User is not authorized to perform: cloudformation:CreateStack

Question

I'm trying out Serverless to create AWS Lambdas and while creating a project using the command serverless project create I'm getting the following error.

AccessDenied: User: arn:aws:iam::XXXXXXXXX:user/XXXXXXXXX is not authorized to perform: cloudformation:CreateStack on resource: arn:aws:cloudformation:us-east-1:XXXXXXXXX:stack/XXXXXXXXX-development-r/*

I have created a user and granted the following permissions to the user.

1. AWSLambdaFullAccess
2. AmazonS3FullAccess
3. CloudFrontFullAccess
4. AWSCloudFormationReadOnlyAccess ( There was no AWSCloudFormationFullAccess to grant )

How can I proceed? What else permissions I have to grant?

Solution 1

The closest one that you've mentioned is AWSCloudFormationReadOnlyAccess, but obviously that's for readonly and you need cloudformation:CreateStack. Add the following as a user policy.

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Sid": "Stmt1449904348000",
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "cloudformation:CreateStack"
            ],
            "Resource": [
                "*"
            ]
        }
    ]
}

It's entirely possible you'll need more permissions- for instance, to launch an EC2 instance, to (re)configure security groups, etc.

Solution 2

What @tedder42 said, but I also had to add the following to my group policy before I could deploy to lambda from inside visual studio.

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Sid": "Stmt1449904348000",
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "cloudformation:CreateStack",
                "cloudformation:CreateChangeSet",
                "cloudformation:ListStacks",
                "cloudformation:UpdateStack",
                "cloudformation:DescribeChangeSet",
                "cloudformation:ExecuteChangeSet"
            ],
            "Resource": [
                "*"
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Solution 3

In my recent experience the policy required was

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Sid": "Stmt1449904348000",
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "cloudformation:CreateStack",
                "cloudformation:CreateChangeSet",
                "cloudformation:ListStacks",
                "cloudformation:UpdateStack",
                "cloudformation:DescribeStacks",
                "cloudformation:DescribeStackResource",
                "cloudformation:DescribeStackEvents",
                "cloudformation:ValidateTemplate",
                "cloudformation:DescribeChangeSet",
                "cloudformation:ExecuteChangeSet"
            ],
            "Resource": [
                "*"
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Solution 4

I wasn't able to get the shorter versions shown above to work; what fixed things for me was extending @mancvso 's answer slightly to add "cloudformation:GetTemplateSummary":

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Sid": "Stmt1449904348000",
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": [
                "cloudformation:CreateStack",
                "cloudformation:CreateChangeSet",
                "cloudformation:ListStacks",
                "cloudformation:UpdateStack",
                "cloudformation:DescribeStacks",
                "cloudformation:DescribeStackResource",
                "cloudformation:DescribeStackEvents",
                "cloudformation:ValidateTemplate",
                "cloudformation:DescribeChangeSet",
                "cloudformation:ExecuteChangeSet",
                "cloudformation:GetTemplateSummary"
            ],
            "Resource": [
                "*"
            ]
        }
    ]
}

Solution 5

if you have multiple AWS profiles, try to explicity

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=<value>
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=<value>

before trying

serverless deploy

View more solutions

Comments

[a2k42]

As of 26th July 2019 there is now a AWSCloudFormationFullAccess policy.

[Milindu Sanoj Kumarage]

How can I grant cloudformation:CreateStack? I'm using the AWS UI not CLI.

[tedder42]

You paste the text I gave in as a custom user policy.

[Centurion]

You can use Aws Policy Generator to generate this concrete policy or any other

[givanse]

I find it so odd that this is not available through their drag and drop UI, thanks.

[pixelwiz]

I followed your instructions and added that as an inline policy, but now I get a similar error when I try to run describe-stacks. How do I modify this policy to allow describe-stacks?

[tedder42]

@pixelwiz get used to adding permissions. here's the list for cloudformation.

[pdeschen]

You'd need cloudformation:DescribeStacks as well if you plan on doing servlerless info.

[theartofbeing]

This answer should be upvoted and +1 to @pdeschen saying you also need to add cloudformation:DescribeStacks if you're trying to deploy with serverless. I also had to add cloudformation:DescribeStackResource, cloudformation:ValidateTemplate

[Artemis]

While this answer may be helpful to an extent, you should expand on how to implement your solution, and what it adds to the other answers.

[GhostCode]

I also added these 2 actions : cloudformation:DescribeStackEvents cloudformation:DeleteStack because I needed to permit, my users delete the stacks as well.

[Saskia]

@pixelwiz you can add cloudformation:* to include all permissions. Also for me there is a UI now to create these Inline Policies.

[Zameer Ansari]

This was the quickest solution!

[Faheem]

It will be more helpful if you mention what is the difference. Only GetTemplateSummary?

[Mayur]

Really useful. Thanks

[Mayur]

Really useful. Thanks

[diyism]

Thanks, goto console.aws.amazon.com/iam/home?region=us-west-1#/roles and enter AWSAmplifyExecutionRole-xxxxx, then click "Attach policies" button, and search "AWSCloudFormationFullAccess" and add this permison to the amplify role