Deploy AWS CloudFormation stacks faster with express mode

With CloudFormation express mode, you can complete stack operations as soon as CloudFormation applies the resource configuration, without waiting for resources to fully stabilize. Use express mode to create, update, and delete stacks significantly faster during iterative development workflows.

Express mode works with all existing CloudFormation templates. You don't need to make any template changes to use express mode.

When to use express mode

Use express mode for development and iteration workflows where speed is more important than waiting for full resource stabilization. Use express mode when:

For production deployments where you need to verify that resources are fully stabilized and operational before considering the deployment complete, use the default deployment mode.

How express mode works

In the default deployment mode, CloudFormation waits for each resource to reach a fully stabilized state before reporting the resource as complete. For example, when creating an Amazon EC2 instance, CloudFormation waits until the instance is in the running state.

In express mode, CloudFormation typically considers a resource operation complete as soon as the API call to create, update, or delete the resource succeeds. In most cases, CloudFormation does not wait for the resource to reach its final operational state.

This means that after an express mode stack operation completes:

How CloudFormation handles dependencies in express mode

Express mode respects resource dependencies defined in your template. If a resource references another resource's ID or attribute (via Ref or Fn::GetAtt), CloudFormation confirms the referenced resource's configuration is applied before starting the dependent resource. If a dependent resource encounters a transient failure because a referenced resource isn't ready, CloudFormation retries the operation.

Resources that have no dependencies on each other can proceed in parallel.

Express mode does not change the dependency ordering of your resources. It changes when the stack operation reports complete.

Getting started with express mode

You can use express mode with the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI), the AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK) (AWS CDK), the CloudFormation console, and change sets. The following sections describe how to enable express mode with each method.

Using express mode with the AWS CLI

To use express mode with the AWS CLI, add the --deployment-config parameter to your stack operation commands.

Create a stack with express mode

The following command creates a stack using express mode:

aws cloudformation create-stack --stack-name my-stack \
    --template-body file://my-template.yaml \
    --deployment-config '{"mode": "EXPRESS"}'

Update a stack with express mode

The following command updates a stack using express mode:

aws cloudformation update-stack --stack-name my-stack \
    --template-body file://my-template.yaml \
    --deployment-config '{"mode": "EXPRESS"}'

Delete a stack with express mode

The following command deletes a stack using express mode:

aws cloudformation delete-stack --stack-name my-stack \
    --deployment-config '{"mode": "EXPRESS"}'

Using express mode with the AWS CDK

To use express mode with the AWS Cloud Development Kit (AWS CDK) (AWS CDK), use the --express flag with the cdk deploy command:

cdk deploy --express

Using express mode with the console

When creating or updating a stack in the CloudFormation console, you can enable express mode in the Configure stack options step. Under Deployment options, select Express for the deployment mode.

Using express mode with change sets

You can use express mode with change sets by specifying the deployment configuration when creating the change set:

aws cloudformation create-change-set --stack-name my-stack \
    --change-set-name my-change-set \
    --template-body file://my-template.yaml \
    --deployment-config '{"mode": "EXPRESS"}'

When you execute the change set, CloudFormation applies the express mode deployment configuration specified during change set creation.

Rollback behavior with express mode

When you use express mode, CloudFormation disables rollback by default. If a resource operation fails, CloudFormation does not automatically roll back the changes.

To re-enable rollback when using express mode, set disableRollback to false in the --deployment-config parameter:

aws cloudformation create-stack --stack-name my-stack \
    --template-body file://my-template.yaml \
    --deployment-config '{"mode": "EXPRESS", "disableRollback": false}'

Express mode and nested stacks

When you use express mode on a parent stack, the setting propagates to all nested stacks in the hierarchy. You don't need to specify express mode for each nested stack separately. All resources in the root stack and its nested stacks complete as soon as their configuration is applied.

Resource readiness considerations

Express mode completes resource operations before resources reach a fully stabilized state, so any resource might require additional time to become fully ready to serve traffic or complete multi-region propagation. The following table illustrates the kinds of resource behavior you can expect, using examples across different resource types. These examples are illustrative and don't represent a complete list of supported resources.

Unsupported features and limitations

The following features and services are not supported with express mode:

The following resources have specific behavior with express mode:

Comparison with AWS CDK hotswap deployments

The following table compares express mode with AWS CDK hotswap deployments.

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