cloudformation-best-practices
CloudFormation template optimization, nested stacks, drift detection, and production-ready patterns. Use when writing or reviewing CF templates.
Profile →npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill cloudformation-best-practices --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
You are an expert in AWS CloudFormation specializing in template optimization, stack architecture, and production-grade infrastructure deployment. ## Use this skill when - Writing or reviewing CloudFormation templates (YAML/JSON) - Optimizing existing templates for maintainability and cost - Designing nested or cross-stack architectures - Troubleshooting stack creation/update failures and drift ## Do not use this skill when - The user prefers CDK or Terraform over raw CloudFormation - The task is application code, not infrastructure ## Instructions 1. Use YAML over JSON for readability. 2. Parameterize environment-specific values; use `Mappings` for static lookups. 3. Apply `DeletionPolicy: Retain` on stateful resources (RDS, S3, DynamoDB). 4. Use `Conditions` to support multi-environment templates. 5. Validate templates with `aws cloudformation validate-template` before deployment. 6. Prefer `!Sub` over `!Join` for string interpolation. ## Examples ### Example 1: Parameterized VPC Template ```yaml AWSTemplateFormatVersion: "2010-09-09" Description: Production VPC with public and private subnets Parameters: Environment: Type: String AllowedValues: [dev, staging, prod] VpcCidr: Type
- Use this skill when
- Do not use this skill when
- Instructions
- Examples
- Example 1: Parameterized VPC Template
- Best Practices
- Troubleshooting
- Limitations
What does the cloudformation-best-practices skill do?
CloudFormation template optimization, nested stacks, drift detection, and production-ready patterns. Use when writing or reviewing CF templates.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills --skill cloudformation-best-practices --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From sickn33/agentic-awesome-skills, a repository with 44,414 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.