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AWS CloudFormation Step by Step: Beginner to Intermediate

Name: AWS CloudFormation Step by Step: Beginner to Intermediate
Rating: 4.7 (829 reviews)

Learn AWS CloudFormation fundamentals through detailed, step-by-step explanations and hands-on examples.

Created byEmre Yilmaz | AWS Certified DevOps Engineer, Solutions Architect, Developer

Last updated 4/2026

English

What you'll learn

Start as a beginner to AWS CloudFormation, learn its Associate-level features and use them for your daily AWS provisioning needs.
Learn to manage your AWS infrastructure as code using AWS CloudFormation and YAML.
Learn to write your own AWS CloudFormation templates in YAML and define your AWS resources in them.
Learn to use AWS CloudFormation reference to define different types of AWS resources in your templates.
Enrich your templates with parameters, mappings, conditions, metadata, and outputs.
Learn theory and practice from a Professional-level certified AWS expert according to AWS best practices.
Learn to use change sets to update your AWS CloudFormation stacks safely.
Learn to use CloudFormation commands of AWS CLI.

Course content

8 sections • 72 lectures • 7h 5m total length

Course Introduction2:58
Meet the course instructor, Emre Yilmaz, and briefly learn what will be covered in each course section.
What is AWS CloudFormation?6:22
Learn what AWS CloudFormation is and why to use it, along with an introduction to its concepts like templates, stacks, and change sets.
Creating Your First CloudFormation Stack13:31
Let's start making hands-on examples! We will create our first AWS CloudFormation stack. You will learn how to create a stack from an existing template using AWS Management Console.
Viewing the Details of Your Stack4:50
You will learn the sections of the stack details page on the AWS CloudFormation Console.
Deleting Your Stack6:26
Learn how to delete your stacks using AWS CloudFormation Console. We will delete the stack we created in the previous lecture.
AWS Region Used in the Course0:13
Learn which AWS region you should use while doing the examples.
Section 1 Activity1:55
The first section activity lecture. You will be given an assignment about the topics you learned in this section with the steps to finish it successfully. You will do this activity on your own but have a chance to see the instructor's solution in the following lecture.
Section 1 Activity Solution6:10
See how the course instructor solves the section activity assigned in the previous lecture.

Section 2 Introduction1:34
Learn what will be covered in Section 2.
Template Structure7:29
You will learn about the AWS CloudFormation template structure and its sections before starting to write templates.
Writing Your First Template with YAML18:34
You will write your first AWS CloudFormation template with YAML.
You will learn to use the AWS resource and property types reference to get information for the definition of your AWS resources.
We will define an Amazon EC2 instance as an example.
Updating Your Stack with an Edited Template13:20
You will learn how to edit your AWS CloudFormation template and update your stack by replacing its template with the edited one.
We will define a security group as an example.
Linking Resources with Ref Function9:25
You will learn about the first intrinsic function covered in the course, the Ref function.
You will learn to use the Ref function to reference a resource from another. Besides, you will understand the values returned by your AWS resources.
We will make an example by attaching the security group to the EC2 instance we defined in the previous lectures.
Stack Updates Causing Resource Replacements10:11
You will learn about the resource replacements caused by some stack updates. You will learn to notice them on the AWS resource and property types reference and while updating your stack.
We will make an example by updating the EC2 instance's subnet.
Order of Resource Creations & DependsOn Attribute11:10
You will understand how AWS CloudFormation orders resource creations and deletions. You will also learn how to define explicit dependencies between resources using the DependsOn attribute.
Section 2 Activity: A VPC with a Public Subnet3:07
You will be given an assignment about the topics you learned in Section 2. You will create a template for a VPC with a public subnet. You will do this activity on your own, but have a chance to see the instructor's solution in the next lecture.
Section 2 Activity Solution14:17
Watch how the instructor solves the Section 2 activity.

