Overview
CloudFormation is the native IaC service for AWS. It allows you to define a 'stack' of related resources in a single template. CloudFormation handles the provisioning and configuration of these resources in the correct order, managing dependencies automatically.
Key Concepts
- Template: A JSON or YAML file describing the desired resources.
- Stack: A collection of AWS resources that are managed as a single unit.
- Change Sets: A preview of the changes that will be made to a stack when an update is applied.
- StackSets: Allows you to deploy stacks across multiple AWS accounts and regions.
Benefits
- Deep AWS Integration: Supports almost all AWS services and features immediately upon release.
- Managed Service: No need to manage state files manually; AWS handles the state and execution.