AWS CloudFormation S3 Patterns

Create production-ready Amazon S3 infrastructure using AWS CloudFormation templates. This skill covers S3 bucket configurations, bucket policies, versioning, lifecycle rules, and template structure best practices.

When to Use

Use this skill when:

• Creating S3 buckets with custom configurations
• Implementing bucket policies for access control
• Configuring S3 versioning for data protection
• Setting up lifecycle rules for data management
• Creating Outputs for cross-stack references
• Using Parameters with AWS-specific types
• Organizing templates with Mappings and Conditions
• Building reusable CloudFormation templates for S3

Quick Start

Basic S3 Bucket

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: Simple S3 bucket with default settings

Resources:
  DataBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: my-data-bucket
      Tags:
        - Key: Environment
          Value: production
        - Key: Project
          Value: my-project

S3 Bucket with Versioning and Logging

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: S3 bucket with versioning and access logging

Parameters:
  BucketName:
    Type: String
    Description: Name of the S3 bucket

Resources:
  DataBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Ref BucketName
      VersioningConfiguration:
        Status: Enabled
      LoggingConfiguration:
        DestinationBucketName: !Ref AccessLogBucket
        LogFilePrefix: logs/
      Tags:
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Ref BucketName

  AccessLogBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Sub ${BucketName}-logs
      AccessControl: LogDeliveryWrite

Outputs:
  BucketName:
    Description: Name of the S3 bucket
    Value: !Ref DataBucket

  BucketArn:
    Description: ARN of the S3 bucket
    Value: !GetAtt DataBucket.Arn

Template Structure

Template Sections Overview

AWS CloudFormation templates are JSON or YAML files with specific sections. Each section serves a purpose in defining your infrastructure.

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09  # Required - template version
Description: Optional description string  # Optional description

# Section order matters for readability but CloudFormation accepts any order
Mappings: {}       # Static configuration tables
Metadata: {}       # Additional information about resources
Parameters: {}     # Input values for customization
Rules: {}          # Parameter validation rules
Conditions: {}     # Conditional resource creation
Transform: {}      # Macro processing (e.g., AWS::Serverless)
Resources: {}      # AWS resources to create (REQUIRED)
Outputs: {}        # Return values after stack creation

Format Version

The

AWSTemplateFormatVersion

identifies the template version. Current version is

2010-09-09

.

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: My S3 CloudFormation Template

Description

Add a description to document the template's purpose. Must appear after the format version.

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: >
  This template creates an S3 bucket with versioning enabled
  for data protection. It includes:
  - Bucket with versioning configuration
  - Lifecycle rules for data retention
  - Server access logging

Metadata

Use

Metadata

for additional information about resources or parameters.

Metadata:
  AWS::CloudFormation::Interface:
    ParameterGroups:
      - Label:
          default: Bucket Configuration
        Parameters:
          - BucketName
          - EnableVersioning
      - Label:
          default: Lifecycle Rules
        Parameters:
          - RetentionDays
    ParameterLabels:
      BucketName:
        default: Bucket Name
      EnableVersioning:
        default: Enable Versioning

Resources Section

The

Resources

section is the only required section. It defines AWS resources to provision.

Resources:
  DataBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: my-data-bucket
      VersioningConfiguration:
        Status: Enabled
      PublicAccessBlockConfiguration:
        BlockPublicAcls: true
        BlockPublicPolicy: true
        IgnorePublicAcls: true
        RestrictPublicBuckets: true

Parameters

Parameter Types

Use AWS-specific parameter types for validation and easier selection in the console.

Parameters:
  ExistingBucketName:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket::Name
    Description: Select an existing S3 bucket

  BucketNamePrefix:
    Type: String
    Description: Prefix for new bucket names

SSM Parameter Types

Reference Systems Manager parameters for dynamic values.

Parameters:
  LatestBucketPolicy:
    Type: AWS::SSM::Parameter::Value<String>
    Description: Latest bucket policy from SSM
    Default: /s3/bucket-policy/latest

Parameter Constraints

Add constraints to validate parameter values.

Parameters:
  BucketName:
    Type: String
    Description: Name of the S3 bucket
    Default: my-bucket
    AllowedPattern: ^[a-z0-9][a-z0-9-]*[a-z0-9]$
    ConstraintDescription: Bucket names must be lowercase, numbers, or hyphens

  RetentionDays:
    Type: Number
    Description: Number of days to retain objects
    Default: 30
    MinValue: 1
    MaxValue: 365
    ConstraintDescription: Must be between 1 and 365 days

  Environment:
    Type: String
    Description: Deployment environment
    Default: development
    AllowedValues:
      - development
      - staging
      - production
    ConstraintDescription: Must be development, staging, or production

Mappings

Use

Mappings

for static configuration data based on regions or other factors.

Mappings:
  RegionConfig:
    us-east-1:
      BucketPrefix: us-east-1
    us-west-2:
      BucketPrefix: us-west-2
    eu-west-1:
      BucketPrefix: eu-west-1

  EnvironmentSettings:
    development:
      VersioningStatus: Suspended
      RetentionDays: 7
    staging:
      VersioningStatus: Enabled
      RetentionDays: 30
    production:
      VersioningStatus: Enabled
      RetentionDays: 90

Resources:
  DataBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Sub ${BucketPrefix}-${Environment}-data
      VersioningConfiguration:
        Status: !FindInMap [EnvironmentSettings, !Ref Environment, VersioningStatus]

Conditions

Use

Conditions

to conditionally create resources based on parameters.

Parameters:
  EnableVersioning:
    Type: String
    Default: true
    AllowedValues:
      - true
      - false

  Environment:
    Type: String
    Default: development
    AllowedValues:
      - development
      - staging
      - production

  CreateLifecycleRule:
    Type: String
    Default: true
    AllowedValues:
      - true
      - false

Conditions:
  ShouldEnableVersioning: !Equals [!Ref EnableVersioning, true]
  IsProduction: !Equals [!Ref Environment, production]
  ShouldCreateLifecycle: !Equals [!Ref CreateLifecycleRule, true]

Resources:
  DataBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Sub ${Environment}-data-bucket
      VersioningConfiguration:
        Status: !If [ShouldEnableVersioning, Enabled, Suspended]

  LifecycleRule:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Condition: ShouldCreateLifecycle
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Sub ${Environment}-lifecycle-bucket
      LifecycleConfiguration:
        Rules:
          - Status: Enabled
            ExpirationInDays: !If
              - IsProduction
              - 90
              - 30
            NoncurrentVersionExpirationInDays: 30

Transform

Use

Transform

for macros like AWS::Serverless for SAM templates.

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Transform: AWS::Serverless-2016-10-31
Description: SAM template with S3 bucket trigger

Resources:
  ThumbnailFunction:
    Type: AWS::Serverless::Function
    Properties:
      Handler: index.handler
      Runtime: python3.9
      CodeUri: function/
      Events:
        ImageUpload:
          Type: S3
          Properties:
            Bucket: !Ref ImageBucket
            Events: s3:ObjectCreated:*

  ImageBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-images

Outputs and Cross-Stack References

Basic Outputs

Outputs:
  BucketName:
    Description: Name of the S3 bucket
    Value: !Ref DataBucket

  BucketArn:
    Description: ARN of the S3 bucket
    Value: !GetAtt DataBucket.Arn

  BucketDomainName:
    Description: Domain name of the S3 bucket
    Value: !GetAtt DataBucket.DomainName

  BucketWebsiteURL:
    Description: Website URL for the S3 bucket
    Value: !GetAtt DataBucket.WebsiteURL

Exporting Values for Cross-Stack References

Export values so other stacks can import them.

Outputs:
  BucketName:
    Description: Bucket name for other stacks
    Value: !Ref DataBucket
    Export:
      Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-BucketName

  BucketArn:
    Description: Bucket ARN for other stacks
    Value: !GetAtt DataBucket.Arn
    Export:
      Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-BucketArn

  BucketRegion:
    Description: Bucket region
    Value: !Ref AWS::Region
    Export:
      Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-BucketRegion

Importing Values in Another Stack

Parameters:
  DataBucketName:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket::Name
    Description: Data bucket name from data stack
    # User selects from exported values in console

  # Or use Fn::ImportValue for programmatic access
Resources:
  BucketAccessRole:
    Type: AWS::IAM::Role
    Properties:
      AssumeRolePolicyDocument:
        Version: "2012-10-17"
        Statement:
          - Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              Service: lambda.amazonaws.com
            Action: sts:AssumeRole
      Policies:
        - PolicyName: S3Access
          PolicyDocument:
            Statement:
              - Effect: Allow
                Action:
                  - s3:GetObject
                  - s3:PutObject
                Resource: !Sub
                  - ${BucketArn}/*
                  - BucketArn: !ImportValue data-stack-BucketArn

