AWS CloudFormation

Run your AWS infrastructure as code from a workflow: create, update and delete CloudFormation stacks, preview changes with change sets, read stack outputs and events, and check stacks for drift.

Actions

Action	What it does
Cancel a stack update	Cancel an update that is still in progress, rolling the stack back to how it was, and by default wait for the rollback.
Create a change set	Preview what an update would change, without changing anything yet: CloudFormation lists each resource it would add, modify or replace.
Create a stack	Create a stack from a template, and by default wait until every resource is created.
Delete a change set	Throw away a change set without applying it.
Delete a stack	Delete a stack and every resource it created (except those its template retains), and by default wait until it is gone.
Detect stack drift	Check whether a stack's resources were changed outside CloudFormation, and by default wait for the result.
Execute a change set	Apply a change set to its stack, and by default wait until the stack finishes updating.
Get a change set	Read a change set: its status, whether it can be executed, and every resource change it would make.
Get a stack	Read a stack: its status, parameters, outputs (as a list and by name), tags and drift status.
Get a template	Read the template a stack (or one of its change sets) uses, as text and, for JSON, as an object.
Get drift detection status	Read the progress and result of a drift detection that 'Detect stack drift' started.
List change sets	List a stack's change sets that are not yet executed.
List exports	List the output values stacks in this region export for other stacks to import.
List resource drifts	List the drift results of a stack's resources from the last drift detection, with each property that differs.
List stack events	List a stack's events, newest first: each resource's progress and, for a failure, the reason.
List stack resources	List the resources a stack created, with each one's real id and status.
List stacks	List the stacks in the connection's region, newest first, with their status.
Set termination protection	Turn a stack's termination protection on or off.
Update a stack	Change a stack's template, parameter values or tags, and by default wait until the update finishes.
Validate a template	Check a template's syntax and list its parameters and the capabilities it needs.

Cancel a stack update

Cancel an update that is still in progress, rolling the stack back to how it was, and by default wait for the rollback.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.
Wait until finishedwait_for_completiontrue/false: Keep the step running until CloudFormation finishes, and fail it with the resource errors if it rolled back. Off returns as soon as CloudFormation has started.Default: true.
Stop waiting after (seconds)wait_timeout_secondsnumber: How long to wait, from 10 to 900 seconds. If CloudFormation is still working then, the step returns with 'finished' false and the operation carries on; follow it with 'Get a stack'.From 10 to 900. Default: 300.

Outputs

capabilitieslist
creation_timetext
deletion_timetext
descriptiontext
detailed_statustext
disable_rollbacktrue/false
drift_last_checkedtext
drift_statustext: DRIFTED, IN_SYNC, UNKNOWN or NOT_CHECKED.
finishedtrue/false: True once the stack settled. False when the step did not wait, or stopped waiting before CloudFormation finished.
last_updated_timetext
notification_arnslist
output_mapobject: Output name to value, for picking one by name.
outputslist
parametersobject: Parameter name to value.
parent_idtext: For a nested stack, the stack ARN of its parent.
role_arntext
root_idtext
stack_idtext: The stack ARN, such as arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-...
stack_nametext
statustext: Such as CREATE_COMPLETE, UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS or ROLLBACK_COMPLETE.
status_reasontext
tagsobject: Tag name to value.
termination_protectiontrue/false
timeout_in_minutesnumber

Example output

{
  "capabilities": [],
  "creation_time": "2026-10-01T09:00:00+00:00",
  "deletion_time": null,
  "description": "My app's queue and parameters",
  "detailed_status": null,
  "disable_rollback": false,
  "drift_last_checked": null,
  "drift_status": "NOT_CHECKED",
  "finished": true,
  "last_updated_time": null,
  "notification_arns": [],
  "output_map": {
    "QueueUrl": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
  },
  "outputs": [
    {
      "description": "The queue's URL",
      "export_name": null,
      "key": "QueueUrl",
      "value": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
    }
  ],
  "parameters": {
    "Environment": "prod"
  },
  "parent_id": null,
  "role_arn": null,
  "root_id": null,
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "stack_name": "my-app",
  "status": "UPDATE_ROLLBACK_COMPLETE",
  "status_reason": null,
  "tags": {
    "team": "web"
  },
  "termination_protection": false,
  "timeout_in_minutes": null
}

Create a change set

Preview what an update would change, without changing anything yet: CloudFormation lists each resource it would add, modify or replace. Execute the change set to apply it.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack to change: pick one, or give its name or ARN. For the Create type, the new stack's name.
Change set namechange_set_nametextRequired: A name unique on the stack: letters, digits and hyphens, starting with a letter, such as release-42.
Typechange_set_typetext: Update previews changes to an existing stack; Create previews a new stack, which waits in REVIEW_IN_PROGRESS until executed.One of: UPDATE (Update an existing stack), CREATE (Create a new stack). Default: UPDATE.
Templatetemplate_bodytext: The new template, in YAML or JSON. Leave this and Template URL empty to keep the stack's current template.
Template URLtemplate_urltext: Instead of pasting the template: its https:// link in Amazon S3, such as https://my-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/template.yaml.
Parametersparametersobject: New values for the template's parameters, by name. Any parameter left out keeps its current value.
Capabilitiescapabilitieslist: Acknowledge what the template does that needs your consent: IAM resources, or macros. CloudFormation refuses the template and names the capability if one is missing.One or more of: CAPABILITY_IAM (IAM resources (CAPABILITY_IAM)), CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM (IAM resources with custom names (CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM)), CAPABILITY_AUTO_EXPAND (Macros and nested transforms (CAPABILITY_AUTO_EXPAND)).
Tagstagsobject: Tag names and values. When given, they replace all of the stack's tags; leave empty to keep its current tags.
Descriptiondescriptiontext: An optional note, up to 1,024 characters.
Wait until finishedwait_for_completiontrue/false: Keep the step running until CloudFormation finishes, and fail it with the resource errors if it rolled back. Off returns as soon as CloudFormation has started.Default: true.
Stop waiting after (seconds)wait_timeout_secondsnumber: How long to wait, from 10 to 900 seconds. If CloudFormation is still working then, the step returns with 'finished' false and the operation carries on; follow it with 'Get a stack'.From 10 to 900. Default: 300.

Outputs

capabilitieslist
change_countnumber
change_set_idtext: The change set ARN.
change_set_nametext
changeslist
creation_timetext
descriptiontext
execution_statustext: AVAILABLE when it can be executed.
finishedtrue/false: True once CloudFormation finished working out the changes.
has_changestrue/false: False when the change set would change nothing.
on_stack_failuretext
parametersobject
stack_idtext
stack_nametext
statustext: CREATE_PENDING, CREATE_IN_PROGRESS, CREATE_COMPLETE, FAILED, ...
status_reasontext
tagsobject

Example output

{
  "capabilities": [],
  "change_count": 1,
  "change_set_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:changeSet/release-42/1a2345b6-0000-00a0-a123-00abc0abc000",
  "change_set_name": "release-42",
  "changes": [
    {
      "action": "Modify",
      "logical_resource_id": "Queue",
      "physical_resource_id": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app",
      "policy_action": null,
      "replacement": "False",
      "resource_type": "AWS::SQS::Queue",
      "scope": [
        "Properties"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "creation_time": "2026-10-02T09:00:00+00:00",
  "description": "Raise the queue's retention",
  "execution_status": "AVAILABLE",
  "finished": true,
  "has_changes": true,
  "on_stack_failure": null,
  "parameters": {
    "Environment": "prod"
  },
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "stack_name": "my-app",
  "status": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
  "status_reason": null,
  "tags": {}
}

Create a stack

Create a stack from a template, and by default wait until every resource is created. Give the template either pasted in or as an Amazon S3 link.

Inputs

Stack namestack_nametextRequired: A name unique in this region: letters, digits and hyphens, starting with a letter, such as my-app-prod.
Templatetemplate_bodytext: The template, in YAML or JSON, up to 51,200 bytes. For a bigger one, upload it to Amazon S3 and give its link in Template URL instead.
Template URLtemplate_urltext: Instead of pasting the template: its https:// link in Amazon S3, such as https://my-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/template.yaml.
Parametersparametersobject: Values for the template's parameters, by name, such as Environment = prod. A list value can be given as a, b, c.
Capabilitiescapabilitieslist: Acknowledge what the template does that needs your consent: IAM resources, or macros. CloudFormation refuses the template and names the capability if one is missing.One or more of: CAPABILITY_IAM (IAM resources (CAPABILITY_IAM)), CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM (IAM resources with custom names (CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM)), CAPABILITY_AUTO_EXPAND (Macros and nested transforms (CAPABILITY_AUTO_EXPAND)).
Tagstagsobject: Tag names and values, such as team = web, applied to the stack and every resource it creates that supports tags. Up to 50.
If creation failson_failuretext: What CloudFormation does if a resource fails.One of: ROLLBACK (Roll back (delete what was created, keep the stack)), DO_NOTHING (Do nothing (keep what was created, for debugging)), DELETE (Delete the stack). Default: ROLLBACK.
Timeout (minutes)timeout_in_minutesnumber: Fail the creation if it takes longer than this. Leave empty for no limit.
Termination protectionenable_termination_protectiontrue/false: Refuse to delete the stack until this is off.Default: false.
SNS topic ARNsnotification_arnslist: Up to 5 SNS topics to receive the stack's events, such as arn:aws:sns:us-east-1:123456789012:stack-events.
Service role ARNrole_arntext: An IAM role CloudFormation uses to create and change the resources, such as arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/cfn-deployer. Leave empty to use this connection's own permissions.
Wait until finishedwait_for_completiontrue/false: Keep the step running until CloudFormation finishes, and fail it with the resource errors if it rolled back. Off returns as soon as CloudFormation has started.Default: true.
Stop waiting after (seconds)wait_timeout_secondsnumber: How long to wait, from 10 to 900 seconds. If CloudFormation is still working then, the step returns with 'finished' false and the operation carries on; follow it with 'Get a stack'.From 10 to 900. Default: 300.

