AWS
AWS CloudFormation Patterns: Infrastructure as Code Best Practices
Learn essential patterns and best practices for managing infrastructure using AWS CloudFormation, including template design, nested stacks, and deployment strategies
February 26, 2024
DevHub Team
2 min read
AWS CloudFormation enables you to manage infrastructure as code, providing a consistent and automated way to create and manage AWS resources. This guide explores common patterns and best practices for effective infrastructure management.
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graph TB
subgraph Design["Template Design"]
direction TB
Parameters["Parameters"]
Resources["Resources"]
Outputs["Outputs"]
end
subgraph Patterns["Stack Patterns"]
direction TB
Nested["Nested Stacks"]
CrossStack["Cross-Stack Refs"]
StackSets["Stack Sets"]
end
subgraph Deploy["Deployment"]
direction TB
subgraph Changes["Change Management"]
direction LR
ChangeSets["Change Sets"]
StackPolicies["Stack Policies"]
Custom["Custom Resources"]
end
subgraph Validation["Validation"]
direction LR
Drift["Drift Detection"]
Guard["Guard Rules"]
Hooks["Hooks"]
end
end
Design --> Patterns
Patterns --> Deploy
classDef designNode fill:#FF9900,stroke:#232F3E,color:#232F3E,stroke-width:2px,font-weight:bold
classDef patternNode fill:#232F3E,stroke:#232F3E,color:#FFFFFF,stroke-width:2px,font-weight:bold
classDef deployNode fill:#147EB4,stroke:#232F3E,color:#FFFFFF,stroke-width:2px,font-weight:bold
classDef groupStyle fill:transparent,stroke:#232F3E,stroke-width:2px,color:#232F3E,font-weight:bold
class Parameters,Resources,Outputs designNode
class Nested,CrossStack,StackSets patternNode
class ChangeSets,StackPolicies,Custom,Drift,Guard,Hooks deployNode
class Design,Patterns,Deploy,Changes,Validation groupStyle
Template Design Patterns
1. Base Infrastructure Template
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09' Description: Base infrastructure template for production environment Parameters: Environment: Type: String Default: production AllowedValues: [development, staging, production] VpcCIDR: Type: String Default: 10.0.0.0/16 Description: CIDR block for VPC Resources: VPC: Type: AWS::EC2::VPC Properties: CidrBlock: !Ref VpcCIDR EnableDnsHostnames: true EnableDnsSupport: true Tags: - Key: Name Value: !Sub ${Environment}-vpc InternetGateway: Type: AWS::EC2::InternetGateway Properties: Tags: - Key: Name Value: !Sub ${Environment}-igw Outputs: VpcId: Description: VPC ID Value: !Ref VPC Export: Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-VpcId
Best Practices
-
Template Design
- Use layered architecture
- Implement modular design
- Use nested stacks for reusability
- Implement proper parameter constraints
-
Security
- Use IAM roles and policies
- Implement stack policies
- Enable drift detection
- Use AWS CloudFormation Guard
-
Deployment
- Use change sets
- Implement rollback triggers
- Test templates thoroughly
- Use CI/CD pipelines
-
Maintenance
- Document templates
- Use proper version control
- Implement cost tags
- Monitor stack events
References
CloudFormation
IaC
Infrastructure
DevOps
