Connecting AWS

Zynnode connects to your AWS account using a CloudFormation template. This template creates the necessary permissions (an IAM role) so Zynnode can deploy to services like S3, EC2, ECS, and Lambda on your behalf. You don't need to create any credentials manually.

Prerequisites

An AWS account with administrator access
Permission to create CloudFormation stacks (most admin accounts have this by default)

Step-by-Step Setup

Start the Connection in Zynnode

During the new project wizard, select AWS as your cloud provider. You'll see a setup screen with two buttons:

Download Configuration — Downloads the CloudFormation template file
Launch Stack — Opens the AWS Console directly with the template pre-loaded

Click Launch Stack. This opens a new browser tab pointing to the AWS CloudFormation Console.

Create the Stack in AWS

You'll land on the Create Stack page in the AWS Console with the Zynnode template already filled in.

On the Create Stack page, leave the template settings as they are — the Zynnode template URL is pre-filled.
Click Next.
On the Specify stack details page, you can leave the default stack name or change it to something like zynnode-connection. Click Next.
On the Configure stack options page, scroll down and click Next (no changes needed).
On the Review page, scroll to the bottom. You'll see a blue checkbox:

☑ I acknowledge that AWS CloudFormation might create IAM resources.

Check this box. This is required because the template creates an IAM role that grants Zynnode the permissions it needs.
Click Create stack.

Wait for the Stack to Complete

AWS will take 1–2 minutes to create the stack. You can watch the progress on the Events tab. Wait until the status changes to CREATE_COMPLETE.

Return to Zynnode

Switch back to the Zynnode tab. Zynnode automatically checks every few seconds for the new connection. Once AWS finishes creating the stack, Zynnode will detect it and show a green checkmark.

You're now connected to AWS and can proceed with your deployment.

If you've already connected AWS in a previous project, Zynnode will automatically detect the existing connection. You won't need to go through this setup again.

What Does the Template Create?

The CloudFormation template creates a single IAM role in your AWS account. This role grants Zynnode the permissions it needs to:

Upload files to S3 and manage CloudFront distributions
Launch and manage EC2 instances
Create and update ECS services and task definitions
Deploy Lambda functions

Zynnode never stores your AWS root credentials. All access goes through this scoped IAM role.

Troubleshooting

The stack failed to create

Make sure you checked the IAM resources acknowledgement checkbox on the review page.
Verify that your AWS account has permission to create IAM roles and CloudFormation stacks.
If the stack shows ROLLBACK_COMPLETE, delete it and try again from the Zynnode dashboard.

Zynnode isn't detecting the connection

Make sure the stack status is CREATE_COMPLETE in the AWS Console (not still in progress).
Try refreshing the Zynnode page. The automatic check runs every 5 seconds.
If it times out after 5 minutes, go back to the previous step in Zynnode and re-enter the AWS setup.

I want to disconnect AWS

To remove the Zynnode connection from your AWS account:

Open the AWS CloudFormation Console.
Find the Zynnode stack (usually named zynnode-connection or similar).
Select it and click Delete.
In the Zynnode dashboard, go to the main dashboard and remove the AWS connection card.

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