Outputs

capabilitieslist
creation_timetext
deletion_timetext
descriptiontext
detailed_statustext
disable_rollbacktrue/false
drift_last_checkedtext
drift_statustext: DRIFTED, IN_SYNC, UNKNOWN or NOT_CHECKED.
finishedtrue/false: True once the stack settled. False when the step did not wait, or stopped waiting before CloudFormation finished.
last_updated_timetext
notification_arnslist
operation_idtext: CloudFormation's id for this operation.
output_mapobject: Output name to value, for picking one by name.
outputslist
parametersobject: Parameter name to value.
parent_idtext: For a nested stack, the stack ARN of its parent.
role_arntext
root_idtext
stack_idtext: The stack ARN, such as arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-...
stack_nametext
statustext: Such as CREATE_COMPLETE, UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS or ROLLBACK_COMPLETE.
status_reasontext
tagsobject: Tag name to value.
termination_protectiontrue/false
timeout_in_minutesnumber

Example output

{
  "capabilities": [],
  "creation_time": "2026-10-01T09:00:00+00:00",
  "deletion_time": null,
  "description": "My app's queue and parameters",
  "detailed_status": null,
  "disable_rollback": false,
  "drift_last_checked": null,
  "drift_status": "NOT_CHECKED",
  "finished": true,
  "last_updated_time": null,
  "notification_arns": [],
  "operation_id": "8b0a6b1e-1c2d-4e5f-9a8b-7c6d5e4f3a2b",
  "output_map": {
    "QueueUrl": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
  },
  "outputs": [
    {
      "description": "The queue's URL",
      "export_name": null,
      "key": "QueueUrl",
      "value": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
    }
  ],
  "parameters": {
    "Environment": "prod"
  },
  "parent_id": null,
  "role_arn": null,
  "root_id": null,
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "stack_name": "my-app",
  "status": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
  "status_reason": null,
  "tags": {
    "team": "web"
  },
  "termination_protection": false,
  "timeout_in_minutes": null
}

Delete a change set

Throw away a change set without applying it. The stack is not changed.

Inputs

Stackstacktext: The change set's stack. Needed when the change set is given by name; leave empty when it is given by ARN.
Change setchange_settextRequired: The change set. Pick one of the stack's, or give its name or ARN. With an ARN the stack can be left empty.

Outputs

change_settext
deletedtrue/false
stacktext

Example output

{
  "change_set": "release-42",
  "deleted": true,
  "stack": "my-app"
}

Delete a stack

Delete a stack and every resource it created (except those its template retains), and by default wait until it is gone. Termination protection must be off.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.
Resources to keepretain_resourceslist: Only for a stack in DELETE_FAILED: the logical ids (names in the template) of resources that could not be deleted and should be left in place.
Deletion modedeletion_modetext: Force delete removes a stack stuck in DELETE_FAILED without deleting the resources that failed.One of: STANDARD, FORCE_DELETE_STACK (Force delete (only for a stack in DELETE_FAILED)). Default: STANDARD.
Wait until finishedwait_for_completiontrue/false: Keep the step running until CloudFormation finishes, and fail it with the resource errors if it rolled back. Off returns as soon as CloudFormation has started.Default: true.
Stop waiting after (seconds)wait_timeout_secondsnumber: How long to wait, from 10 to 900 seconds. If CloudFormation is still working then, the step returns with 'finished' false and the operation carries on; follow it with 'Get a stack'.From 10 to 900. Default: 300.

Outputs

capabilitieslist
creation_timetext
deletion_timetext
descriptiontext
detailed_statustext
disable_rollbacktrue/false
drift_last_checkedtext
drift_statustext: DRIFTED, IN_SYNC, UNKNOWN or NOT_CHECKED.
finishedtrue/false: True once the stack settled. False when the step did not wait, or stopped waiting before CloudFormation finished.
last_updated_timetext
notification_arnslist
output_mapobject: Output name to value, for picking one by name.
outputslist
parametersobject: Parameter name to value.
parent_idtext: For a nested stack, the stack ARN of its parent.
role_arntext
root_idtext
stack_idtext: The stack ARN, such as arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-...
stack_nametext
statustext: Such as CREATE_COMPLETE, UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS or ROLLBACK_COMPLETE.
status_reasontext
tagsobject: Tag name to value.
termination_protectiontrue/false
timeout_in_minutesnumber

Example output

{
  "capabilities": [],
  "creation_time": "2026-10-01T09:00:00+00:00",
  "deletion_time": "2026-10-04T09:00:00+00:00",
  "description": "My app's queue and parameters",
  "detailed_status": null,
  "disable_rollback": false,
  "drift_last_checked": null,
  "drift_status": "NOT_CHECKED",
  "finished": true,
  "last_updated_time": null,
  "notification_arns": [],
  "output_map": {
    "QueueUrl": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
  },
  "outputs": [
    {
      "description": "The queue's URL",
      "export_name": null,
      "key": "QueueUrl",
      "value": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
    }
  ],
  "parameters": {
    "Environment": "prod"
  },
  "parent_id": null,
  "role_arn": null,
  "root_id": null,
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "stack_name": "my-app",
  "status": "DELETE_COMPLETE",
  "status_reason": null,
  "tags": {
    "team": "web"
  },
  "termination_protection": false,
  "timeout_in_minutes": null
}

Detect stack drift

Check whether a stack's resources were changed outside CloudFormation, and by default wait for the result. 'List resource drifts' then shows what differs.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.
Only these resourceslogical_resource_idslist: Logical ids (names in the template) to check, such as Queue. Leave empty to check every resource.
Wait until finishedwait_for_completiontrue/false: Keep the step running until CloudFormation finishes, and fail it with the resource errors if it rolled back. Off returns as soon as CloudFormation has started.Default: true.
Stop waiting after (seconds)wait_timeout_secondsnumber: How long to wait, from 10 to 900 seconds. If CloudFormation is still working then, the step returns with 'finished' false and the operation carries on; follow it with 'Get a stack'.From 10 to 900. Default: 300.

Outputs

detection_statustext: DETECTION_IN_PROGRESS, DETECTION_COMPLETE or DETECTION_FAILED.
detection_status_reasontext
drift_detection_idtext
drifted_resource_countnumber
finishedtrue/false: True once the detection finished.
stack_drift_statustext: DRIFTED, IN_SYNC, UNKNOWN or NOT_CHECKED.
stack_idtext
timestamptext

Example output

{
  "detection_status": "DETECTION_COMPLETE",
  "detection_status_reason": null,
  "drift_detection_id": "b78ac9b0-dec1-11e7-a451-50d5cd92b8ae",
  "drifted_resource_count": 0,
  "finished": true,
  "stack_drift_status": "IN_SYNC",
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "timestamp": "2026-10-03T09:00:00+00:00"
}

Execute a change set

Apply a change set to its stack, and by default wait until the stack finishes updating. Its execution status must be AVAILABLE.

Inputs

Stackstacktext: The change set's stack. Needed when the change set is given by name; leave empty when it is given by ARN.
Change setchange_settextRequired: The change set. Pick one of the stack's, or give its name or ARN. With an ARN the stack can be left empty.
Wait until finishedwait_for_completiontrue/false: Keep the step running until CloudFormation finishes, and fail it with the resource errors if it rolled back. Off returns as soon as CloudFormation has started.Default: true.
Stop waiting after (seconds)wait_timeout_secondsnumber: How long to wait, from 10 to 900 seconds. If CloudFormation is still working then, the step returns with 'finished' false and the operation carries on; follow it with 'Get a stack'.From 10 to 900. Default: 300.

Outputs

capabilitieslist
change_set_idtext
creation_timetext
deletion_timetext
descriptiontext
detailed_statustext
disable_rollbacktrue/false
drift_last_checkedtext
drift_statustext: DRIFTED, IN_SYNC, UNKNOWN or NOT_CHECKED.
finishedtrue/false: True once the stack settled. False when the step did not wait, or stopped waiting before CloudFormation finished.
last_updated_timetext
notification_arnslist
output_mapobject: Output name to value, for picking one by name.
outputslist
parametersobject: Parameter name to value.
parent_idtext: For a nested stack, the stack ARN of its parent.
role_arntext
root_idtext
stack_idtext: The stack ARN, such as arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-...
stack_nametext
statustext: Such as CREATE_COMPLETE, UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS or ROLLBACK_COMPLETE.
status_reasontext
tagsobject: Tag name to value.
termination_protectiontrue/false
timeout_in_minutesnumber

