# atmos aws cloudformation backend

Create, describe, update, delete, and list the S3 bucket referenced by a `kind:
aws/s3` `provision.targets` entry — the destination `apply`/`deploy` upload
oversized templates to when packaging is needed (see [Delivery
Targets](/stacks/components/aws-cloudformation#delivery-targets)). These verbs
manage that bucket directly, the same way `atmos terraform backend` manages a
Terraform component's state backend, targeting the identical registered S3
backend type — no separate backend kind exists for CloudFormation.

> ⚠️ Experimental

## Usage

```shell
atmos aws cloudformation backend create <component> --stack <stack>
atmos aws cloudformation backend describe <component> --stack <stack>
atmos aws cloudformation backend update <component> --stack <stack>
atmos aws cloudformation backend delete <component> --stack <stack> --force
atmos aws cloudformation backend list <component> --stack <stack>
```

## Configuration

Declare a `kind: aws/s3` target under the component's `provision.targets`:

```yaml
components:
  "aws/cloudformation":
    vpc:
      provision:
        targets:
          artifacts:
            kind: aws/s3
            bucket: my-org-cfn-templates
            prefix: vpc
            region: us-east-1
```

See [Delivery Targets](/stacks/components/aws-cloudformation#delivery-targets)
for the full field reference, including how `apply`/`deploy` select and
package through this same target automatically when a template exceeds
CloudFormation's inline size limit.

## Target Resolution

Every `backend` verb resolves the `kind: aws/s3` target to operate on the same
way:

- **Exactly one `kind: aws/s3` target declared** — used automatically, no
  `--target` needed.
- **More than one declared** — `--target <name>` is required to disambiguate
  (`create`/`update`/`delete`/`describe`; `list` shows every declared target
  at once, so it never needs `--target`).
- **None declared** — `create`/`update`/`delete`/`describe` fail with a hint
  to add one.

## Subcommands