Cross-Stack Reference Pattern

Create a dedicated data storage stack that exports values:

# storage-stack.yaml
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: S3 storage infrastructure stack

Resources:
  DataBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-data
      VersioningConfiguration:
        Status: Enabled
      PublicAccessBlockConfiguration:
        BlockPublicAcls: true
        BlockPublicPolicy: true
        IgnorePublicAcls: true
        RestrictPublicBuckets: true

  LogBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-logs
      AccessControl: LogDeliveryWrite

Outputs:
  DataBucketName:
    Value: !Ref DataBucket
    Export:
      Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-DataBucketName

  DataBucketArn:
    Value: !GetAtt DataBucket.Arn
    Export:
      Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-DataBucketArn

  LogBucketName:
    Value: !Ref LogBucket
    Export:
      Name: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-LogBucketName

Application stack imports these values:

# application-stack.yaml
AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: Application stack that imports from storage

Parameters:
  StorageStackName:
    Type: String
    Description: Name of the storage stack
    Default: storage-stack

Resources:
  ApplicationBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-application
      CorsConfiguration:
        CorsRules:
          - AllowedHeaders:
              - "*"
            AllowedMethods:
              - GET
              - PUT
              - POST
            AllowedOrigins:
              - !Ref ApplicationDomain
            MaxAge: 3600

S3 Bucket Configuration

Bucket with Public Access Block

Resources:
  SecureBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: my-secure-bucket
      PublicAccessBlockConfiguration:
        BlockPublicAcls: true
        BlockPublicPolicy: true
        IgnorePublicAcls: true
        RestrictPublicBuckets: true

Bucket with Versioning

Resources:
  VersionedBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: my-versioned-bucket
      VersioningConfiguration:
        Status: Enabled
        # Use MFADelete to require MFA for version deletion
        # MFADelete: Enabled  # Optional, requires MFA

Bucket with Lifecycle Rules

Resources:
  LifecycleBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: my-lifecycle-bucket
      LifecycleConfiguration:
        Rules:
          # Expire objects after 30 days
          - Id: ExpireOldObjects
            Status: Enabled
            ExpirationInDays: 30
            NoncurrentVersionExpirationInDays: 7
          # Archive to Glacier after 90 days
          - Id: ArchiveToGlacier
            Status: Enabled
            Transitions:
              - Days: 90
                StorageClass: GLACIER
              - Days: 365
                StorageClass: DEEP_ARCHIVE
            NoncurrentVersionTransitions:
              - NoncurrentDays: 30
                StorageClass: GLACIER

Bucket with Cross-Region Replication

Resources:
  SourceBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: my-source-bucket
      VersioningConfiguration:
        Status: Enabled
      ReplicationConfiguration:
        Role: !GetAtt ReplicationRole.Arn
        Rules:
          - Id: ReplicateToDestRegion
            Status: Enabled
            Destination:
              Bucket: !Sub arn:aws:s3:::my-dest-bucket-${AWS::Region}
              StorageClass: STANDARD_IA
              EncryptionConfiguration:
                ReplicaKmsKeyID: !Ref DestKMSKey

  ReplicationRole:
    Type: AWS::IAM::Role
    Properties:
      AssumeRolePolicyDocument:
        Version: "2012-10-17"
        Statement:
          - Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              Service: s3.amazonaws.com
            Action: sts:AssumeRole

Bucket Policies

Bucket Policy for Private Access

Resources:
  PrivateBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: my-private-bucket
      PublicAccessBlockConfiguration:
        BlockPublicAcls: true
        BlockPublicPolicy: true
        IgnorePublicAcls: true
        RestrictPublicBuckets: true

  BucketPolicy:
    Type: AWS::S3::BucketPolicy
    Properties:
      Bucket: !Ref PrivateBucket
      PolicyDocument:
        Statement:
          - Sid: DenyPublicRead
            Effect: Deny
            Principal: "*"
            Action:
              - s3:GetObject
            Resource: !Sub ${PrivateBucket.Arn}/*
            Condition:
              Bool:
                aws:SecureTransport: false