Example output

{
  "capabilities": [],
  "change_set_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:changeSet/release-42/1a2345b6-0000-00a0-a123-00abc0abc000",
  "creation_time": "2026-10-01T09:00:00+00:00",
  "deletion_time": null,
  "description": "My app's queue and parameters",
  "detailed_status": null,
  "disable_rollback": false,
  "drift_last_checked": null,
  "drift_status": "NOT_CHECKED",
  "finished": true,
  "last_updated_time": null,
  "notification_arns": [],
  "output_map": {
    "QueueUrl": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
  },
  "outputs": [
    {
      "description": "The queue's URL",
      "export_name": null,
      "key": "QueueUrl",
      "value": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
    }
  ],
  "parameters": {
    "Environment": "prod"
  },
  "parent_id": null,
  "role_arn": null,
  "root_id": null,
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "stack_name": "my-app",
  "status": "UPDATE_COMPLETE",
  "status_reason": null,
  "tags": {
    "team": "web"
  },
  "termination_protection": false,
  "timeout_in_minutes": null
}

Get a change set

Read a change set: its status, whether it can be executed, and every resource change it would make.

Inputs

Stackstacktext: The change set's stack. Needed when the change set is given by name; leave empty when it is given by ARN.
Change setchange_settextRequired: The change set. Pick one of the stack's, or give its name or ARN. With an ARN the stack can be left empty.

Outputs

capabilitieslist
change_countnumber
change_set_idtext: The change set ARN.
change_set_nametext
changeslist
creation_timetext
descriptiontext
execution_statustext: AVAILABLE when it can be executed.
has_changestrue/false: False when the change set would change nothing.
on_stack_failuretext
parametersobject
stack_idtext
stack_nametext
statustext: CREATE_PENDING, CREATE_IN_PROGRESS, CREATE_COMPLETE, FAILED, ...
status_reasontext
tagsobject

Example output

{
  "capabilities": [],
  "change_count": 1,
  "change_set_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:changeSet/release-42/1a2345b6-0000-00a0-a123-00abc0abc000",
  "change_set_name": "release-42",
  "changes": [
    {
      "action": "Modify",
      "logical_resource_id": "Queue",
      "physical_resource_id": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app",
      "policy_action": null,
      "replacement": "False",
      "resource_type": "AWS::SQS::Queue",
      "scope": [
        "Properties"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "creation_time": "2026-10-02T09:00:00+00:00",
  "description": "Raise the queue's retention",
  "execution_status": "AVAILABLE",
  "has_changes": true,
  "on_stack_failure": null,
  "parameters": {
    "Environment": "prod"
  },
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "stack_name": "my-app",
  "status": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
  "status_reason": null,
  "tags": {}
}

Get a stack

Read a stack: its status, parameters, outputs (as a list and by name), tags and drift status.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.

Outputs

capabilitieslist
creation_timetext
deletion_timetext
descriptiontext
detailed_statustext
disable_rollbacktrue/false
drift_last_checkedtext
drift_statustext: DRIFTED, IN_SYNC, UNKNOWN or NOT_CHECKED.
last_updated_timetext
notification_arnslist
output_mapobject: Output name to value, for picking one by name.
outputslist
parametersobject: Parameter name to value.
parent_idtext: For a nested stack, the stack ARN of its parent.
role_arntext
root_idtext
stack_idtext: The stack ARN, such as arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-...
stack_nametext
statustext: Such as CREATE_COMPLETE, UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS or ROLLBACK_COMPLETE.
status_reasontext
tagsobject: Tag name to value.
termination_protectiontrue/false
timeout_in_minutesnumber

Example output

{
  "capabilities": [],
  "creation_time": "2026-10-01T09:00:00+00:00",
  "deletion_time": null,
  "description": "My app's queue and parameters",
  "detailed_status": null,
  "disable_rollback": false,
  "drift_last_checked": null,
  "drift_status": "NOT_CHECKED",
  "last_updated_time": null,
  "notification_arns": [],
  "output_map": {
    "QueueUrl": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
  },
  "outputs": [
    {
      "description": "The queue's URL",
      "export_name": null,
      "key": "QueueUrl",
      "value": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
    }
  ],
  "parameters": {
    "Environment": "prod"
  },
  "parent_id": null,
  "role_arn": null,
  "root_id": null,
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "stack_name": "my-app",
  "status": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
  "status_reason": null,
  "tags": {
    "team": "web"
  },
  "termination_protection": false,
  "timeout_in_minutes": null
}

Get a template

Read the template a stack (or one of its change sets) uses, as text and, for JSON, as an object.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.
Change setchange_settext: To read a change set's template instead of the stack's: its name or ARN. Leave empty for the stack's.
Stagetemplate_stagetext: Original is the template as written; Processed has transforms such as AWS::Serverless applied.One of: Original (Original (as written)), Processed (Processed (with transforms applied)). Default: Original.