Section 3 Introduction1:22
Learn what will be covered in Section 3.
Introduction to Template Parameters3:49
Learn what AWS CloudFormation template parameters and parameter types are in this theory lecture.
Defining Your First Parameter12:56
Learn how to define your first parameter in the CloudFormation template provided and use them while creating a stack from it.
Updating Your Stack with More Parameters10:21
Learn how to add parameters to your CloudFormation templates and update your stacks.
Length Constraints for String-Type Parameters9:23
You will start learning to define constraints for our parameters in your CloudFormation templates with the MinLength and MaxLength constraints in string-type parameters.
Minimum & Maximum Value Constraints for Number-Type Parameters6:28
Learn how to define and use MinValue and MaxValue constraints for your Number type parameters in your AWS CloudFormation templates.
Setting Allowed Values for Your Parameters5:38
Learn how to define and use AllowedValues constraints for your parameters in your AWS CloudFormation templates and restrict the values they can have during the stack creation.
Setting Default Values for Your Parameters5:21
Learn how to define default values for your template parameters.
Setting Pattern Constraints for Your Parameters6:58
Learn how to define Pattern constraints for your CloudFormation template parameters to validate them whether they match the regular expressions provided for them during the stack creation.
Updating Only Parameter Values of Your Stacks7:13
Learn how to update only the parameter values of your AWS CloudFormation stacks without changing their templates on AWS Management Console.
Important! DB Instance Class Usage in Examples0:22
Hiding Parameter Values5:05
Learn how to hide sensitive parameter values like user passwords on AWS Management Console during the stack creation by defining NoEcho attributes.
Number List Parameters and Fn::Select Function6:01
Learn how to define Number<List> type parameters and how to use the intrinsic Fn::Select ( !Select ) function to reference the values of their members from your resources.
String List Parameters5:19
Learn how to define CommaDelimitedList type parameters and how to use them in your CloudFormation templates.
AWS-Specific Parameter Types6:17
Learn what AWS-specific parameter types are and how to use them in your CloudFormation templates to validate your parameter values according to the resources in your AWS account dynamically during the stack creation.
Pseudo Parameters and Fn::Sub Function6:44
Learn the pseudo-parameters provided by AWS CloudFormation and how to use them in your templates and stacks.
Section 3 Activity3:34
You will be given an assignment about the topics you learned in Section 3. You will do this activity on your own, but have a chance to see the instructor's solution in the next lecture.
Section 3 Activity Solution6:12
Watch how the instructor solves the Section 3 activity.

Section 4 Introduction1:07
Learn which AWS CloudFormation topics will be covered in Section 4.
What Is the Metadata Section?3:00
Learn what the Metadata section is used for in an AWS CloudFormation template.
Grouping, Ordering and Labelling Parameters7:06
Learn how to group, order and label your parameters on AWS CloudFormation Console by defining a Metadata section in your template and special keys used for this purpose.
Introduction to Mappings and Fn::FindInMap Function2:51
Learn what Mappings section is used for in an AWS CloudFormation template as well as the intrinsic Fn::FindInMap ( !FindInMap ) function and its syntax in this theory lecture.
Using Mappings With Fn::FindInMap Function8:17
Learn how to increase the re-usability of your templates with the help of Mappings with hands-on examples. Define a Mappings section in your AWS CloudFormation template and reference its values using the intrinsic Fn::FindInMap function from your resources.
Section 4 Activity3:31
You will be given an assignment about the topics you learned in Section 4. You will do this activity on your own but have a chance to see the instructor's solution in the following lecture.
Section 4 Activity Solution6:58
Watch how the instructor solves the Section 4 activity.

Section 5 Introduction1:05
Learn what will be covered in Section 5.
Introduction to Conditions5:10
Learn what template conditions and the Conditions section are and their use cases in this theory lecture.
Creating Resources Conditionally6:54
Learn how to define a condition in your template to define a resource conditionally.
Configuring Resource Attributes Conditionally5:50
Learn how to define a condition in your template to configure a resource property conditionally.
Introduction to Outputs4:36
Let's talk about what the Outputs section is used for. You will learn how to define Outputs in your templates.
Referencing Resource Attributes Using Fn::GetAtt Function4:44
Learn how to use the intrinsic Fn::GetAtt ( !GetAtt ) function to reference resource attributes.
Creating Stack Outputs Conditionally5:36
Learn how to define a condition in your template to define outputs conditionally.
Section 5 Activity3:54
You will be given an assignment about the topics you learned in Section 5. You will do this activity on your own, but have a chance to see the instructor's solution in the next lecture.
Section 5 Activity Solution10:41
Watch how the instructor solves the Section 5 activity.

