cfn-flip
Convert AWS CloudFormation templates between JSON and YAML formats
Decision gist · record as of 2026-08-14
No—not for new projects. The package is archived and abandoned since 2021-10-07, with no updates for years. While it has low install friction and permissive licensing, the lack of maintenance means it will not handle new CloudFormation features, receive security patches, or stay compatible with evolving dependencies. Use it only if maintaining legacy code that already depends on it.AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying
Before you install
- Low install friction with three lightweight dependencies (Click, PyYAML, six).
- However, the project is archived and abandoned, with no releases since 2021-10-07 — it will not receive updates or security patches going forward.
License · maintenance · safety
Apache2 (permissive) — Licensed under Apache2 (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute the package freely in commercial and private projects without restriction.
last release 2021-10-07 (1772 days) · last repo commit 2026-08-12 · 1,000 stars · archived
0 known vulnerabilities (OSV.dev, 2026-08-14) · 2,674,349 downloads/mo, #2,947 on PyPI
Alternatives
Verify before relying
pip install cfn-flip
from cfn_flip import flip, to_yaml, to_json
json_template = '{"key": "value"}'
yaml_template = to_yaml(json_template)
original = flip(yaml_template)- Whether the package works correctly with modern AWS CloudFormation template features added after 2021-10-07
- Compatibility with current versions of PyYAML and Click, given the long time since last release
What it is and what it does
cfn-flip is a command-line tool and Python library that converts AWS CloudFormation templates between JSON and YAML formats. It automatically detects the input format and converts to the opposite, optionally using YAML's short-form function syntax. The tool also supports template cleanup operations and can be configured to control output line width.
You can use it as a standalone CLI tool (cfn-flip) to process template files or stdin/stdout, or import its functions (flip, to_yaml, to_json) into your own Python code. The package depends on Click, PyYAML, and six—though the project is no longer maintained.
Use it for
- Convert CloudFormation templates from JSON to YAML or vice versa in build pipelines or deployment scripts
- Normalize template formatting and apply CloudFormation-specific cleanup rules via the --clean flag
- Integrate template format conversion into Python infrastructure-as-code tools without external process calls
- Batch-process multiple CloudFormation templates to a preferred format for version control or documentation
Worth the install?
AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page. Verify before relying on it.
No—not for new projects.
The package is archived and abandoned since 2021-10-07, with no updates for years. While it has low install friction and permissive licensing, the lack of maintenance means it will not handle new CloudFormation features, receive security patches, or stay compatible with evolving dependencies. Use it only if maintaining legacy code that already depends on it.
Install
cfn-flip on PyPI
Before you install
Low install friction with three lightweight dependencies (Click, PyYAML, six). However, the project is archived and abandoned, with no releases since 2021-10-07 — it will not receive updates or security patches going forward.
License in practice
Licensed under Apache2 (permissive), so you can use, modify, and distribute the package freely in commercial and private projects without restriction.
Quickstart
pip install cfn-flip
from cfn_flip import flip, to_yaml, to_json
json_template = '{"key": "value"}'
yaml_template = to_yaml(json_template)
original = flip(yaml_template)Verify before relying
- Whether the package works correctly with modern AWS CloudFormation template features added after 2021-10-07
- Compatibility with current versions of PyYAML and Click, given the long time since last release
Package facts
| License | Apache2 permissive |
| Python support | Not specified |
| Install friction | Low. Pure-Python wheel |
| Runtime dependencies | 3 packagesClickPyYAMLsix |
| Maintenance | Abandoned 1,772 days since the last release |
| Last repo commit | repository archived |
| First released | |
| Downloads | 2,674,349 / month, #2,947 on PyPI 30-day window, as of 2026-08-14 |
| Known vulnerabilities | None known OSV.dev, checked 2026-08-14 |
Evidence: cfn_flip-1.3.0-py3-none-any.whl
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See also cfn-lint · aws-sam-translator · crhelper · cloudformation-cli · xmltojson · awslabs.aws-iac-mcp-server · ruamel.yaml.jinja2 · aws-cdk.custom-resources · troposphere · sceptre-cmd-resolver