Outputs

stages_availablelist
templateobject: A JSON template, parsed. Null for YAML.
template_bodytext: The template text, JSON or YAML.
template_formattext: JSON or YAML.

Example output

{
  "stages_available": [
    "Original",
    "Processed"
  ],
  "template": {
    "Resources": {
      "Queue": {
        "Type": "AWS::SQS::Queue"
      }
    }
  },
  "template_body": "{\n  \"Resources\": {\n    \"Queue\": {\n      \"Type\": \"AWS::SQS::Queue\"\n    }\n  }\n}",
  "template_format": "JSON"
}

Get drift detection status

Read the progress and result of a drift detection that 'Detect stack drift' started.

Inputs

Drift detection iddrift_detection_idtextRequired: The 'drift_detection_id' that 'Detect stack drift' returned.

Outputs

detection_statustext: DETECTION_IN_PROGRESS, DETECTION_COMPLETE or DETECTION_FAILED.
detection_status_reasontext
drift_detection_idtext
drifted_resource_countnumber
stack_drift_statustext: DRIFTED, IN_SYNC, UNKNOWN or NOT_CHECKED.
stack_idtext
timestamptext

Example output

{
  "detection_status": "DETECTION_COMPLETE",
  "detection_status_reason": null,
  "drift_detection_id": "b78ac9b0-dec1-11e7-a451-50d5cd92b8ae",
  "drifted_resource_count": 0,
  "stack_drift_status": "IN_SYNC",
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "timestamp": "2026-10-03T09:00:00+00:00"
}

List change sets

List a stack's change sets that are not yet executed.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.
Next tokennext_tokentext: To fetch the next page, the 'next_token' an earlier run of this step returned. Leave empty for the first page.

Outputs

change_setslist
countnumber
next_tokentext: Pass this as 'Next token' to fetch the next page. Null on the last page.

Example output

{
  "change_sets": [
    {
      "change_set_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:changeSet/release-42/1a2345b6-0000-00a0-a123-00abc0abc000",
      "change_set_name": "release-42",
      "creation_time": "2026-10-02T09:00:00+00:00",
      "description": "Raise the queue's retention",
      "execution_status": "AVAILABLE",
      "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
      "stack_name": "my-app",
      "status": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
      "status_reason": null
    }
  ],
  "count": 1,
  "next_token": null
}

List exports

List the output values stacks in this region export for other stacks to import.

Inputs

Next tokennext_tokentext: To fetch the next page, the 'next_token' an earlier run of this step returned. Leave empty for the first page.

Outputs

countnumber
exportslist
next_tokentext: Pass this as 'Next token' to fetch the next page. Null on the last page.

Example output

{
  "count": 1,
  "exports": [
    {
      "exporting_stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
      "name": "my-app-QueueUrl",
      "value": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
    }
  ],
  "next_token": null
}

List resource drifts

List the drift results of a stack's resources from the last drift detection, with each property that differs.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.
Drift statusesdrift_statuseslist: Only resources in up to 4 of these statuses, such as Modified and Deleted. Leave empty for all.One or more of: MODIFIED, DELETED, IN_SYNC (In sync), NOT_CHECKED (Not checked), UNKNOWN, UNSUPPORTED.
Max resultsmax_resultsnumber: How many to return in one page, from 1 to 100.From 1 to 100. Default: 100.
Next tokennext_tokentext: To fetch the next page, the 'next_token' an earlier run of this step returned. Leave empty for the first page.

Outputs

countnumber
driftslist
next_tokentext: Pass this as 'Next token' to fetch the next page. Null on the last page.

Example output

{
  "count": 1,
  "drifts": [
    {
      "actual_properties": "{\"MessageRetentionPeriod\":1209600}",
      "drift_status": "MODIFIED",
      "drift_status_reason": null,
      "expected_properties": "{\"MessageRetentionPeriod\":345600}",
      "logical_resource_id": "Queue",
      "physical_resource_id": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app",
      "property_differences": [
        {
          "actual_value": "1209600",
          "difference_type": "NOT_EQUAL",
          "expected_value": "345600",
          "property_path": "/MessageRetentionPeriod"
        }
      ],
      "resource_type": "AWS::SQS::Queue",
      "timestamp": "2026-10-03T09:00:00+00:00"
    }
  ],
  "next_token": null
}

List stack events

List a stack's events, newest first: each resource's progress and, for a failure, the reason.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.
Failures onlyfailures_onlytrue/false: Only the events that report a failure, with why.Default: false.
Next tokennext_tokentext: To fetch the next page, the 'next_token' an earlier run of this step returned. Leave empty for the first page.