Bucket Policy for CloudFront OAI

Resources:
  StaticWebsiteBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: my-static-website
      WebsiteConfiguration:
        IndexDocument: index.html
        ErrorDocument: error.html

  BucketPolicy:
    Type: AWS::S3::BucketPolicy
    Properties:
      Bucket: !Ref StaticWebsiteBucket
      PolicyDocument:
        Statement:
          - Sid: CloudFrontReadAccess
            Effect: Allow
            Principal:
              CanonicalUser: !GetAtt CloudFrontOAI.S3CanonicalUserId
            Action: s3:GetObject
            Resource: !Sub ${StaticWebsiteBucket.Arn}/*

  CloudFrontOAI:
    Type: AWS::CloudFront::CloudFrontOriginAccessIdentity
    Properties:
      CloudFrontOriginAccessIdentityConfig:
        Comment: !Sub ${AWS::StackName}-oai

Bucket Policy for VPC Endpoint

Resources:
  PrivateBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: my-private-bucket

  BucketPolicy:
    Type: AWS::S3::BucketPolicy
    Properties:
      Bucket: !Ref PrivateBucket
      PolicyDocument:
        Statement:
          - Sid: AllowVPCEndpoint
            Effect: Allow
            Principal: "*"
            Action: s3:GetObject
            Resource: !Sub ${PrivateBucket.Arn}/*
            Condition:
              StringEquals:
                aws:sourceVpce: !Ref VPCEndpointId

Complete S3 Bucket Example

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: 2010-09-09
Description: Production-ready S3 bucket with versioning, logging, and lifecycle

Parameters:
  BucketName:
    Type: String
    Description: Name of the S3 bucket

  Environment:
    Type: String
    Default: production
    AllowedValues:
      - development
      - staging
      - production

  EnableVersioning:
    Type: String
    Default: true
    AllowedValues:
      - true
      - false

  RetentionDays:
    Type: Number
    Default: 90
    Description: Days to retain objects

Conditions:
  ShouldEnableVersioning: !Equals [!Ref EnableVersioning, true]
  IsProduction: !Equals [!Ref Environment, production]

Resources:
  DataBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Ref BucketName
      VersioningConfiguration:
        Status: !If [ShouldEnableVersioning, Enabled, Suspended]
      PublicAccessBlockConfiguration:
        BlockPublicAcls: true
        BlockPublicPolicy: true
        IgnorePublicAcls: true
        RestrictPublicBuckets: true
      LoggingConfiguration:
        DestinationBucketName: !Ref AccessLogBucket
        LogFilePrefix: !Sub ${BucketName}/logs/
      LifecycleConfiguration:
        Rules:
          - Id: StandardLifecycle
            Status: Enabled
            ExpirationInDays: !Ref RetentionDays
            NoncurrentVersionExpirationInDays: 30
            Transitions:
              - Days: 30
                StorageClass: STANDARD_IA
              - Days: 90
                StorageClass: GLACIER
      Tags:
        - Key: Environment
          Value: !Ref Environment
        - Key: Name
          Value: !Ref BucketName

  AccessLogBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Sub ${BucketName}-logs
      AccessControl: LogDeliveryWrite
      PublicAccessBlockConfiguration:
        BlockPublicAcls: true
        BlockPublicPolicy: true
        IgnorePublicAcls: true
        RestrictPublicBuckets: true
      LifecycleConfiguration:
        Rules:
          - Id: DeleteLogsAfter30Days
            Status: Enabled
            ExpirationInDays: 30

Outputs:
  BucketName:
    Description: Name of the S3 bucket
    Value: !Ref DataBucket

  BucketArn:
    Description: ARN of the S3 bucket
    Value: !GetAtt DataBucket.Arn

  BucketDomainName:
    Description: Domain name of the S3 bucket
    Value: !GetAtt DataBucket.DomainName

  BucketWebsiteURL:
    Description: Website URL for the S3 bucket
    Value: !GetAtt DataBucket.WebsiteURL

  LogBucketName:
    Description: Name of the access log bucket
    Value: !Ref AccessLogBucket

CloudFormation Best Practices

Stack Policies

Stack Policies protect stack resources from unintentional updates that could cause disruption or data loss. Use them to prevent accidental modifications to critical resources.

Setting a Stack Policy

{
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "Update:*",
      "Principal": "*",
      "Resource": "*"
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Deny",
      "Action": [
        "Update:Replace",
        "Update:Delete"
      ],
      "Principal": "*",
      "Resource": "LogicalResourceId/DataBucket"
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Deny",
      "Action": "Update:*",
      "Principal": "*",
      "Resource": "LogicalResourceId/AccessLogBucket",
      "Condition": {
        "StringEquals": {
          "ResourceType": ["AWS::S3::Bucket"]
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Applying Stack Policy via AWS CLI

aws cloudformation set-stack-policy \
  --stack-name my-s3-stack \
  --stack-policy-body file://stack-policy.json

Stack Policy for Production Environment

{
  "Statement": [
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": ["Update:Modify", "Update:Replace", "Update:Delete"],
      "Principal": "*",
      "Resource": "*",
      "Condition": {
        "StringEquals": {
          "ResourceType": ["AWS::S3::Bucket"]
        }
      }
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Deny",
      "Action": "Update:Delete",
      "Principal": "*",
      "Resource": "*"
    },
    {
      "Effect": "Allow",
      "Action": "Update:*",
      "Principal": "AWS": ["arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/AdminRole"],
      "Resource": "*"
    }
  ]
}

Termination Protection

Termination Protection prevents accidental deletion of CloudFormation stacks. Always enable it for production stacks.

Enabling Termination Protection

# Enable termination protection when creating a stack
aws cloudformation create-stack \
  --stack-name my-s3-stack \
  --template-body file://template.yaml \
  --enable-termination-protection

# Enable termination protection on existing stack
aws cloudformation update-termination-protection \
  --stack-name my-s3-stack \
  --enable-termination-protection

# Disable termination protection
aws cloudformation update-termination-protection \
  --stack-name my-s3-stack \
  --no-enable-termination-protection

Termination Protection in SDK (Python)

import boto3

def enable_termination_protection(stack_name):
    cfn = boto3.client('cloudformation')
    try:
        cfn.update_termination_protection(
            StackName=stack_name,
            EnableTerminationProtection=True
        )
        print(f"Termination protection enabled for stack: {stack_name}")
    except cfn.exceptions.TerminationProtectionError as e:
        if "already" in str(e).lower():
            print(f"Termination protection already enabled for stack: {stack_name}")
        else:
            raise

Verification Script

#!/bin/bash
# verify-termination-protection.sh

STACK_NAME=$1

if [ -z "$STACK_NAME" ]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 <stack-name>"
    exit 1
fi

STATUS=$(aws cloudformation describe-stacks \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
  --query 'Stacks[0].TerminationProtection' \
  --output text)

if [ "$STATUS" = "True" ]; then
    echo "Termination protection is ENABLED for $STACK_NAME"
    exit 0
else
    echo "WARNING: Termination protection is DISABLED for $STACK_NAME"
    exit 1
fi

Drift Detection

Drift Detection identifies differences between the actual infrastructure and the CloudFormation template. Run it regularly to ensure compliance.

Detecting Drift

# Detect drift on a single stack
aws cloudformation detect-drift \
  --stack-name my-s3-stack

# Detect drift and get detailed results
STACK_NAME="my-s3-stack"

# Start drift detection
aws cloudformation detect-drift \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME

# Wait for drift detection to complete
aws cloudformation wait stack-drift-detection-complete \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME

# Get drift detection status
STATUS=$(aws cloudformation describe-stack-drift-detection-status \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
  --query 'StackDriftStatus' \
  --output text)

echo "Stack drift status: $STATUS"

# Get detailed drift information
if [ "$STATUS" = "DRIFTED" ]; then
  aws cloudformation describe-stack-resource-drifts \
    --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
    --query 'StackResourceDrifts[*].[LogicalResourceId,ResourceType,DriftStatus,PropertyDifferences]' \
    --output table
fi

Drift Detection Script with Reporting

#!/bin/bash
# detect-drift.sh

STACK_NAME=$1
REPORT_FILE="drift-report-${STACK_NAME}-$(date +%Y%m%d).json"

if [ -z "$STACK_NAME" ]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 <stack-name> [report-file]"
    exit 1
fi

if [ -n "$2" ]; then
    REPORT_FILE=$2
fi

echo "Starting drift detection for stack: $STACK_NAME"

