stackctl-1.1.0.0: README.md

# Stackctl

Manage CloudFormation Stacks through specifications.

## About

`stackctl` is a command-line tool for working with [Stack Specifications][spec]. A Stack
Specification is a file-system format for describing deployed (or
to-be-deployed) CloudFormation Stacks including the Template, Parameters, and
Tags. `stackctl` can be used to pretty-print, diff, and deploy these
specifications.

[spec]: https://github.com/freckle/stackctl/blob/main/doc/stackctl.1.md#stack-specifications

This project also contains a Haskell library for doing the same.

## Install

### Binary install

Go to the [latest release][latest] and download the `.tar.gz` asset appropriate
for your OS. Navigate to the directory containing the downloaded file and run:

```console
tar xvf stackctl-*.tar.gz && cd stackctl
```

[latest]: https://github.com/freckle/stackctl/releases/latest

#### Global installation

Install into `/usr/local/`, with appropriate permissions:

```console
sudo make install
```

#### User installation

Set `PREFIX` to base the installation in a directory of your choosing:

```console
make install PREFIX=$HOME/.local
```

## Usage

Once installed, see:

- `stackctl --help`,
- `stackctl <command> --help`,
- `man 1 stackctl`, or
- `man 1 stackctl <command>`

The man pages are also available [in-repository](./doc), but contain
documentation as of `main`, and not your installed version.

## Relationship to CloudGenesis

[CloudGenesis][] is a project that also takes a directory of Stack
Specifications and deploys them when changed. Its on-disk format inspired ours
and, in fact, directories built for CloudGenesis can be managed by `stackctl`
(not necessarily the other way around).

[cloudgenesis]: https://github.com/LifeWay/CloudGenesis

The key differences are:

- CloudGenesis supplies AWS CodeBuild tooling for handling changes to your
  GitOps repository; Stackctl expects you to implement a GitHub Action that
  installs and executes `stackctl` commands as appropriate

  This makes Stackctl better if you need or want to also run the same tooling in
  a local context, but it makes CloudGenesis better if you need or want this
  activity to remain within the boundaries of your AWS VPC.

- CloudGenesis reacts to file-change events in S3, which only happens when you
  synchronize from `main`; Stackctl can run on any branch and easily be scoped
  to files changed in the PR or push.

  This enables Stackctl features like commenting with ChangeSet details on PRs,
  which are not possible in CloudGenesis as it's currently implemented.

- Stackctl adds the `Depends` key, for ordering multi-Stack processing

---

[CHANGELOG](./CHANGELOG.md) | [LICENSE](./LICENSE)