Section 6 Introduction0:47
Learn what will be covered in Section 6.
What are Change Sets?3:40
An intermediate level AWS CloudFormation topic. Learn what Change Sets are and why to use them to update your stacks in this theory lecture.
Creating a Change Set Using the Current Template6:25
Learn how to create a change set to update the parameter values of your stack.
Creating a Change Set by Replacing the Template4:09
Learn how to edit your template and create a change set on your stack to replace its template with the new version.
Executing a Change Set4:09
Learn how to execute a change set on AWS CloudFormation Console.
Deleting a Change Set3:55
Learn how to delete your change sets without executing them on AWS CloudFormation Console.
Section 6 Activity1:55
You will be given an assignment about the topics you learned in Section 6. You will do this activity on your own, but have a chance to see the instructor's solution in the next lecture.
Section 6 Activity Solution4:24
Watch how the instructor solves the Section 6 activity.

Section 7 Introduction1:19
Learn what will be covered in Section 7.
Installing and Configuring AWS CLI6:43
You will learn to install AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) and configure it using your IAM credentials.
Creating Stacks With AWS CLI11:01
Learn how to create stacks using AWS CLI, view its details, and poll the stack status automatically until the stack creation completes using the wait command.
Updating Stacks With AWS CLI7:57
Learn how to update your stacks using AWS CLI as well as viewing the stack resources and polling the stack status automatically until the stack update completes using the wait command.
Deleting Stacks With AWS CLI5:40
Learn how to delete your stacks using AWS CLI as well as viewing the details of your deleted stacks and how to poll the stack status automatically until the stack deletion completes using the wait command.
Creating and Executing Change Sets With AWS CLI9:54
Learn how to create a change set using AWS CLI to create a stack from your template and execute it using AWS CLI .
Deleting Change Sets With AWS CLI7:00
Learn how to create a change set using AWS CLI to update your stack and delete it using AWS CLI .
Using Deploy Command to Create Your Stacks7:31
Learn how to use the aws cloudformation deploy command of AWS CLI to create a stack from your template.
Using Deploy Command to Update Your Stacks5:15
Learn how to update your stacks using the deploy command.
Section 7 Activity2:29
You will be given an assignment about the topics you learned in Section 7. You will do this activity on your own, but have a chance to see the instructor's solution in the next lecture.
Section 7 Activity Solution5:55
Watch how the instructor solves the Section 7 activity.

Requirements

An AWS account to launch resources. It is recommended to use an AWS free-tier eligible one.
Intermediate-level AWS knowledge about core services to use in examples.
A computer and browser to practice hands-on examples and section activities.
Your favorite text-editor to write AWS CloudFormation templates, for example Visual Studio Code.
Understanding how to use terminals and basic commands would also be helpful in some examples.
Basic YAML knowledge would be helpful. But you can also learn it while watching the lectures and making examples.
Basic AWS CLI knowledge. We download and use the official AWS CLI version, but focus on the CloudFormation commands.

Description

Would you like to start learning AWS CloudFormation with well-organized courses?

Welcome to learn AWS CloudFormation step by step from a senior AWS architect with hands-on examples and detailed explanations! I designed AWS CloudFormation topics into two courses to teach you efficiently according to your knowledge level. Now, you are on the first step!

This course is for beginners to AWS CloudFormation. You will learn most of the Associate-level topics, excel at the basics, and learn some intermediate-level features like change sets. Ultimately, you will start using Cloud Formation for your daily needs on AWS.

This course also serves as a basis for my AWS CloudFormation Step by Step: Intermediate to Advanced course, which teaches more advanced, Professional-level AWS CloudFormation concepts. Thus, you can continue your Cloud Formation journey with it afterward.

Why learn from me?