# Start drift detection
DETECTION_ID=$(aws cloudformation detect-drift \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
  --query 'Id' \
  --output text)

echo "Drift detection initiated. Detection ID: $DETECTION_ID"

# Wait for completion
echo "Waiting for drift detection to complete..."
aws cloudformation wait stack-drift-detection-complete \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME 2>/dev/null || true

# Get detection status
DRIFT_STATUS=$(aws cloudformation describe-stack-drift-detection-status \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
  --query 'StackDriftStatus' \
  --output text 2>/dev/null)

echo "Drift status: $DRIFT_STATUS"

# Get detailed results
if [ "$DRIFT_STATUS" = "DRIFTED" ]; then
    echo "Resources with drift detected:"
    aws cloudformation describe-stack-resource-drifts \
      --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
      --output json > "$REPORT_FILE"

    echo "Drift report saved to: $REPORT_FILE"

    # Display summary
    aws cloudformation describe-stack-resource-drifts \
      --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
      --query 'StackResourceDrifts[?DriftStatus==`MODIFIED`].[LogicalResourceId,ResourceType,PropertyDifferences[].PropertyName]' \
      --output table
else
    echo "No drift detected. Stack is in sync with template."
    echo "{}" > "$REPORT_FILE"
fi

Drift Detection for Multiple Stacks

import boto3
from datetime import datetime

def detect_drift_all_stacks(prefix="prod-"):
    cfn = boto3.client('cloudformation')
    s3 = boto3.client('s3')

    # List all stacks with prefix
    stacks = cfn.list_stacks(
        StackStatusFilter=['CREATE_COMPLETE', 'UPDATE_COMPLETE']
    )['StackSummaries']

    target_stacks = [s for s in stacks if s['StackName'].startswith(prefix)]

    drift_results = []

    for stack in target_stacks:
        stack_name = stack['StackName']
        print(f"Checking drift for: {stack_name}")

        # Start drift detection
        response = cfn.detect_drift(StackName=stack_name)
        detection_id = response['Id']

        # Wait for completion (simplified - in production use waiter)
        waiter = cfn.get_waiter('stack_drift_detection_complete')
        waiter.wait(StackName=stack_name)

        # Get status
        status = cfn.describe_stack_drift_detection_status(
            StackName=stack_name
        )

        drift_results.append({
            'stack_name': stack_name,
            'drift_status': status['StackDriftStatus'],
            'detection_time': datetime.utcnow().isoformat()
        })

        if status['StackDriftStatus'] == 'DRIFTED':
            # Get detailed drift info
            resources = cfn.describe_stack_resource_drifts(
                StackName=stack_name
            )['StackResourceDrifts']
            drift_results[-1]['drifted_resources'] = [
                {
                    'logical_id': r['LogicalResourceId'],
                    'type': r['ResourceType'],
                    'status': r['DriftStatus']
                } for r in resources
            ]

    return drift_results

Change Sets

Change Sets preview changes before applying them. Always use them for production deployments to review impact.

Creating and Executing a Change Set

#!/bin/bash
# deploy-with-changeset.sh

STACK_NAME=$1
TEMPLATE_FILE=$2
CHANGESET_NAME="${STACK_NAME}-changeset-$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S)"

if [ -z "$STACK_NAME" ] || [ -z "$TEMPLATE_FILE" ]; then
    echo "Usage: $0 <stack-name> <template-file>"
    exit 1
fi

echo "Creating change set for stack: $STACK_NAME"

# Create change set
aws cloudformation create-change-set \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
  --template-body file://$TEMPLATE_FILE \
  --change-set-name $CHANGESET_NAME \
  --capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM \
  --change-set-type UPDATE

echo "Change set created: $CHANGESET_NAME"

# Wait for change set creation
aws cloudformation wait change-set-create-complete \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
  --change-set-name $CHANGESET_NAME

# Display changes
echo ""
echo "=== Change Set Summary ==="
aws cloudformation describe-change-set \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
  --change-set-name $CHANGESET_NAME \
  --query '[ChangeSetName,Status,ChangeSetStatus,StatusReason]' \
  --output table

echo ""
echo "=== Detailed Changes ==="
aws cloudformation list-change-sets \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
  --query "Summaries[?ChangeSetName=='$CHANGESET_NAME'].[Changes]" \
  --output text | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null || \
aws cloudformation describe-change-set \
  --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
  --change-set-name $CHANGESET_NAME \
  --query 'Changes[*].ResourceChange' \
  --output table

