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Bertin Fonge - PeerSpot reviewer
Data Analyst and Developer at Bridge Labs
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Highly scalable and makes resource provisioning easier
Pros and Cons
  • "What I like best about AWS CloudFormation is that it is a quick and simple way to deploy various applications, like WordPress."
  • "One area where AWS CloudFormation could improve is by offering more flexibility in creating custom templates."

What is our primary use case?

I use AWS CloudFormation to create various types of resources like app servers, web servers, and S3 buckets. I know how to deploy these resources and understand how CloudFormation works, including best practices and different configuration options.

What is most valuable?

What I like best about AWS CloudFormation is that it is a quick and simple way to deploy various applications, like WordPress. You can use predefined templates, and if you are new to CloudFormation, it is easy to get started without much stress.

What needs improvement?

One area where AWS CloudFormation could improve is by offering more flexibility in creating custom templates. Currently, you can use default templates, but having easier ways to design your own templates, whether in JSON or YAML format, would be a helpful enhancement for users.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using AWS CloudFormation for a year and a half.

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AWS CloudFormation
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about AWS CloudFormation. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
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What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution. I would rate it a nine out of ten in terms of stability. We have not had any issues with it.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is a highly scalable solution. I would give the scalability a ten out of ten. In our organization, we don't have an exact user count, but AWS CloudFormation is widely used and popular. It is appreciated for its speed and user-friendliness when using template scripts with parameters. It also enhances security with encryption and permission features. CloudFormation is flexible for making infrastructure changes and is considered a valuable asset for our organization.

How are customer service and support?

I had some issues with the technical support, but they were mainly because I had some experience with AWS CloudFormation. When creating a new stack and provisioning resources, you need to be careful with services that require global uniqueness, like S3 bucket names. If you don't use unique names in your code or template, it can cause errors. If you are not familiar with this, you might contact support, but often it is a simple fix by just changing the name yourself. So, having some technical know-how can help you avoid unnecessary support calls.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup of AWS CloudFormation is very easy and straightforward; you don't need any complex configurations or proxies. It takes less than a minute to deploy. I would rate the easiness of the setup a nine out of ten. If you receive clear instructions, using AWS CloudFormation is pretty straightforward. However, if you have to figure things out on your own, having some experience is important. Without experience, you might create resources that cause issues and encounter various challenges along the way.

What other advice do I have?

My advice to new users is to have some prior knowledge before using AWS services. It is important to understand these concepts to make the most of AWS. I love AWS because it makes resource provisioning easier, especially with the user-friendly dashboard for creating various things. Overall, I would rate it a ten out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Devops Professional at sunlife
Real User
Top 5
A user-friendly solution helpful in deploying and creating new S3 buckets
Pros and Cons
  • "It is easy to work from the console and deploy new database services."
  • "Creating the inline policies is not great."

What is our primary use case?

We support multiple internal developers and deploy and create new S3 buckets for them. We create new users and groups and also create the SNSQS for them. We also support multiple services like creating the Lambda function and have a principle of maintaining the correct privilege for the user. So we manage the AWS service in our organization and deploy the AWS CloudFormation templates to create that kind of AWS service.

What is most valuable?

It is easy to work from the console and deploy new database services. It is very user-friendly.

What needs improvement?

Creating the inline policies is not great, and they need to maintain it on a higher level. They create a discrepancy between multiple templates when we do the numbering of those stacks using AWS CloudFormation templates. When we created those stacks in my old organization, a bulk of stacks were automatically wrongly numbered. The filtering of those stacks was painful on the AWS CloudFormation site. I prefer Terraform to manage that.

For how long have I used the solution?

We have been using this solution for a year at my organization, and I deploy the CloudFormation templates. I write them from scratch, and I deploy them. I extensively used it when I was working on the other cloud. We use the template format version from 2010. It is also deployed on-premises.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

It is a stable solution.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

It is scalable to an extent, and I rate the scalability a five out of ten. Five DevOps people use this solution.

How are customer service and support?

We've used technical support, and I would rate them a seven out of ten.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

I am unsure why we chose AWS CloudFormation, but we later realized that HashiCorp Terraform had more capability than the AWS CloudFormation templates. Initially, it was highly suggested by AWS to make use of CloudFormation at that time, so we started using it.

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup is easy and not tough. I rate the initial setup an eight out of ten.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

I don't remember the exact usage cost, but it isn't that expensive.

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a seven out of ten. It loses three points because of the disadvantage of the naming convention and the stack. Regarding advice, I would be careful when creating the stacks. There should be a proper naming convention that needs to be followed. If there isn't, the stacks will be more painful using the AWS CloudFormation.

Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Buyer's Guide
AWS CloudFormation
November 2024
Learn what your peers think about AWS CloudFormation. Get advice and tips from experienced pros sharing their opinions. Updated: November 2024.
816,406 professionals have used our research since 2012.
Suraj Kamble - PeerSpot reviewer
AWS Cloud Support Engineer at Applied Cloud Computing
Real User
Top 10
Reduces the time needed to create AWS resources, but should improve the auto-generation of files
Pros and Cons
  • "AWS Cloud automation reduces the time needed to create AWS resources."
  • "It would help all users if AWS improved the auto-generation of the CloudFormation file."

What is our primary use case?

AWS Cloud automation supports the creation of only AWS resources, and we use it to reduce the time needed to create resources. We create template files inside AWS CloudFormation to create multiple resources in AWS, such as EC2, S3, RDS, or Lambda functions. When we apply those files, the resources are created parallelly, reducing the time needed to create them.

What is most valuable?

AWS Cloud automation reduces the time needed to create AWS resources.

What needs improvement?

When I used AWS CloudFormation, I wrote the CloudFormation file. It would help all users if AWS improved the auto-generation of the CloudFormation file.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using AWS CloudFormation for one year. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I have not faced any issues with the solution’s stability.

I rate the solution an eight out of ten for stability.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Around 10 to 15 users are using the solution in our organization.

How are customer service and support?

The solution's technical support is faster and better than that of other cloud providers.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The solution's initial setup is neither easy nor difficult.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

AWS CloudFormation's pricing is cheaper than that of other cloud providers.

What other advice do I have?

I would recommend AWS CloudFormation to other users.

Overall, I rate the solution a seven out of ten.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Kiran Rajanna - PeerSpot reviewer
Senior Solutions Architect and Cloud Security Consultant at Cgi Deutschland KG
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Helps to automate workflows and build resources
Pros and Cons
  • "AWS CloudFormation has automated the resource-building process, thereby removing the scope of human errors. We can tag the resources which help the billing process."
  • "The code we write in AWS CloudFormation is pretty big compared to Terraform. We need to have more modules in the solution. A library should also be there where we can save code lines. A dashboard feature would be good for designers."

What is our primary use case?

We use AWS CloudFormation to build resources. 

How has it helped my organization?

AWS CloudFormation has automated the resource-building process, thereby removing the scope of human errors. We can tag the resources which help the billing process. 

What is most valuable?

I like the tool's updation capability for versions. The solution is good for scalability as well. 

What needs improvement?

The code we write in AWS CloudFormation is pretty big compared to Terraform. We need to have more modules in the solution. A library should also be there where we can save code lines. A dashboard feature would be good for designers. 

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been working with the product since 2016. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I rate the tool's stability a ten out of ten. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

I rate AWS CloudFormation's scalability a ten out of ten. 

How was the initial setup?

The solution is a service by AWS and does not involve deployment. We have installed the tool over the cloud. 

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The solution's cost is normal, neither cheap nor expensive. 

What other advice do I have?

I rate the solution a nine out of ten. You need to leverage AWS CloudFormation as much as possible to automate workflows.

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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reviewer2382693 - PeerSpot reviewer
Banker at a computer software company with 201-500 employees
MSP
Top 5
Can roll back to a previous stack in case of a bad update
Pros and Cons
  • "Since AWS CloudFormation integrates well with the AWS platform, it facilitates faster deployment. Building templates for AWS services within the solution is also straightforward, making the process easier."
  • "The product should be made cloud-agnostic, allowing users to deploy the same environment with minimal tweaks across different cloud platforms, similar to Terraform. Additionally, it would be beneficial to have the ability to manage templates outside of the AWS environment."

What is our primary use case?

AWS CloudFormation is infrastructure as Code specific to AWS. It allows companies invested in AWS to codify their infrastructure, enabling faster deployment, tracking drift, and gaining visibility into the environment through the templates. This facilitates easy deployment in different regions.

What is most valuable?

Since AWS CloudFormation integrates well with the AWS platform, it facilitates faster deployment. Building templates for AWS services within the solution is also straightforward, making the process easier.

I would say the versioning feature is particularly useful. Ensuring that we have the right version and being able to track changes made by enabling versioning is valuable. Additionally, the ability to roll back to a previous stack in case of a bad update is good. 

We primarily utilize AWS S3 buckets for large-scale deployments to store and maintain our templates. We keep a copy of the templates in a restricted bucket. We deploy these templates using AWS CloudFormation, which provides a console for quick deployment. During deployment, we can monitor the provisioning results and quickly make any necessary changes.

What needs improvement?

The product should be made cloud-agnostic, allowing users to deploy the same environment with minimal tweaks across different cloud platforms, similar to Terraform. Additionally, it would be beneficial to have the ability to manage templates outside of the AWS environment. 

How are customer service and support?

You need an enterprise agreement with AWS, meaning your company pays for the services. AWS delivers daily responses in the production environment, typically within five to ten minutes. However, in non-production environments, it might take up to 24 hours. Therefore, there could be delays in non-production environments, which may pause operations for a while.

Which solution did I use previously and why did I switch?

Primarily, I use Terraform because I work across AWS, Azure, and Google Cloud platforms. Terraform is more portable across different cloud providers than AWS CloudFormation, which is specific to AWS.

How was the initial setup?

The tool's deployment depends on the person's knowledge and experience, but overall, I find it pretty easy to set up. Additionally, AWS offers various templates for various services within its platform. It doesn't require many resources to deploy. It does require some maintenance in terms of adding and removing resources or adjusting the environment to meet current specifications. However, maintaining the software or the template backbone falls within AWS's purview.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

The tool is free for the AWS environment. 

What other advice do I have?

I recommend AWS CloudFormation to any company that is heavily invested in AWS. However, for companies operating across multiple clouds or adopting a hybrid on-premise and cloud solution, I would not recommend it. I rate the overall product a seven out of ten. 

Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
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Sunil Pichamuthu - PeerSpot reviewer
Cloud Competency Manager at a tech vendor with 1,001-5,000 employees
Real User
Top 20
Quick setup, saves time, and offers template validation
Pros and Cons
  • "The ability to quickly run up CloudFormation in AWS and the template validation function are the most valuable features."
  • "Improving the quality of support would be helpful."

What is our primary use case?

We are currently using AWS CloudFormation to build the infrastructure stack for customers.

How has it helped my organization?

AWS CloudFormation enables a copy of infrastructure to be set up AWS, saving time in our daily routine.

What is most valuable?

The ability to quickly run up CloudFormation in AWS and the template validation function are the most valuable features.

What needs improvement?

The ability to convert it easily to other code which can be used for on-premises infrastructure would be a beneficial improvement. 

Also, improving the quality of support would be helpful.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using AWS CloudFormation ever since the last time we spoke.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

Stability is rated ten out of ten. It is very stable.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

Scalability is rated eight out of ten, indicating it is pretty scalable.

How are customer service and support?

Technical support from Amazon is rated seven out of ten. The response time and quality of support could be improved.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Neutral

How was the initial setup?

The initial setup requires a certain level of basic knowledge to leverage it. The basic setup can be done in-house.

What's my experience with pricing, setup cost, and licensing?

CloudFormation itself is not priced. The service will enable you to spin up infrastructure, which gets priced as part of the AWS license.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

Azure is a main competitor on the market, particularly dedicated to the Azure Stack.

What other advice do I have?

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer: Partner
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Joaquin Marques - PeerSpot reviewer
CEO - Founder / Principal Data Scientist / Principal AI Architect at Kanayma LLC
Real User
Top 5Leaderboard
Offers a great combination of features although the UI is lacking a graphics component
Pros and Cons
  • "Scripting does what we need to reinstall something from scratch."
  • "GUI could be improved by adding graphical components."

What is our primary use case?

We use CloudFormation for deploying solutions. It's tested manually and then we write a script for CloudFormation. We then copy all the configurations that are needed to automate the process of bringing it to the cloud.

What is most valuable?

Scripting does just about everything needed to accomplish the task of reinstalling something from scratch. It's the combination of features that's important.  CloudFormation allows us to get the original system up and running in a much shorter time.

What needs improvement?

I'd like to see a better GUI than we currently have which is basically a script you write. If they were to add graphical components that would enable animation of the installation procedure it would be icing on the cake. We'd be able to preview the installation and visually see what's happening, whether or not anything is missing, and whether you can run parts of the installation in parallel.

For how long have I used the solution?

I've used this solution for six months. 

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

The solution is stable. 

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The solution is very scalable. We have some clients with dozens of users and others with thousands of users. 

How are customer service and support?

We've had some experience with technical support and they are very good. 

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

How was the initial setup?

The number of people required for the deployment and maintenance of CloudFormation depends on the complexity of the implementation. Deployment involves thorough testing and can be a little complex.

What was our ROI?

A company can lose a lot of money if a site goes down. CloudFormation helps prevent that loss by bringing things back to working order very quickly.

Which other solutions did I evaluate?

We chose CloudFormation because it's native to AWS and it's easier to script than Ansible. We use Ansible for taking care of the nitty-gritty details that CloudFormation is not geared towards.

What other advice do I have?

It's important to be aware of the things this solution is appropriate for. We learned the hard way that for our more detailed needs we need to use Ansible. Don't expect CloudFormation to take care of everything. It sets things initially, and then Ansible runs local scripts to take care of the details.

Which deployment model are you using for this solution?

Public Cloud

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: I am a real user, and this review is based on my own experience and opinions.
PeerSpot user
DevOps Engineer/SRE - AWS at Lavoro autom inf e com ltda
Real User
Top 10
Effortless infrastructure management with enhanced validation potential and helpful support
Pros and Cons
  • "I love CloudFormation as it's a great tool for infrastructure as code. This makes my job very easy."
  • "There could be more tools for conditional outputs in CloudFormation. Although YAML syntax is structured and AWS has CDK, perhaps more validations could be added to make the work easier."

What is our primary use case?

I usually use AWS to deploy serverless solutions. I use API Gateways, Lambda functions, and Route Fifty-three for custom domains. I use everything from AWS services, including Glue jobs for ETL and integration with Databricks.

How has it helped my organization?

CloudFormation is a great tool for infrastructure as code, which makes my job very easy.

What is most valuable?

I love CloudFormation as it's a great tool for infrastructure as code. This makes my job very easy.

What needs improvement?

There could be more tools for conditional outputs in CloudFormation. Although YAML syntax is structured and AWS has CDK, perhaps more validations could be added to make the work easier.

For how long have I used the solution?

I have been using AWS services for more than ten years, maybe.

What do I think about the stability of the solution?

I do not remember any problems with stability, so I haven't had any issues.

What do I think about the scalability of the solution?

The scalability of CloudFormation is very good. I have never had a problem, and the service runs perfectly.

How are customer service and support?

I had contact with Amazon support when I lived in Brazil. We had a technical account manager, and the support was very helpful.

How would you rate customer service and support?

Positive

What other advice do I have?

I recommend CloudFormation to friends and family because it's a great tool. Explaining CloudFormation to them is very easy, like explaining a restaurant process.

I'd rate the solution ten out of ten.

If public cloud, private cloud, or hybrid cloud, which cloud provider do you use?

Amazon Web Services (AWS)
Disclosure: My company has a business relationship with this vendor other than being a customer:
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