Outputs

countnumber
eventslist
next_tokentext: Pass this as 'Next token' to fetch the next page. Null on the last page.

Example output

{
  "count": 1,
  "events": [
    {
      "client_request_token": null,
      "detailed_status": null,
      "event_id": "Queue-CREATE_COMPLETE-2026-10-01T09:01:00.000Z",
      "hook_status": null,
      "hook_status_reason": null,
      "hook_type": null,
      "logical_resource_id": "Queue",
      "operation_id": null,
      "physical_resource_id": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app",
      "resource_type": "AWS::SQS::Queue",
      "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
      "stack_name": "my-app",
      "status": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
      "status_reason": null,
      "timestamp": "2026-10-01T09:01:00+00:00"
    }
  ],
  "next_token": null
}

List stack resources

List the resources a stack created, with each one's real id and status.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.
Next tokennext_tokentext: To fetch the next page, the 'next_token' an earlier run of this step returned. Leave empty for the first page.

Outputs

countnumber
next_tokentext: Pass this as 'Next token' to fetch the next page. Null on the last page.
resourceslist

Example output

{
  "count": 1,
  "next_token": null,
  "resources": [
    {
      "drift_last_checked": null,
      "drift_status": "NOT_CHECKED",
      "last_updated_time": "2026-10-01T09:01:00+00:00",
      "logical_resource_id": "Queue",
      "physical_resource_id": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app",
      "resource_type": "AWS::SQS::Queue",
      "status": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
      "status_reason": null
    }
  ]
}

List stacks

List the stacks in the connection's region, newest first, with their status. Stacks deleted in the last 90 days are left out unless you pick DELETE_COMPLETE.

Inputs

Statusesstatuseslist: Only stacks in these statuses. Leave empty for every stack that is not deleted.One or more of: CREATE_IN_PROGRESS, CREATE_FAILED, CREATE_COMPLETE, ROLLBACK_IN_PROGRESS, ROLLBACK_FAILED, ROLLBACK_COMPLETE, DELETE_IN_PROGRESS, DELETE_FAILED, DELETE_COMPLETE, UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS, and 13 more.
Next tokennext_tokentext: To fetch the next page, the 'next_token' an earlier run of this step returned. Leave empty for the first page.

Outputs

countnumber
next_tokentext: Pass this as 'Next token' to fetch the next page. Null on the last page.
stackslist

Example output

{
  "count": 1,
  "next_token": null,
  "stacks": [
    {
      "creation_time": "2026-10-01T09:00:00+00:00",
      "deletion_time": null,
      "drift_last_checked": null,
      "drift_status": "NOT_CHECKED",
      "last_updated_time": null,
      "parent_id": null,
      "root_id": null,
      "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
      "stack_name": "my-app",
      "status": "CREATE_COMPLETE",
      "status_reason": null,
      "template_description": "My app's queue and parameters"
    }
  ]
}

Set termination protection

Turn a stack's termination protection on or off. While it is on, the stack cannot be deleted.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.
Enabledenabledtrue/falseRequired: On to protect the stack, off to allow deleting it.

Outputs

stack_idtext
termination_protectiontrue/false

Example output

{
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "termination_protection": true
}

Change a stack's template, parameter values or tags, and by default wait until the update finishes. Parameters you leave out keep their current values. When nothing would change, the step succeeds with 'updated' false.

Inputs

StackstacktextRequired: The stack. Pick one, or give its name, its stack ARN, or the link to its page in the CloudFormation console. It must be in the connection's region.
Templatetemplate_bodytext: The new template, in YAML or JSON. Leave this and Template URL empty to keep the stack's current template.
Template URLtemplate_urltext: Instead of pasting the template: its https:// link in Amazon S3, such as https://my-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/template.yaml.
Parametersparametersobject: New values for the template's parameters, by name. Any parameter left out keeps its current value.
Capabilitiescapabilitieslist: Acknowledge what the template does that needs your consent: IAM resources, or macros. CloudFormation refuses the template and names the capability if one is missing.One or more of: CAPABILITY_IAM (IAM resources (CAPABILITY_IAM)), CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM (IAM resources with custom names (CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM)), CAPABILITY_AUTO_EXPAND (Macros and nested transforms (CAPABILITY_AUTO_EXPAND)).
Tagstagsobject: Tag names and values. When given, they replace all of the stack's tags; leave empty to keep its current tags.
Keep changes if it failsdisable_rollbacktrue/false: On: if the update fails, keep the resources already changed instead of rolling back. Leave empty for the stack's own setting.
Service role ARNrole_arntext: An IAM role CloudFormation uses to create and change the resources, such as arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/cfn-deployer. Leave empty to use this connection's own permissions.
Wait until finishedwait_for_completiontrue/false: Keep the step running until CloudFormation finishes, and fail it with the resource errors if it rolled back. Off returns as soon as CloudFormation has started.Default: true.
Stop waiting after (seconds)wait_timeout_secondsnumber: How long to wait, from 10 to 900 seconds. If CloudFormation is still working then, the step returns with 'finished' false and the operation carries on; follow it with 'Get a stack'.From 10 to 900. Default: 300.

Outputs

capabilitieslist
creation_timetext
deletion_timetext
descriptiontext
detailed_statustext
disable_rollbacktrue/false
drift_last_checkedtext
drift_statustext: DRIFTED, IN_SYNC, UNKNOWN or NOT_CHECKED.
finishedtrue/false: True once the stack settled. False when the step did not wait, or stopped waiting before CloudFormation finished.
last_updated_timetext
notification_arnslist
operation_idtext: CloudFormation's id for this operation.
output_mapobject: Output name to value, for picking one by name.
outputslist
parametersobject: Parameter name to value.
parent_idtext: For a nested stack, the stack ARN of its parent.
role_arntext
root_idtext
stack_idtext: The stack ARN, such as arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-...
stack_nametext
statustext: Such as CREATE_COMPLETE, UPDATE_IN_PROGRESS or ROLLBACK_COMPLETE.
status_reasontext
tagsobject: Tag name to value.
termination_protectiontrue/false
timeout_in_minutesnumber
updatedtrue/false: False when the stack already matched, so nothing changed.

Example output

{
  "capabilities": [],
  "creation_time": "2026-10-01T09:00:00+00:00",
  "deletion_time": null,
  "description": "My app's queue and parameters",
  "detailed_status": null,
  "disable_rollback": false,
  "drift_last_checked": null,
  "drift_status": "NOT_CHECKED",
  "finished": true,
  "last_updated_time": "2026-10-02T09:00:00+00:00",
  "notification_arns": [],
  "operation_id": "8b0a6b1e-1c2d-4e5f-9a8b-7c6d5e4f3a2c",
  "output_map": {
    "QueueUrl": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
  },
  "outputs": [
    {
      "description": "The queue's URL",
      "export_name": null,
      "key": "QueueUrl",
      "value": "https://sqs.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/123456789012/my-app"
    }
  ],
  "parameters": {
    "Environment": "prod"
  },
  "parent_id": null,
  "role_arn": null,
  "root_id": null,
  "stack_id": "arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:123456789012:stack/my-app/1c2fa620-982a-11e3-aff7-50e2416294e0",
  "stack_name": "my-app",
  "status": "UPDATE_COMPLETE",
  "status_reason": null,
  "tags": {
    "team": "web"
  },
  "termination_protection": false,
  "timeout_in_minutes": null,
  "updated": true
}

Validate a template

Check a template's syntax and list its parameters and the capabilities it needs. An invalid template is returned with 'valid' false and the reason, not as an error.

Inputs

Templatetemplate_bodytext: The template, in YAML or JSON, up to 51,200 bytes. Or give its Amazon S3 link in Template URL.
Template URLtemplate_urltext: Instead of pasting the template: its https:// link in Amazon S3, such as https://my-bucket.s3.amazonaws.com/template.yaml.

Outputs

capabilitieslist: Capabilities a stack from this template must acknowledge.
capabilities_reasontext
declared_transformslist
descriptiontext
messagetext: Why the template is not valid. Null when it is.
parameterslist
validtrue/false

Example output

{
  "capabilities": [],
  "capabilities_reason": null,
  "declared_transforms": [],
  "description": "My app's queue and parameters",
  "message": null,
  "parameters": [
    {
      "default_value": "dev",
      "description": "dev or prod",
      "key": "Environment",
      "no_echo": false
    }
  ],
  "valid": true
}

ActionsCopy Anchor Link

Cancel a stack updateCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Create a change setCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Create a stackCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Delete a change setCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Delete a stackCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Detect stack driftCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Execute a change setCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Get a change setCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Get a stackCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Get a templateCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Get drift detection statusCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

List change setsCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

List exportsCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

List resource driftsCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

List stack eventsCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

List stack resourcesCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

List stacksCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Set termination protectionCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Update a stackCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

Validate a templateCopy Anchor Link

Inputs

Outputs

On this page

Actions

Cancel a stack update

Create a change set

Create a stack

Delete a change set

Delete a stack

Detect stack drift

Execute a change set

Get a change set

Get a stack

Get a template

Get drift detection status

List change sets

List exports

List resource drifts

List stack events

List stack resources

List stacks

Set termination protection

Update a stack

Validate a template