✓ AWS verified my knowledge and experience at the top level. I am a senior AWS consultant holding AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional and AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional certifications in addition to all 3 Associate certificates.

✓ I have a software engineering background, a BS degree in Computer Engineering, and more than 15 years of professional experience as a developer and cloud architect in corporates and startups.

✓ I have been using AWS since 2013. I have also been using AWS CloudFormation since the early days. So you will benefit from my experience as well as my knowledge.

✓ I learned by doing. I teach both theory and practice according to the AWS best practices. I explain the features with hands-on examples and why to use them with advantages and disadvantages.

What is the course structure?

Section 1: Understand what AWS CloudFormation is and learn to create and delete stacks from existing templates.
Section 2: Start writing your own templates with YAML and define resources in them. You will also learn to update your stacks by editing your templates.
Section 3: Increase the reusability of your templates with parameters. You will make many examples with different parameter types, constraints, etc.
Section 4: Define the Metadata and Mappings sections in your templates to enhance them more.
Section 5: Create resources and configure their attributes conditionally using the Conditions section. You will also learn how to define outputs for your stacks.
Section 6: Create and execute AWS CloudFormation change sets to update your stacks safely.
Section 7: Learn to manage your stacks and change sets using the cloudformation commands of AWS CLI as an alternative to AWS CloudFormation Console.
Section 8: Conclusion. Now you are ready to learn advanced-level CloudFormation with AWS CloudFormation Step by Step: Intermediate to Advanced.

As a result,

✓ You will be able to use AWS CloudFormation daily.

✓ You will be able to write your Cloud Formation templates using YAML.

✓ We will use the AWS Ireland region (eu-west-1) during the course. But you will also learn to create re-usable, region-independent CloudFormation templates as you progress!

✓ You will gain a solid basis on AWS CloudFormation and be ready to learn more advanced features with my AWS CloudFormation Step by Step: Intermediate to Advanced course.

So, is this course for you?

As a beginner, it will be best to concentrate on the Cloud Formation features that you will need most at the beginning. I designed this course for beginners to AWS CloudFormation. So, I assume that you have no or little experience in it.
You need to have intermediate-level AWS knowledge that will be enough to use core AWS services in our examples. This course focuses on AWS CloudFormation.
This is NOT for intermediate-level AWS CloudFormation users looking for more advanced features. I teach them in my AWS CloudFormation Step by Step: Intermediate to Advanced course, which continues from this one.
Are you unsure of your Cloud Formation knowledge level? Then, start with this Beginner to Intermediate course and continue with the advanced course.

If you want to start using AWS CloudFormation to manage your AWS infrastructure as code and automate the provisioning of your AWS resources, then you are in the right place.

Join me in this course to start learning AWS CloudFormation step by step!

Best wishes,

Emre Yilmaz

Senior AWS Architect & DevOps Engineer

⭑ AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Professional

⭑ AWS Certified DevOps Engineer - Professional

⭒ AWS Certified Solutions Architect - Associate

⭒ AWS Certified SysOps Administrator - Associate

⭒ AWS Certified Developer - Associate

Who this course is for:

Beginner-level AWS CloudFormation users. I assume that you have no or little information on CloudFormation.
Anyone who wants to manage AWS infrastructure as code and automate the provisioning of AWS resources.
NOT for intermediate-level CloudFormation users looking for advanced-level CloudFormation features. Those are covered in AWS CloudFormation Step by Step: Intermediate to Advanced.
Intermediate-level AWS users. You should have basic knowledge around core services like EC2, S3, RDS, and VPC.

AWS CloudFormation Step by Step: Beginner to Intermediate

What you'll learn

Explore related topics

Course content

Introduction8 lectures • 42min

Introduction to Templates and Resources9 lectures • 1hr 29min

Parameters18 lectures • 1hr 49min

Metadata and Mappings7 lectures • 33min

Conditions and Outputs9 lectures • 49min

Change Sets8 lectures • 29min

Using AWS CLI to Manage Your Stacks11 lectures • 1hr 11min

Course Conclusion2 lectures • 3min

Requirements

Description

Who this course is for: