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Craig Arcuri

This course will take a deep dive into AWS CloudFormation, with support from our interactive diagrams to assist in learning. Early on, the course focuses on the basics of CloudFormation, such as templates and scripting languages to write templates: JSON and YAML. After gaining a thorough understanding of CloudFormation basics, the student will shift to deep dives on core concepts of CloudFormation, such as updating stacks and using bootstrapping techniques. Various advanced topics will also be covered in depth, such as drift detection, cross-stack references, nested stacks, intrinsic functions, and condition functions. The course will take an in-depth look at how CloudFormation works with serverless technologies using custom resources, Lambda functions, AWS macros, and the Serverless Application Model (SAM). The sections of the course will start to build upon each other and culminate in the creation of a continuous integration pipeline using AWS Code Pipeline together with CloudFormation to automate the delivery of AWS templates. Finally, the course will wrap up with a look at troubleshooting techniques, best practices, and a focus on how CloudFormation can be a vital part of disaster recovery. Github link for course resources: https://github.com/natonic/CloudFormation-Deep-Dive

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Develops knowledge of CloudFormation basics such as templates, JSON, and YAML, and dives into core concepts of CloudFormation, updating stacks, and bootstrapping techniques
Provides a comprehensive overview of advanced topics including drift detection, cross-stack references, nested stacks, intrinsic functions, and condition functions
Explores how CloudFormation works with serverless technologies using custom resources, Lambda functions, AWS macros, and the Serverless Application Model (SAM)
Culminates in the creation of a continuous integration pipeline using AWS Code Pipeline together with CloudFormation to automate the delivery of AWS templates
Provides practical knowledge by incorporating interactive diagrams and hands-on exercises throughout the course
Covers troubleshooting techniques, best practices, and the role of CloudFormation in disaster recovery

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Reviews summary

Comprehensive aws cloudformation mastery

According to learners, this course is a largely positive and comprehensive deep dive into AWS CloudFormation, highly valued for its hands-on labs and practical examples. Students consistently praise the instructor's clear explanations of complex topics, enabling them to gain a strong understanding and apply skills immediately. While offering in-depth coverage of advanced concepts like serverless integration and CI/CD pipelines, some reviewers note its fast pace and advise that it assumes prior AWS knowledge, making it potentially challenging for absolute beginners.
Features hands-on labs and practical demos for real-world skills.
"The hands-on labs and practical examples truly demystified it. Highly recommend for anyone serious about infrastructure as code."
"The CI/CD pipeline section was particularly useful, and I appreciated the coverage of serverless integrations and best practices."
"The instructor's explanations are clear and concise, and the demos are very helpful. The section on troubleshooting was also a big plus."
"The hands-on parts are really good, and the material is very deep. I feel like I've gained a lot of practical skills."
Provides a thorough and in-depth understanding of CloudFormation.
"This course is an absolute deep dive, just as the name suggests! I've been working with AWS for a while, but CloudFormation always felt like a black box. The instructor explains complex topics like intrinsic functions and nested stacks very clearly."
"A very comprehensive course on CloudFormation. It starts with the basics and builds up to advanced concepts like custom resources and SAM."
"Excellent content! I learned so much about CloudFormation that I didn't even know existed. It's truly a deep dive and delivers on its promise."
"This course is incredibly thorough. From basic JSON/YAML templates to advanced cross-stack references and drift detection, it covers everything."
Presents challenges for beginners due to its fast pace and assumed AWS background.
"My only minor gripe is that it assumes some prior AWS knowledge, which might be challenging for absolute beginners."
"Good course overall, but it moves very quickly. As someone relatively new to AWS, I found myself pausing a lot to catch up."
"Definitely not for beginners without prior experience. I needed to rewatch sections multiple times to grasp the concepts."
"Solid course. It's a deep dive, so come prepared with a basic understanding of AWS services."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in CloudFormation Deep Dive with these activities:
Review CloudFormation Core Concepts
Revisit the core concepts of CloudFormation to strengthen your foundation before starting the course.
Show steps
  • Re-read Course Materials or Official Documentation
  • Complete Practice Exercises or Quizzes
Review YAML and JSON
Refresh your understanding of YAML and JSON, which are essential for writing CloudFormation templates.
Browse courses on YAML
Show steps
  • Review YAML Syntax and Structure
  • Create and Validate a Simple YAML File
Practice with CloudFormation Templates
Practicing with CloudFormation template writing in JSON and YAML will solidify knowledge of the basics and improve comfort level with early stages of the course.
Show steps
  • Create a simple CloudFormation template in JSON.
  • Create a simple CloudFormation template in YAML.
  • Deploy your templates and observe the results.
Five other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all eight activities
Guided Walkthroughs of Stack Creation and Management
Provide a structured introduction to CloudFormation's core concepts and hands-on practice in creating and managing stacks.
Browse courses on Stack Management
Show steps
  • Follow an interactive tutorial on CloudFormation basics
  • Create and deploy a sample stack using JSON or YAML templates
  • Modify and update the sample stack to explore different configurations
Build a CloudFormation Stack from Scratch
Build a sample AWS infrastructure stack from scratch using CloudFormation.
Show steps
  • Design and Create a CloudFormation Template
  • Validate the Template and Create the Stack
  • Test and Verify the Stack
  • Monitor and Iterate on the Stack
Follow Tutorials on Advanced CloudFormation Concepts
Following tutorials on advanced CloudFormation concepts, such as drift detection and cross-stack references, will provide practical examples of these concepts reinforcing what is learned in the course.
Browse courses on AWS CloudFormation
Show steps
  • Find a tutorial on a specific advanced CloudFormation concept.
  • Follow the tutorial step-by-step.
  • Deploy the CloudFormation template created in the tutorial.
  • Observe the results and compare them to what you learned in the course.
Follow Advanced CloudFormation Tutorials
Explore advanced CloudFormation concepts such as nested stacks and cross-stack references through guided tutorials.
Show steps
  • Find Relevant Tutorials for Advanced Topics
  • Follow the Tutorials Step-by-Step
  • Implement the Concepts in Your Own Projects
Build a Continuous Integration Pipeline with CloudFormation
Building a continuous integration pipeline with CloudFormation will provide hands-on experience with the concepts learned in the course and reinforce the practical applications of CloudFormation.
Browse courses on AWS CloudFormation
Show steps
  • Create a CloudFormation template for your infrastructure.
  • Configure AWS Code Pipeline to use your CloudFormation template.
  • Set up triggers for your pipeline.
  • Test your pipeline by making changes to your infrastructure.
  • Observe the results and refine your pipeline as needed.

Career center

Learners who complete CloudFormation Deep Dive will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Cloud Architect
Cloud Architects design, build, and manage an organization's cloud infrastructure. They play a critical role in ensuring that the cloud environment is reliable, scalable, and cost-effective. AWS CloudFormation, the topic of this course, is a tool that helps Cloud Architects automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to create and manage your cloud infrastructure more efficiently and effectively. This course is particularly relevant to Cloud Architects because it provides a deep dive into the advanced features of CloudFormation, such as drift detection, cross-stack references, nested stacks, intrinsic functions, and condition functions. These features are essential for Cloud Architects who need to manage complex cloud environments.
DevOps Engineer
DevOps Engineers are responsible for bridging the gap between development and operations teams. They work to ensure that software is developed and deployed quickly and efficiently. AWS CloudFormation is a tool that can help DevOps Engineers automate the deployment of software to the cloud. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to create and manage your software deployments more efficiently and effectively. This course is particularly relevant to DevOps Engineers because it provides a deep dive into the advanced features of CloudFormation, such as continuous integration and delivery.
Software Engineer
Software Engineers design, develop, and maintain software applications. They work in a variety of industries, including finance, healthcare, and manufacturing. AWS CloudFormation is a tool that can help Software Engineers automate the deployment of software to the cloud. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to create and manage your software deployments more efficiently and effectively. This course is particularly relevant to Software Engineers because it provides a deep dive into the advanced features of CloudFormation, such as custom resources and Lambda functions.
Cloud Engineer
Cloud Engineers are responsible for managing and maintaining cloud infrastructure. They work to ensure that the cloud environment is reliable, scalable, and cost-effective. AWS CloudFormation is a tool that can help Cloud Engineers automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to create and manage your cloud infrastructure more efficiently and effectively. This course is particularly relevant to Cloud Engineers because it provides a deep dive into the advanced features of CloudFormation, such as drift detection and cross-stack references.
Data Engineer
Data Engineers are responsible for designing and building data pipelines. They work to ensure that data is collected, processed, and stored in a way that makes it accessible and useful. AWS CloudFormation is a tool that can help Data Engineers automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources used for data pipelines. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to create and manage your data pipelines more efficiently and effectively.
Security Engineer
Security Engineers are responsible for protecting an organization's computer systems and networks from unauthorized access, use, disclosure, disruption, modification, or destruction. AWS CloudFormation can be used to provision and manage cloud resources in a secure manner. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to create and manage your cloud infrastructure in a way that meets your security requirements.
IT Manager
IT Managers are responsible for planning, organizing, and directing the activities of an organization's IT department. They work to ensure that the IT department is meeting the needs of the business. AWS CloudFormation can be used to automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to make your IT department more efficient and effective.
Systems Engineer
Systems Engineers are responsible for designing, building, and maintaining computer systems. They work to ensure that computer systems are reliable, scalable, and cost-effective. AWS CloudFormation is a tool that can help Systems Engineers automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to create and manage your computer systems more efficiently and effectively.
Database Administrator
Database Administrators are responsible for managing and maintaining an organization's databases. They work to ensure that databases are reliable, scalable, and secure. AWS CloudFormation can be used to automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources used for databases. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to create and manage your databases more efficiently and effectively.
Network Engineer
Network Engineers are responsible for designing, building, and maintaining an organization's computer networks. They work to ensure that networks are reliable, scalable, and secure. AWS CloudFormation can be used to automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources used for networks. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to create and manage your networks more efficiently and effectively.
IT Architect
IT Architects design and build the IT infrastructure for organizations. They work to ensure that the IT infrastructure meets the needs of the business. AWS CloudFormation can be used to automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to make your IT infrastructure more efficient and effective.
IT Consultant
IT Consultants provide advice and guidance to organizations on how to use technology to meet their business needs. AWS CloudFormation can be used to automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to help your clients make their IT infrastructure more efficient and effective.
Project Manager
Project Managers plan, organize, and execute projects. They work to ensure that projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards. AWS CloudFormation can be used to automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources used for projects. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to make your projects more efficient and effective.
Business Analyst
Business Analysts work with businesses to identify their needs and develop solutions to meet those needs. AWS CloudFormation can be used to automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources used for business solutions. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to help your clients develop and implement business solutions more efficiently and effectively.
Technical Writer
Technical Writers create documentation for technical products and services. AWS CloudFormation can be used to automate the provisioning and management of cloud resources used for technical documentation. By taking this course, you can learn how to use CloudFormation to make your technical documentation more efficient and effective.

Reading list

We've selected four books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in CloudFormation Deep Dive.
Guide to best practices for using CloudFormation. It covers topics such as template design, stack management, and troubleshooting. It also provides guidance on how to use CloudFormation in a variety of scenarios, such as creating multi-tier applications and deploying to multiple regions.
Explores patterns and best practices for building resilient cloud infrastructure, including the use of CloudFormation for infrastructure provisioning. It offers a broader perspective on infrastructure engineering in the cloud.
Provides a comprehensive review of AWS concepts and services, including CloudFormation, offering a broader context for the course's focus on CloudFormation.

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