# Prompt for execution
echo ""
read -p "Execute this change set? (yes/no): " CONFIRM

if [ "$CONFIRM" = "yes" ]; then
    echo "Executing change set..."
    aws cloudformation execute-change-set \
      --stack-name $STACK_NAME \
      --change-set-name $CHANGESET_NAME

    echo "Waiting for stack update to complete..."
    aws cloudformation wait stack-update-complete \
      --stack-name $STACK_NAME

    echo "Stack update complete!"
else
    echo "Change set execution cancelled."
    echo "To execute later, run:"
    echo "aws cloudformation execute-change-set --stack-name $STACK_NAME --change-set-name $CHANGESET_NAME"
fi

Change Set with Parameter Overrides

# Create change set with parameters
aws cloudformation create-change-set \
  --stack-name my-s3-stack \
  --template-body file://template.yaml \
  --change-set-name my-changeset \
  --parameters \
    ParameterKey=BucketName,ParameterValue=my-new-bucket \
    ParameterKey=Environment,ParameterValue=production \
  --capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM

# Generate change set from existing stack
aws cloudformation create-change-set \
  --stack-name my-s3-stack \
  --template-body file://new-template.yaml \
  --change-set-name migrate-to-new-template \
  --change-set-type IMPORT \
  --resources-to-import "[\"DataBucket\", \"AccessLogBucket\"]"

Change Set Preview Script

import boto3

def preview_changes(stack_name, template_body, parameters=None):
    cfn = boto3.client('cloudformation')
    changeset_name = f"{stack_name}-preview-{int(__import__('time').time())}"

    try:
        # Create change set
        kwargs = {
            'StackName': stack_name,
            'TemplateBody': template_body,
            'ChangeSetName': changeset_name,
            'ChangeSetType': 'UPDATE'
        }

        if parameters:
            kwargs['Parameters'] = parameters

        response = cfn.create_change_set(**kwargs)

        # Wait for creation
        waiter = cfn.get_waiter('change_set_create_complete')
        waiter.wait(StackName=stack_name, ChangeSetName=changeset_name)

        # Get change set description
        changeset = cfn.describe_change_set(
            StackName=stack_name,
            ChangeSetName=changeset_name
        )

        print(f"Change Set: {changeset['ChangeSetName']}")
        print(f"Status: {changeset['Status']}")
        print(f"Number of changes: {len(changeset.get('Changes', []))}")

        # Display each change
        for change in changeset.get('Changes', []):
            resource = change['ResourceChange']
            print(f"\n{resource['Action']} {resource['LogicalResourceId']} ({resource['ResourceType']})")

            if resource.get('Replacement') == 'True':
                print(f"  - This resource will be REPLACED (potential downtime)")

            for detail in resource.get('Details', []):
                print(f"  - {detail['Attribute']}: {detail['Name']}")

        return changeset

    except cfn.exceptions.AlreadyExistsException:
        print(f"Change set already exists")
        return None
    finally:
        # Clean up change set
        try:
            cfn.delete_change_set(
                StackName=stack_name,
                ChangeSetName=changeset_name
            )
        except Exception:
            pass

Change Set Best Practices

# Best practices for change sets

# 1. Always use descriptive change set names
CHANGESET_NAME="update-bucket-config-$(date +%Y%m%d)"

# 2. Use appropriate change set type
aws cloudformation create-change-set \
  --stack-name my-stack \
  --change-set-type UPDATE \
  --template-body file://template.yaml

# 3. Review changes before execution
aws cloudformation describe-change-set \
  --stack-name my-stack \
  --change-set-name $CHANGESET_NAME \
  --query 'Changes[].ResourceChange'

# 4. Use capabilities flag when needed
aws cloudformation create-change-set \
  --stack-name my-stack \
  --capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM \
  --template-body file://template.yaml

# 5. Set execution role for controlled deployments
aws cloudformation create-change-set \
  --stack-name my-stack \
  --execution-role-name arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/CloudFormationExecutionRole \
  --template-body file://template.yaml

Related Files

For detailed resource reference information, see:

• reference.md - Complete AWS::S3::Bucket and AWS::S3::BucketPolicy properties

For comprehensive examples, see:

• examples.md - Real-world S3 patterns and use cases