformation create-stack --stack-name myteststack --template-body file://sampletemplate.json --parameters ParameterKey=KeyPairName,ParameterValue=TestKey ParameterKey=SubnetIDs,ParameterValue=SubnetID1\\,SubnetID2

Output:

{
    "StackId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/myteststack/466df9e0-0dff-08e3-8e2f-5088487c4896"
}

For more information, see Stacks in the Amazon CloudFormation User Guide.

  • For API details, see CreateStack in Amazon CLI Command Reference.

PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Creates a new stack with the specified name. The template is parsed from the supplied content with customization parameters ('PK1' and 'PK2' represent the names of parameters declared in the template content, 'PV1' and 'PV2' represent the values for those parameters. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'. If creation of the stack fails, it will not be rolled back.

New-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
             -TemplateBody "{TEMPLATE CONTENT HERE}" `
             -Parameter @( @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }, @{ ParameterKey="PK2"; ParameterValue="PV2" }) `
             -DisableRollback $true

Example 2: Creates a new stack with the specified name. The template is parsed from the supplied content with customization parameters ('PK1' and 'PK2' represent the names of parameters declared in the template content, 'PV1' and 'PV2' represent the values for those parameters. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'. If creation of the stack fails, it will be rolled back.

$p1 = New-Object -Type Amazon.CloudFormation.Model.Parameter
$p1.ParameterKey = "PK1"
$p1.ParameterValue = "PV1"

$p2 = New-Object -Type Amazon.CloudFormation.Model.Parameter
$p2.ParameterKey = "PK2"
$p2.ParameterValue = "PV2"

New-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
             -TemplateBody "{TEMPLATE CONTENT HERE}" `
             -Parameter @( $p1, $p2 ) `
             -OnFailure "ROLLBACK"

Example 3: Creates a new stack with the specified name. The template is obtained from the Amazon S3 URL with customization parameters ('PK1' represents the name of a parameter declared in the template content, 'PV1' represents the value for the parameter. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'. If creation of the stack fails, it will be rolled back (same as specifying -DisableRollback $false).

New-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
             -TemplateURL https://s3.amazonaws.com/amzn-s3-demo-bucket/templatefile.template `
             -Parameter @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }

Example 4: Creates a new stack with the specified name. The template is obtained from the Amazon S3 URL with customization parameters ('PK1' represents the name of a parameter declared in the template content, 'PV1' represents the value for the parameter. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'. If creation of the stack fails, it will be rolled back (same as specifying -DisableRollback $false). The specified notification AENs will receive published stack-related events.

New-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
             -TemplateURL https://s3.amazonaws.com/amzn-s3-demo-bucket/templatefile.template `
             -Parameter @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" } `
             -NotificationARN @( "arn1", "arn2" )

  • For API details, see CreateStack in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4).

Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Creates a new stack with the specified name. The template is parsed from the supplied content with customization parameters ('PK1' and 'PK2' represent the names of parameters declared in the template content, 'PV1' and 'PV2' represent the values for those parameters. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'. If creation of the stack fails, it will not be rolled back.

New-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
             -TemplateBody "{TEMPLATE CONTENT HERE}" `
             -Parameter @( @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }, @{ ParameterKey="PK2"; ParameterValue="PV2" }) `
             -DisableRollback $true

Example 2: Creates a new stack with the specified name. The template is parsed from the supplied content with customization parameters ('PK1' and 'PK2' represent the names of parameters declared in the template content, 'PV1' and 'PV2' represent the values for those parameters. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'. If creation of the stack fails, it will be rolled back.

$p1 = New-Object -Type Amazon.CloudFormation.Model.Parameter
$p1.ParameterKey = "PK1"
$p1.ParameterValue = "PV1"

$p2 = New-Object -Type Amazon.CloudFormation.Model.Parameter
$p2.ParameterKey = "PK2"
$p2.ParameterValue = "PV2"

New-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
             -TemplateBody "{TEMPLATE CONTENT HERE}" `
             -Parameter @( $p1, $p2 ) `
             -OnFailure "ROLLBACK"

Example 3: Creates a new stack with the specified name. The template is obtained from the Amazon S3 URL with customization parameters ('PK1' represents the name of a parameter declared in the template content, 'PV1' represents the value for the parameter. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'. If creation of the stack fails, it will be rolled back (same as specifying -DisableRollback $false).

New-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
             -TemplateURL https://s3.amazonaws.com/amzn-s3-demo-bucket/templatefile.template `
             -Parameter @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }

Example 4: Creates a new stack with the specified name. The template is obtained from the Amazon S3 URL with customization parameters ('PK1' represents the name of a parameter declared in the template content, 'PV1' represents the value for the parameter. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'. If creation of the stack fails, it will be rolled back (same as specifying -DisableRollback $false). The specified notification AENs will receive published stack-related events.

New-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
             -TemplateURL https://s3.amazonaws.com/amzn-s3-demo-bucket/templatefile.template `
             -Parameter @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" } `
             -NotificationARN @( "arn1", "arn2" )

  • For API details, see CreateStack in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5).

Note

You can use the Amazon CLI --template-url option to specify a template file location in Amazon S3 or Amazon Systems Manager.

For Amazon S3, the URL must begin with https://. S3 static website URLs are not supported.

--template-url https://s3.region-code.amazonaws.com/bucket-name/template-name

For Amazon Systems Manager, use the following format:

--template-url "ssm-doc://arn:aws:ssm:region-code:account-id:document/document-name"
Express mode

To create a stack using express mode, add the --deployment-config parameter. Express mode completes the stack operation as soon as CloudFormation applies the resource configuration. For more information, see Express mode.

aws cloudformation create-stack --stack-name myteststack \
    --template-body file://sampletemplate.json \
    --deployment-config '{"mode": "EXPRESS"}'

Create a stack that includes transforms

Use the deploy command to create a stack that includes transforms. When you create a stack from a template that includes transforms, you must use a change set. The deploy command combines two steps (creating a change set and executing it) into a single command.

Amazon CLI

The following deploy command creates a stack with the specified name, template, and input parameters.

aws cloudformation deploy --stack-name myteststack \
  --template /path_to_template/my-template.json \
  --parameter-overrides Key1=Value1 Key2=Value2

Delete a stack

Use the delete-stack command to delete a stack. For more information, see Delete a stack.

CLI
Amazon CLI

To delete a stack

The following delete-stack example deletes the specified stack.

aws cloudformation delete-stack \
    --stack-name my-stack

This command produces no output.

  • For API details, see DeleteStack in Amazon CLI Command Reference.

PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Deletes the specified stack.

Remove-CFNStack -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see DeleteStack in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4).

Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Deletes the specified stack.

Remove-CFNStack -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see DeleteStack in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5).

If the deletion fails and returns a DELETE_FAILED state, you can choose to delete the stack by force using the --deletion-mode option. These are the following values that can be used with deletion-mode:

  • STANDARD: Deletes the stack normally. This is the default deletion mode.

  • FORCE_DELETE_STACK: Deletes the stack and skips all resources that are failing to delete.

Amazon CLI

The following delete-stack command force deletes the myteststack stack using the FORCE_DELETE_STACK value with the deletion-mode parameter:

aws cloudformation delete-stack --stack-name myteststack \
    --deletion-mode FORCE_DELETE_STACK

This command produces no output.

After using FORCE_DELETE_STACK, you can use the list-stack-resources command to list the resources that were skipped during the stack deletion process. The retained resources will show a DELETE_SKIPPED status. For more information, see List stack resources.

Express mode

To delete a stack using express mode, add the --deployment-config parameter:

aws cloudformation delete-stack --stack-name myteststack \
    --deployment-config '{"mode": "EXPRESS"}'

For more information, see Express mode.

Describe stack events

Use the describe-stack-events command to describe stack events. For more information, see Monitor stack progress.

CLI
Amazon CLI

To describe stack events

The following describe-stack-events example displays the 2 most recent events for the specified stack.

aws cloudformation describe-stack-events \
    --stack-name my-stack \
    --max-items 2

{
    "StackEvents": [
        {
            "StackId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-west-2:123456789012:stack/my-stack/d0a825a0-e4cd-xmpl-b9fb-061c69e99204",
            "EventId": "4e1516d0-e4d6-xmpl-b94f-0a51958a168c",
            "StackName": "my-stack",
            "LogicalResourceId": "my-stack",
            "PhysicalResourceId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-west-2:123456789012:stack/my-stack/d0a825a0-e4cd-xmpl-b9fb-061c69e99204",
            "ResourceType": "AWS::CloudFormation::Stack",
            "Timestamp": "2019-10-02T05:34:29.556Z",
            "ResourceStatus": "UPDATE_COMPLETE"
        },
        {
            "StackId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-west-2:123456789012:stack/my-stack/d0a825a0-e4cd-xmpl-b9fb-061c69e99204",
            "EventId": "4dd3c810-e4d6-xmpl-bade-0aaf8b31ab7a",
            "StackName": "my-stack",
            "LogicalResourceId": "my-stack",
            "PhysicalResourceId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-west-2:123456789012:stack/my-stack/d0a825a0-e4cd-xmpl-b9fb-061c69e99204",
            "ResourceType": "AWS::CloudFormation::Stack",
            "Timestamp": "2019-10-02T05:34:29.127Z",
            "ResourceStatus": "UPDATE_COMPLETE_CLEANUP_IN_PROGRESS"
        }
    ],
    "NextToken": "eyJOZXh0VG9XMPLiOiBudWxsLCAiYm90b190cnVuY2F0ZV9hbW91bnQiOiAyfQ=="
}
PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Returns all stack related events for the specified stack.

Get-CFNStackEvent -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see DescribeStackEvents in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4).

Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Returns all stack related events for the specified stack.

Get-CFNStackEvent -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see DescribeStackEvents in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5).

Describe a stack resource

CLI
Amazon CLI

To get information about a stack resource

The following describe-stack-resource example displays details for the resource named MyFunction in the specified stack.

aws cloudformation describe-stack-resource \
    --stack-name MyStack \
    --logical-resource-id MyFunction

Output:

{
    "StackResourceDetail": {
        "StackName": "MyStack",
        "StackId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-2:123456789012:stack/MyStack/d0a825a0-e4cd-xmpl-b9fb-061c69e99204",
        "LogicalResourceId": "MyFunction",
        "PhysicalResourceId": "my-function-SEZV4XMPL4S5",
        "ResourceType": "AWS::Lambda::Function",
        "LastUpdatedTimestamp": "2019-10-02T05:34:27.989Z",
        "ResourceStatus": "UPDATE_COMPLETE",
        "Metadata": "{}",
        "DriftInformation": {
            "StackResourceDriftStatus": "IN_SYNC"
        }
    }
}
PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Returns the description of a resource identified in the template associated with the specified stack by the logical ID "MyDBInstance".

Get-CFNStackResource -StackName "myStack" -LogicalResourceId "MyDBInstance"
Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Returns the description of a resource identified in the template associated with the specified stack by the logical ID "MyDBInstance".

Get-CFNStackResource -StackName "myStack" -LogicalResourceId "MyDBInstance"

Describe stack resources

CLI
Amazon CLI

To get information about a stack resource

The following describe-stack-resources example displays details for the resources in the specified stack.

aws cloudformation describe-stack-resources \
    --stack-name my-stack

Output:

{
    "StackResources": [
        {
            "StackName": "my-stack",
            "StackId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-west-2:123456789012:stack/my-stack/d0a825a0-e4cd-xmpl-b9fb-061c69e99204",
            "LogicalResourceId": "bucket",
            "PhysicalResourceId": "my-stack-bucket-1vc62xmplgguf",
            "ResourceType": "AWS::S3::Bucket",
            "Timestamp": "2019-10-02T04:34:11.345Z",
            "ResourceStatus": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
            "DriftInformation": {
                "StackResourceDriftStatus": "IN_SYNC"
            }
        },
        {
            "StackName": "my-stack",
            "StackId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-west-2:123456789012:stack/my-stack/d0a825a0-e4cd-xmpl-b9fb-061c69e99204",
            "LogicalResourceId": "function",
            "PhysicalResourceId": "my-function-SEZV4XMPL4S5",
            "ResourceType": "AWS::Lambda::Function",
            "Timestamp": "2019-10-02T05:34:27.989Z",
            "ResourceStatus": "UPDATE_COMPLETE",
            "DriftInformation": {
                "StackResourceDriftStatus": "IN_SYNC"
            }
        },
        {
            "StackName": "my-stack",
            "StackId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-west-2:123456789012:stack/my-stack/d0a825a0-e4cd-xmpl-b9fb-061c69e99204",
            "LogicalResourceId": "functionRole",
            "PhysicalResourceId": "my-functionRole-HIZXMPLEOM9E",
            "ResourceType": "AWS::IAM::Role",
            "Timestamp": "2019-10-02T04:34:06.350Z",
            "ResourceStatus": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
            "DriftInformation": {
                "StackResourceDriftStatus": "IN_SYNC"
            }
        }
    ]
}
PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Returns the Amazon resource descriptions for up to 100 resources associated with the specified stack. To obtain details of all resources associated with a stack use the Get-CFNStackResourceSummary, which also supports manual paging of the results.

Get-CFNStackResourceList -StackName "myStack"

Example 2: Returns the description of the Amazon EC2 instance identified in the template associated with the specified stack by the logical ID "Ec2Instance".

Get-CFNStackResourceList -StackName "myStack" -LogicalResourceId "Ec2Instance"

Example 3: Returns the description of up to 100 resources associated with the stack containing an Amazon EC2 instance identified by instance ID "i-123456". To obtain details of all resources associated with a stack use the Get-CFNStackResourceSummary, which also supports manual paging of the results.

Get-CFNStackResourceList -PhysicalResourceId "i-123456"

Example 4: Returns the description of the Amazon EC2 instance identified by the logical ID "Ec2Instance" in the template for a stack. The stack is identified using the physical resource ID of a resource it contains, in this case also an Amazon EC2 instance with instance ID "i-123456". A different physical resource could also be used to identify the stack depending on the template content, for example an Amazon S3 bucket.

Get-CFNStackResourceList -PhysicalResourceId "i-123456" -LogicalResourceId "Ec2Instance"
Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Returns the Amazon resource descriptions for up to 100 resources associated with the specified stack. To obtain details of all resources associated with a stack use the Get-CFNStackResourceSummary, which also supports manual paging of the results.

Get-CFNStackResourceList -StackName "myStack"

Example 2: Returns the description of the Amazon EC2 instance identified in the template associated with the specified stack by the logical ID "Ec2Instance".

Get-CFNStackResourceList -StackName "myStack" -LogicalResourceId "Ec2Instance"

Example 3: Returns the description of up to 100 resources associated with the stack containing an Amazon EC2 instance identified by instance ID "i-123456". To obtain details of all resources associated with a stack use the Get-CFNStackResourceSummary, which also supports manual paging of the results.

Get-CFNStackResourceList -PhysicalResourceId "i-123456"

Example 4: Returns the description of the Amazon EC2 instance identified by the logical ID "Ec2Instance" in the template for a stack. The stack is identified using the physical resource ID of a resource it contains, in this case also an Amazon EC2 instance with instance ID "i-123456". A different physical resource could also be used to identify the stack depending on the template content, for example an Amazon S3 bucket.

Get-CFNStackResourceList -PhysicalResourceId "i-123456" -LogicalResourceId "Ec2Instance"

Describe stacks

CLI
Amazon CLI

To describe Amazon CloudFormation stacks

The following describe-stacks command shows summary information for the myteststack stack:

aws cloudformation describe-stacks --stack-name myteststack

Output:

{
    "Stacks":  [
        {
            "StackId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/myteststack/466df9e0-0dff-08e3-8e2f-5088487c4896",
            "Description": "AWS CloudFormation Sample Template S3_Bucket: Sample template showing how to create a publicly accessible S3 bucket. **WARNING** This template creates an S3 bucket. You will be billed for the AWS resources used if you create a stack from this template.",
            "Tags": [],
            "Outputs": [
                {
                    "Description": "Name of S3 bucket to hold website content",
                    "OutputKey": "BucketName",
                    "OutputValue": "myteststack-s3bucket-jssofi1zie2w"
                }
            ],
            "StackStatusReason": null,
            "CreationTime": "2013-08-23T01:02:15.422Z",
            "Capabilities": [],
            "StackName": "myteststack",
            "StackStatus": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
            "DisableRollback": false
        }
    ]
}

For more information, see Stacks in the Amazon CloudFormation User Guide.

  • For API details, see DescribeStacks in Amazon CLI Command Reference.

Go
SDK for Go V2
Note

There's more on GitHub. Find the complete example and learn how to set up and run in the Amazon Code Examples Repository. 


import (
	"context"
	"log"

	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/aws"
	"github.com/aws/aws-sdk-go-v2/service/cloudformation"
)

// StackOutputs defines a map of outputs from a specific stack.
type StackOutputs map[string]string

type CloudFormationActions struct {
	CfnClient *cloudformation.Client
}

// GetOutputs gets the outputs from a CloudFormation stack and puts them into a structured format.
func (actor CloudFormationActions) GetOutputs(ctx context.Context, stackName string) StackOutputs {
	output, err := actor.CfnClient.DescribeStacks(ctx, &cloudformation.DescribeStacksInput{
		StackName: aws.String(stackName),
	})
	if err != nil || len(output.Stacks) == 0 {
		log.Panicf("Couldn't find a CloudFormation stack named %v. Here's why: %v\n", stackName, err)
	}
	stackOutputs := StackOutputs{}
	for _, out := range output.Stacks[0].Outputs {
		stackOutputs[*out.OutputKey] = *out.OutputValue
	}
	return stackOutputs
}

  • For API details, see DescribeStacks in Amazon SDK for Go API Reference.

PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Returns a collection of Stack instances describing all of the user's stacks.

Get-CFNStack

Example 2: Returns a Stack instance describing the specified stack

Get-CFNStack -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see DescribeStacks in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4).

Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Returns a collection of Stack instances describing all of the user's stacks.

Get-CFNStack

Example 2: Returns a Stack instance describing the specified stack

Get-CFNStack -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see DescribeStacks in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5).

By default, the describe-stacks command returns parameter values. To prevent sensitive parameter values such as passwords from being returned, include a NoEcho property set to TRUE in your CloudFormation templates.

Important

Using the NoEcho attribute does not mask any information stored in the following:

  • The Metadata template section. CloudFormation does not transform, modify, or redact any information you include in the Metadata section. For more information, see Metadata.

  • The Outputs template section. For more information, see Outputs.

  • The Metadata attribute of a resource definition. For more information, see Metadata attribute.

We strongly recommend you do not use these mechanisms to include sensitive information, such as passwords or secrets.

Important

Rather than embedding sensitive information directly in your CloudFormation templates, we recommend you use dynamic parameters in the stack template to reference sensitive information that is stored and managed outside of CloudFormation, such as in the Amazon Systems Manager Parameter Store or Amazon Secrets Manager.

For more information, see the Do not embed credentials in your templates best practice.

Get a template

CLI
Amazon CLI

To view the template body for an Amazon CloudFormation stack

The following get-template command shows the template for the myteststack stack:

aws cloudformation get-template --stack-name myteststack

Output:

{
    "TemplateBody": {
        "AWSTemplateFormatVersion": "2010-09-09",
        "Outputs": {
            "BucketName": {
                "Description": "Name of S3 bucket to hold website content",
                "Value": {
                    "Ref": "S3Bucket"
                }
            }
        },
        "Description": "AWS CloudFormation Sample Template S3_Bucket: Sample template showing how to create a publicly accessible S3 bucket. **WARNING** This template creates an S3 bucket. You will be billed for the AWS resources used if you create a stack from this template.",
        "Resources": {
            "S3Bucket": {
                "Type": "AWS::S3::Bucket",
                "Properties": {
                    "AccessControl": "PublicRead"
                }
            }
        }
    }
}

  • For API details, see GetTemplate in Amazon CLI Command Reference.

PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Returns the template associated with the specified stack.

Get-CFNTemplate -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see GetTemplate in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4).

Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Returns the template associated with the specified stack.

Get-CFNTemplate -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see GetTemplate in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5).

List stack resources

CLI
Amazon CLI

To list resources in a stack

The following command displays the list of resources in the specified stack.

aws cloudformation list-stack-resources \
    --stack-name my-stack

Output:

{
    "StackResourceSummaries": [
        {
            "LogicalResourceId": "bucket",
            "PhysicalResourceId": "my-stack-bucket-1vc62xmplgguf",
            "ResourceType": "AWS::S3::Bucket",
            "LastUpdatedTimestamp": "2019-10-02T04:34:11.345Z",
            "ResourceStatus": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
            "DriftInformation": {
                "StackResourceDriftStatus": "IN_SYNC"
            }
        },
        {
            "LogicalResourceId": "function",
            "PhysicalResourceId": "my-function-SEZV4XMPL4S5",
            "ResourceType": "AWS::Lambda::Function",
            "LastUpdatedTimestamp": "2019-10-02T05:34:27.989Z",
            "ResourceStatus": "UPDATE_COMPLETE",
            "DriftInformation": {
                "StackResourceDriftStatus": "IN_SYNC"
            }
        },
        {
            "LogicalResourceId": "functionRole",
            "PhysicalResourceId": "my-functionRole-HIZXMPLEOM9E",
            "ResourceType": "AWS::IAM::Role",
            "LastUpdatedTimestamp": "2019-10-02T04:34:06.350Z",
            "ResourceStatus": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
            "DriftInformation": {
                "StackResourceDriftStatus": "IN_SYNC"
            }
        }
    ]
}
PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Returns descriptions of all the resources associated with the specified stack.

Get-CFNStackResourceSummary -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see ListStackResources in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4).

Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Returns descriptions of all the resources associated with the specified stack.

Get-CFNStackResourceSummary -StackName "myStack"

  • For API details, see ListStackResources in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5).

List stacks

Use the list-stacks command to list stacks. To list only stacks with the specified status codes, include the --stack-status-filter option. You can specify one or more stack status codes for the --stack-status-filter option. For more information, see Stack status codes.

CLI
Amazon CLI

To list Amazon CloudFormation stacks

The following list-stacks command shows a summary of all stacks that have a status of CREATE_COMPLETE:

aws cloudformation list-stacks --stack-status-filter CREATE_COMPLETE

Output:

[
    {
        "StackId": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/myteststack/466df9e0-0dff-08e3-8e2f-5088487c4896",
        "TemplateDescription": "AWS CloudFormation Sample Template S3_Bucket: Sample template showing how to create a publicly accessible S3 bucket. **WARNING** This template creates an S3 bucket. You will be billed for the AWS resources used if you create a stack from this template.",
        "StackStatusReason": null,
        "CreationTime": "2013-08-26T03:27:10.190Z",
        "StackName": "myteststack",
        "StackStatus": "CREATE_COMPLETE"
    }
]

  • For API details, see ListStacks in Amazon CLI Command Reference.

PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Returns summary information for all stacks.

Get-CFNStackSummary

Example 2: Returns summary information for all stacks that are currently being created.

Get-CFNStackSummary -StackStatusFilter "CREATE_IN_PROGRESS"

Example 3: Returns summary information for all stacks that are currently being created or updated.

Get-CFNStackSummary -StackStatusFilter @("CREATE_IN_PROGRESS", "UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS")

  • For API details, see ListStacks in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4).

Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Returns summary information for all stacks.

Get-CFNStackSummary

Example 2: Returns summary information for all stacks that are currently being created.

Get-CFNStackSummary -StackStatusFilter "CREATE_IN_PROGRESS"

Example 3: Returns summary information for all stacks that are currently being created or updated.

Get-CFNStackSummary -StackStatusFilter @("CREATE_IN_PROGRESS", "UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS")

  • For API details, see ListStacks in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5).

Update a stack

Use the update-stack command to directly update a stack. You specify the stack, and parameter values and capabilities that you want to update, and, if you want use an updated template, the name of the template. For more information, see Update stacks directly.

CLI
Amazon CLI

To update Amazon CloudFormation stacks

The following update-stack command updates the template and input parameters for the mystack stack:

aws cloudformation update-stack --stack-name mystack --template-url https://s3.amazonaws.com/sample/updated.template --parameters ParameterKey=KeyPairName,ParameterValue=SampleKeyPair ParameterKey=SubnetIDs,ParameterValue=SampleSubnetID1\\,SampleSubnetID2

The following update-stack command updates just the SubnetIDs parameter value for the mystack stack. If you don't specify a parameter value, the default value that is specified in the template is used:

aws cloudformation update-stack --stack-name mystack --template-url https://s3.amazonaws.com/sample/updated.template --parameters ParameterKey=KeyPairName,UsePreviousValue=true ParameterKey=SubnetIDs,ParameterValue=SampleSubnetID1\\,UpdatedSampleSubnetID2

The following update-stack command adds two stack notification topics to the mystack stack:

aws cloudformation update-stack --stack-name mystack --use-previous-template --notification-arns "arn:aws:sns:use-east-1:123456789012:mytopic1" "arn:aws:sns:us-east-1:123456789012:mytopic2"

For more information, see Amazon CloudFormation stack updates in the Amazon CloudFormation User Guide.

  • For API details, see UpdateStack in Amazon CLI Command Reference.

PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Updates the stack 'myStack' with the specified template and customization parameters. 'PK1' represents the name of a parameter declared in the template and 'PV1' represents its value. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'.

Update-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
                -TemplateBody "{Template Content Here}" `
                -Parameter @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }

Example 2: Updates the stack 'myStack' with the specified template and customization parameters. 'PK1' and 'PK2' represent the names of parameters declared in the template, 'PV1' and 'PV2' represents their requested values. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'.

Update-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
                -TemplateBody "{Template Content Here}" `
                -Parameter @( @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }, @{ ParameterKey="PK2"; ParameterValue="PV2" } )

Example 3: Updates the stack 'myStack' with the specified template and customization parameters. 'PK1' represents the name of a parameter declared in the template and 'PV2' represents its value. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'.

Update-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" -TemplateBody "{Template Content Here}" -Parameters @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }

Example 4: Updates the stack 'myStack' with the specified template, obtained from Amazon S3, and customization parameters. 'PK1' and 'PK2' represent the names of parameters declared in the template, 'PV1' and 'PV2' represents their requested values. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'.

Update-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
                -TemplateURL https://s3.amazonaws.com/amzn-s3-demo-bucket/templatefile.template `
                -Parameter @( @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }, @{ ParameterKey="PK2"; ParameterValue="PV2" } )

Example 5: Updates the stack 'myStack', which is assumed in this example to contain IAM resources, with the specified template, obtained from Amazon S3, and customization parameters. 'PK1' and 'PK2' represent the names of parameters declared in the template, 'PV1' and 'PV2' represents their requested values. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'. Stacks containing IAM resources require you to specify the -Capabilities "CAPABILITY_IAM" parameter otherwise the update will fail with an 'InsufficientCapabilities' error.

Update-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
                -TemplateURL https://s3.amazonaws.com/amzn-s3-demo-bucket/templatefile.template `
                -Parameter @( @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }, @{ ParameterKey="PK2"; ParameterValue="PV2" } ) `
                -Capabilities "CAPABILITY_IAM"

  • For API details, see UpdateStack in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4).

Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Updates the stack 'myStack' with the specified template and customization parameters. 'PK1' represents the name of a parameter declared in the template and 'PV1' represents its value. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'.

Update-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
                -TemplateBody "{Template Content Here}" `
                -Parameter @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }

Example 2: Updates the stack 'myStack' with the specified template and customization parameters. 'PK1' and 'PK2' represent the names of parameters declared in the template, 'PV1' and 'PV2' represents their requested values. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'.

Update-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
                -TemplateBody "{Template Content Here}" `
                -Parameter @( @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }, @{ ParameterKey="PK2"; ParameterValue="PV2" } )

Example 3: Updates the stack 'myStack' with the specified template and customization parameters. 'PK1' represents the name of a parameter declared in the template and 'PV2' represents its value. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'.

Update-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" -TemplateBody "{Template Content Here}" -Parameters @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }

Example 4: Updates the stack 'myStack' with the specified template, obtained from Amazon S3, and customization parameters. 'PK1' and 'PK2' represent the names of parameters declared in the template, 'PV1' and 'PV2' represents their requested values. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'.

Update-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
                -TemplateURL https://s3.amazonaws.com/amzn-s3-demo-bucket/templatefile.template `
                -Parameter @( @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }, @{ ParameterKey="PK2"; ParameterValue="PV2" } )

Example 5: Updates the stack 'myStack', which is assumed in this example to contain IAM resources, with the specified template, obtained from Amazon S3, and customization parameters. 'PK1' and 'PK2' represent the names of parameters declared in the template, 'PV1' and 'PV2' represents their requested values. The customization parameters can also be specified using 'Key' and 'Value' instead of 'ParameterKey' and 'ParameterValue'. Stacks containing IAM resources require you to specify the -Capabilities "CAPABILITY_IAM" parameter otherwise the update will fail with an 'InsufficientCapabilities' error.

Update-CFNStack -StackName "myStack" `
                -TemplateURL https://s3.amazonaws.com/amzn-s3-demo-bucket/templatefile.template `
                -Parameter @( @{ ParameterKey="PK1"; ParameterValue="PV1" }, @{ ParameterKey="PK2"; ParameterValue="PV2" } ) `
                -Capabilities "CAPABILITY_IAM"

  • For API details, see UpdateStack in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5).

Note

To remove all notifications, specify for [] for the --notification-arns option.

Express mode

To update a stack using express mode, add the --deployment-config parameter:

aws cloudformation update-stack --stack-name myteststack \
    --template-body file://sampletemplate.json \
    --deployment-config '{"mode": "EXPRESS"}'

For more information, see Express mode.

Validate your template

Use the validate-template command to check your template file for syntax errors.

During validation, CloudFormation first checks if the template is valid JSON. If it isn't, CloudFormation checks if the template is valid YAML. If both checks fail, CloudFormation returns a template validation error.

CLI
Amazon CLI

To validate an Amazon CloudFormation template

The following validate-template command validates the sampletemplate.json template:

aws cloudformation validate-template --template-body file://sampletemplate.json

Output:

{
    "Description": "AWS CloudFormation Sample Template S3_Bucket: Sample template showing how to create a publicly accessible S3 bucket. **WARNING** This template creates an S3 bucket. You will be billed for the AWS resources used if you create a stack from this template.",
    "Parameters": [],
    "Capabilities": []
}

For more information, see Working with Amazon CloudFormation Templates in the Amazon CloudFormation User Guide.

PowerShell
Tools for PowerShell V4

Example 1: Validates the specified template content. The output details the capabilities, description and parameters of the template.

Test-CFNTemplate -TemplateBody "{TEMPLATE CONTENT HERE}"

Example 2: Validates the specified template accessed via an Amazon S3 URL. The output details the capabilities, description and parameters of the template.

Test-CFNTemplate -TemplateURL https://s3.amazonaws.com/amzn-s3-demo-bucket/templatefile.template

  • For API details, see ValidateTemplate in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V4).

Tools for PowerShell V5

Example 1: Validates the specified template content. The output details the capabilities, description and parameters of the template.

Test-CFNTemplate -TemplateBody "{TEMPLATE CONTENT HERE}"

Example 2: Validates the specified template accessed via an Amazon S3 URL. The output details the capabilities, description and parameters of the template.

Test-CFNTemplate -TemplateURL https://s3.amazonaws.com/amzn-s3-demo-bucket/templatefile.template

  • For API details, see ValidateTemplate in Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference (V5).

The following is an example response that produces a validation error.

{
    "ResponseMetadata": {
        "RequestId": "4ae33ec0-1988-11e3-818b-e15a6df955cd"
    },
    "Errors": [
        {
            "Message": "Template format error: JSON not well-formed. (line 11, column 8)",
            "Code": "ValidationError",
            "Type": "Sender"
        }
    ],
    "Capabilities": [],
    "Parameters": []
}
A client error (ValidationError) occurred: Template format error: JSON not well-formed. (line 11, column 8)
Note

The validate-template command is designed to check only the syntax of your template. It does not ensure that the property values that you have specified for a resource are valid for that resource. Nor does it determine the number of resources that will exist when the stack is created.

To check the operational validity, you need to attempt to create the stack. There is no sandbox or test area for Amazon CloudFormation stacks, so you are charged for the resources you create during testing.