Does this skill work with both YAML and JSON templates?

Absolutely. It supports validation for both YAML and JSON formatted AWS CloudFormation templates.

What validation tools does this skill support?

The skill provides guidance and implementation patterns for AWS CLI, cfn-lint, cfn-nag, and TaskCat.

How does this help prevent deployment failures?

By checking for syntax errors, missing required properties, and circular dependencies before you deploy, it significantly reduces the risk of 'ROLLBACK_COMPLETE' errors.

Can I use this for multi-region AWS deployments?

Yes, it includes instructions for regional availability checks using cfn-lint and multi-region testing with TaskCat.

Can it detect security vulnerabilities in my templates?

Yes, it specifically audits for overly permissive IAM policies, open security group ports (like SSH 0.0.0.0/0), and missing encryption on S3, EBS, and RDS.

CloudFormation Template Validator

Name: CloudFormation Template Validator
Author: armanzeroeight

byarmanzeroeight

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Cloud Infrastructure

Ensures AWS CloudFormation templates are syntactically correct, secure, and aligned with infrastructure-as-code best practices.

About

The CloudFormation Template Validator is a specialized skill designed to streamline the auditing and refinement of AWS infrastructure templates. It provides developers and DevOps engineers with a comprehensive toolkit to identify syntax errors, security vulnerabilities—such as overly permissive IAM policies or unencrypted resources—and architectural anti-patterns before they reach production. By integrating industry-standard tools like cfn-lint, cfn-nag, and TaskCat, this skill helps teams maintain high-quality Infrastructure as Code (IaC), reduce deployment failures, and ensure that cloud environments remain compliant and secure.

Key Features

Security auditing for IAM roles, security groups, and resource encryption
Circular dependency detection and resource relationship mapping
Integration support for advanced testing frameworks like TaskCat and cfn-nag
Best practice enforcement for tagging, naming conventions, and parameters
Comprehensive syntax and schema validation using AWS CLI and cfn-lint
19 GitHub stars

Use Cases

Refactoring legacy CloudFormation templates to modern standards
Pre-deployment CI/CD pipeline validation to prevent stack rollbacks
Automated security reviews for infrastructure-as-code compliance

About

Key Features

Security auditing for IAM roles, security groups, and resource encryption
Circular dependency detection and resource relationship mapping
Integration support for advanced testing frameworks like TaskCat and cfn-nag
Best practice enforcement for tagging, naming conventions, and parameters
Comprehensive syntax and schema validation using AWS CLI and cfn-lint
19 GitHub stars

Use Cases

Refactoring legacy CloudFormation templates to modern standards
Pre-deployment CI/CD pipeline validation to prevent stack rollbacks
Automated security reviews for infrastructure-as-code compliance