Fn::Sub - AWS CloudFormation
DeclarationParametersReturn valueExamplesSupported functions

Fn::Sub

The intrinsic function Fn::Sub substitutes variables in an input string with values that you specify. In your templates, you can use this function to construct commands or outputs that include values that aren't available until you create or update a stack.

Declaration

The following sections show the function's syntax.

JSON

{ "Fn::Sub" : [ String, { Var1Name: Var1Value, Var2Name: Var2Value } ] }

If you're substituting only template parameters, resource logical IDs, or resource attributes in the String parameter, don't specify a variable map.

{ "Fn::Sub" : String }

YAML

Syntax for the full function name:

Fn::Sub:
  - String
  - Var1Name: Var1Value
    Var2Name: Var2Value

Syntax for the short form:

!Sub
  - String
  - Var1Name: Var1Value
    Var2Name: Var2Value

If you're substituting only template parameters, resource logical IDs, or resource attributes in the String parameter, don't specify a variable map.

Syntax for the full function name:

Fn::Sub: String

Syntax for the short form:

!Sub String

Parameters

String

A string with variables that AWS CloudFormation substitutes with their associated values at runtime. Write variables as ${MyVarName}. Variables can be template parameter names, resource logical IDs, resource attributes, or a variable in a key-value map. If you specify only template parameter names, resource logical IDs, and resource attributes, don't specify a key-value map.

If you specify template parameter names or resource logical IDs, such as ${InstanceTypeParameter}, CloudFormation returns the same values as if you used the Ref intrinsic function. If you specify resource attributes, such as ${MyInstance.PublicIp}, CloudFormation returns the same values as if you used the Fn::GetAtt intrinsic function.

To write a dollar sign and curly braces (${}) literally, add an exclamation point (!) after the open curly brace, such as ${!Literal}. CloudFormation resolves this text as ${Literal}.

VarName

The name of a variable that you included in the String parameter.

VarValue

The value that CloudFormation substitutes for the associated variable name at runtime.

Return value

CloudFormation returns the original string, substituting the values for all the variables.

Examples

The following examples demonstrate how to use the Fn::Sub function.

Use Fn::Sub without a key-value map

In this simple example, the InstanceSecurityGroup resource's description is dynamically created with the AWS::StackName pseudo parameter. For instance, if the stack name is "VPC-EC2-ALB-Stack", the resulting description is "SSH security group for VPC-EC2-ALB-Stack".

JSON

"InstanceSecurityGroup" : {
    "Type" : "AWS::EC2::SecurityGroup",
    "Properties" : {
        "GroupDescription" : {"Fn::Sub": "SSH security group for ${AWS::StackName}"}
}}

YAML

InstanceSecurityGroup:
  Type: AWS::EC2::SecurityGroup
  Properties:
    GroupDescription: !Sub "SSH security group for ${AWS::StackName}"

Use Fn::Sub with a key-value map

In this example, the WWWBucket resource's name is dynamically created with a key-value map. The Fn::Sub function substitutes ${Domain} in the input string www.${Domain} with the value from a Ref function that references the RootDomainName parameter that's defined within the same stack template. For instance, if the root domain name is "mydomain.com", the resulting name for this resource is "www.mydomain.com".

JSON

"WWWBucket":{
  "Type":"AWS::S3::Bucket",
  "Properties":{
    "BucketName":{
      "Fn::Sub":[
        "www.${Domain}",
        {
          "Domain":{
            "Ref":"RootDomainName"
          }
        }
      ]
    }
  }
}

YAML

  WWWBucket:
    Type: AWS::S3::Bucket
    Properties:
      BucketName: !Sub
        - 'www.${Domain}'
        - Domain: !Ref RootDomainName

Use multiple variables to construct ARNs

The following example uses Fn::Sub with the AWS::Region and AWS::AccountId pseudo parameters and the vpc resource logical ID to create an Amazon Resource Name (ARN) for a VPC.

JSON

{ "Fn::Sub": "arn:aws:ec2:${AWS::Region}:${AWS::AccountId}:vpc/${vpc}" }

YAML

!Sub 'arn:aws:ec2:${AWS::Region}:${AWS::AccountId}:vpc/${vpc}'

Pass parameter values in user data scripts

The following example uses Fn::Sub to substitute the AWS::StackName and AWS::Region pseudo parameters for the actual stack name and Region at runtime.

JSON

For readability, the JSON example uses the Fn::Join function to separate each command, instead of specifying the entire user data script in a single string value.

"UserData": { "Fn::Base64": { "Fn::Join": ["\n", [
  "#!/bin/bash -xe",
  "yum update -y aws-cfn-bootstrap",
  { "Fn::Sub": "/opt/aws/bin/cfn-init -v --stack ${AWS::StackName} --resource LaunchConfig --configsets wordpress_install --region ${AWS::Region}" },
  { "Fn::Sub": "/opt/aws/bin/cfn-signal -e $? --stack ${AWS::StackName} --resource WebServerGroup --region ${AWS::Region}" }]]
}}

YAML

The YAML example uses a literal block to specify the user data script.

UserData:
  Fn::Base64:
    !Sub |
      #!/bin/bash -xe
      yum update -y aws-cfn-bootstrap
      /opt/aws/bin/cfn-init -v --stack ${AWS::StackName} --resource LaunchConfig --configsets wordpress_install --region ${AWS::Region}
      /opt/aws/bin/cfn-signal -e $? --stack ${AWS::StackName} --resource WebServerGroup --region ${AWS::Region}

Supported functions

For the String parameter, you can't use any functions. You must specify a string value.

For the VarName and VarValue parameters, you can use the following functions: