What is a CloudFormation Stack?
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Quick Answer
A stack is a collection of AWS resources defined by a CloudFormation template and managed as a single unit — you create, update, or delete them together, and CloudFormation tracks their state and dependencies.
Detailed Answer
Stacks give atomic, dependency-ordered provisioning with automatic rollback on failure, plus change sets to preview updates before applying. Nested stacks and StackSets help modularize and deploy across accounts/regions. It is AWS-native IaC with managed state, contrasting with Terraform explicit state file.
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Interview Tip
Mention automatic rollback on failure and change sets — CloudFormation safety features are common follow-ups.
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