DevOps Engineering on AWS Certification Infrastructure as Code with AWS CloudFormation 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of the CloudFormation `DependsOn` attribute?
- To specify that one resource must be created before another (Correct answer)
- To import values from other stacks
- To enable rollback on failure
- To define stack output values
Correct answer: To specify that one resource must be created before another
The DependsOn attribute ensures that a specific resource is created, updated, or deleted only after another resource, controlling creation order.
Question 2: Which CloudFormation section is used to pass custom values into a template at stack creation time?
- Parameters (Correct answer)
- Mappings
- Conditions
- Outputs
Correct answer: Parameters
The Parameters section allows users to input custom values when creating or updating a stack, making templates reusable across environments.
Question 3: What does `cfn-signal` do in a CloudFormation deployment?
- Signals CloudFormation that a resource has been successfully configured (Correct answer)
- Triggers a CloudFormation stack update
- Deletes a stack on completion
- Exports stack outputs
Correct answer: Signals CloudFormation that a resource has been successfully configured
cfn-signal is a helper script that signals CloudFormation whether a resource, like an EC2 instance, has been successfully created and configured.
Question 4: Which CloudFormation feature allows you to reuse template snippets across multiple templates?
- Nested Stacks (Correct answer)
- StackSets
- Change Sets
- Drift Detection
Correct answer: Nested Stacks
Nested Stacks allow you to embed one CloudFormation stack inside another, enabling reuse of common template patterns and resource definitions.
Question 5: What is a CloudFormation Change Set?
- A preview of the changes CloudFormation will make before executing them (Correct answer)
- A set of parameters passed to a stack
- A rollback plan for failed deployments
- A list of deleted resources
Correct answer: A preview of the changes CloudFormation will make before executing them
A Change Set provides a summary of the proposed changes to a stack, letting you review the impact before executing an update.
Question 6: Which CloudFormation resource type allows you to run custom provisioning logic using Lambda during stack operations?
- Custom Resource (Correct answer)
- CloudFormation Macro
- StackSet
- CloudFormation Hook
Correct answer: Custom Resource
Custom Resources allow you to invoke Lambda functions or SNS topics to perform custom provisioning steps not natively supported by CloudFormation.
DevOps Engineering on AWS Certification Infrastructure as Code with AWS CloudFormation 1
What is the purpose of the CloudFormation `DependsOn` attribute?