aws-cdk: direct deploy return error when there are no stack updates

[enpatrik]

Describe the bug

Using cdk deploy --method=direct when there are no stack updates:

• On a stack that resolves SSM parameters (during deployment).

It return ❌ Deployment failed and exit code 1.

Compared to cdk deploy that return ✅ HelloCdkStack (no changes) and exit code 0.

Expected Behavior

cdk deploy --method=direct

• Message: ✅ HelloCdkStack (no changes)
• Exit code: 0

When there are no updates.

Current Behavior

cdk deploy --method=direct

Debug output:

HelloCdkStack: some parameters come from SSM so we have to assume they may have changed
HelloCdkStack: deploying...
HelloCdkStack: updating stack...
Call failed: updateStack({"StackName":"HelloCdkStack", ...}) => No updates are to be performed. (code=ValidationError)

Result:

 ❌  HelloCdkStack failed: Error [ValidationError]: No updates are to be performed.
    at Request.extractError (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/protocol/query.js:50:29)
    at Request.callListeners (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/sequential_executor.js:106:20)
    at Request.emit (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/sequential_executor.js:78:10)
    at Request.emit (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:686:14)
    at Request.transition (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:22:10)
    at AcceptorStateMachine.runTo (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/state_machine.js:14:12)
    at /hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/state_machine.js:26:10
    at Request.<anonymous> (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:38:9)
    at Request.<anonymous> (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/request.js:688:12)
    at Request.callListeners (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-sdk/lib/sequential_executor.js:116:18) {
  code: 'ValidationError',
  time: 2022-11-29T12:11:36.798Z,
  requestId: 'f2b0b91f-c7a9-4707-a71b-d015f4283d55',
  statusCode: 400,
  retryable: false,
  retryDelay: 843.8278571993974
}

 ❌ Deployment failed: Error: Stack Deployments Failed: ValidationError: No updates are to be performed.
    at deployStacks (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-cdk/lib/deploy.ts:61:11)
    at processTicksAndRejections (internal/process/task_queues.js:95:5)
    at CdkToolkit.deploy (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-cdk/lib/cdk-toolkit.ts:338:7)
    at initCommandLine (/hello-cdk/node_modules/aws-cdk/lib/cli.ts:364:12)

Stack Deployments Failed: ValidationError: No updates are to be performed.

Exit code: 1

Reproduction Steps

Modified sample app:

mkdir hello-cdk
cd hello-cdk
npx aws-cdk@2.x init sample-app --language typescript

Modify stack:

import { Stack, StackProps } from "aws-cdk-lib";
import { Construct } from "constructs";
import * as ssm from "aws-cdk-lib/aws-ssm";

export class HelloCdkStack extends Stack {
  constructor(scope: Construct, id: string, props?: StackProps) {
    super(scope, id, props);

    ssm.StringParameter.valueForStringParameter(this, "/foo/bar");
  }
}

aws ssm put-parameter --name /foo/bar --value hello

Deploy first time:

cdk deploy --method=direct

Second time (no updates):

cdk deploy --method=direct

Possible Solution

Check if this.cfn.updateStack in directDeployment() return "no updates to be performed"-ValidationError then return noOp: true.

Additional Information/Context

It works as expected on stacks that doesn't resolve SSM parameters.

CDK CLI Version

2.53.0 (build 7690f43)

Framework Version

2.53.0

Node.js Version

v16.18.1

OS

Mac OS

Language

Typescript

Language Version

No response

Other information

We would like to use this nice new direct deploy feature #22079 👏 in our CI/CD process, and it would therefor be nice if it doesn't return error when there are no updates.

[peterwoodworth]

I was able to reproduce this with the sample you posted, thanks for reporting!

What's interesting is that I tried to reproduce this first using a bucket (with auto delete set to true, which will create a custom resource), and wasn't able to reproduce. I wonder if there's something specific with the SSM parameter that is messing things up here

[ChrisSargent]

Okay as far as I can see, I think this is the problem:

From:

aws-cdk/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/deploy-stack.ts

Line 366 in 33c820b

public async performDeployment(): Promise<DeployStackResult> {

    switch (deploymentMethod.method) {
      case 'change-set':
        return this.changeSetDeployment(deploymentMethod);

      case 'direct':
        return this.directDeployment();
    }

But only changeSetDeployment uses the changeSetHasNoChanges function which kind of suppresses the error, from here:

aws-cdk/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/cloudformation.ts

Line 290 in 33c820b

export function changeSetHasNoChanges(description: CloudFormation.DescribeChangeSetOutput) {

, added in this PR by @rix0rrr.

So seems like some of that code should be reused in the directDeployment function.

[o-alexandrov]

Started to experience this issue when deploying only DynamoDB tables stack after bumping: aws-cdk-lib from 2.87.0 to 2.88.0. When the stack has no changes, this cli cmd fails:

cdk deploy --method=direct

with:

STACK_NAME_HERE failed: Error [ValidationError]: No updates are to be performed

{
  code: 'ValidationError',
  time: 2023-07-23T10:33:54.575Z,
  requestId: '13368caf-1f89-4761-a37f-20ee12c38a6f',
  statusCode: 400,
  retryable: false,
  retryDelay: 631.5026618550738
}

[LCSsuper]

I'm experiencing the same error on version 2.99.0... The first deployment works just fine and the second throws the No updates are to be performed error.

It seems like an easy bug to fix, by adding support for a --no-fail-on-empty-changeset flag, just like the aws cloudformation deploy cli command supports. Could this be done?

[polothy]

Just ran into this trying to speed up the deployment of a large project (100s of stacks) by avoiding ChangeSet creation.

[uncledru]

+1 also experiencing the same issue

[wakeupmh]

dropped here in the same situation as @polothy

[o-alexandrov]

@otaviomacedo could you please share: is there an ETA for this issue?

[tvb]

Got the same issue, how to proceed?
Deploying without the --method=direct solved it for me.

[Lewenhaupt]

Yeah same here, the weird thing is it doesn't happen for all our stacks, only some.

[Lewenhaupt]

And it comes back from time to time -> i.e. sometimes --method=direct works as expected when there are no changes, and sometimes it causes failures.

[tristanharms-cb]

We're having the same issue by the way. Deploying without --method=direct is not an option for us as we're trying to speed up deployment time.

[ChrisSargent]

Seems a fix went in this release: https://github.com/aws/aws-cdk/releases/tag/v2.118.0

[enpatrik]

Awesome, thanks for letting us know @ChrisSargent !

I've tried it with my reproduction scenario and it is now working as intended when upgraded to CDK 2.118.0. 🎉

Closing this, resolved by: #28523 and released in v2.118.0

[github-actions]

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