Source: AWS News Blog — 2026-07-01
Summary
AWS added an "Express mode" to CloudFormation that returns deployment confirmation as soon as resource configuration is applied, without waiting for full stack stabilization checks (resources keep converging in the background). AWS explicitly frames the feature around AI-agent-driven and iterative infrastructure workflows that need sub-minute feedback loops, enabled via a single deployment-config parameter with no template changes required.
Key Takeaways
- Enabled with
--deployment-config EXPRESS, requiring no changes to existing CloudFormation templates. - Creating an SQS queue plus dead-letter queue: 64 seconds in Standard mode versus roughly 10 seconds in Express mode.
- Deleting a Lambda function with an attached ENI: 20–30 minutes in Standard mode versus roughly 10 seconds in Express mode.
- Available at no additional charge across all commercial AWS regions.