Absolutely, you can create multiple Amazon DynamoDB tables in a single CloudFormation template—this is a common use case and fully supported by AWS.

The Correct Approach: Multiple Resources Entries #

To pull this off, you'll need to define separate Resources entries for each table, not multiple Properties within a single resource. Here's why:

• In CloudFormation, each Resource block represents a distinct AWS resource. A DynamoDB table is its own standalone resource, so each table needs its own dedicated AWS::DynamoDB::Table resource definition.
• The Properties section is specific to one resource—it defines configuration details (like schema, throughput, or encryption) for that individual resource. You can't pack multiple table configurations into a single Properties block; CloudFormation won't interpret that correctly and will throw validation errors.

Example Template with Two DynamoDB Tables #

Here's a concrete, working example to illustrate how this structure looks:

AWSTemplateFormatVersion: '2010-09-09'
Resources:
  UsersTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: Users
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: UserID
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: UserID
          KeyType: HASH
      ProvisionedThroughput:
        ReadCapacityUnits: 5
        WriteCapacityUnits: 5

  OrdersTable:
    Type: AWS::DynamoDB::Table
    Properties:
      TableName: Orders
      AttributeDefinitions:
        - AttributeName: OrderID
          AttributeType: S
        - AttributeName: UserID
          AttributeType: S
      KeySchema:
        - AttributeName: OrderID
          KeyType: HASH
        - AttributeName: UserID
          KeyType: RANGE
      ProvisionedThroughput:
        ReadCapacityUnits: 5
        WriteCapacityUnits: 5

In this template:

• UsersTable and OrdersTable are unique logical IDs for each resource (you can name these whatever makes sense for your use case).
• Each table has its own Properties block, where you define its specific schema, key structure, throughput, and any other custom settings.

Quick Recap #

• ✅ You can absolutely create multiple DynamoDB tables in one CloudFormation deployment.
• ✅ Use separate Resources entries (one per table) with their own dedicated Properties configurations.
• ❌ Avoid trying to cram multiple table settings into a single Resource's Properties—this isn't supported and will break your template.

内容的提问来源于stack exchange，提问作者Abhijith Nagarjuna