How to create a Heat stack

How-to · Updated Jun 2026

Coming from another cloud?

▸AWS·Stacks

Stackshigh

Quake AI offers Heat (legacy OpenStack orchestration) and recommends OpenTofu for new IaC work; EKS uses declarative console/CLI.
EKS Auto Mode automates data plane; Quake AI uses OpenTofu modules for infrastructure provisioning.
CloudFormation stacks are managed via AWS-specific REST API (e.g., cloudformation.us-east-1.amazonaws.com) requiring AWS SigV4 auth, while Heat (legacy) uses OpenStack Identity API v3 (keystoneauth) and OpenTofu uses the OpenStack provider with application credentials. Migrators notice different endpoint discovery and auth flows.
Stacks support StackSets for cross-region/account deployment; Heat has no equivalent. OpenTofu workspaces offer a different multi-environment pattern.

AWS docs ↗

▸Azure·Resource Manager deployment (deployment)

Azure Resource Manager deployment (deployment)high

Authoring format differs: ARM templates are JSON documents for Azure Resource Manager deployments, whereas Quake AI offers Heat (legacy, HOT/YAML format) and recommends OpenTofu (HCL) for new infrastructure automation.
Deployment target/scope differs: ARM templates can deploy at multiple scopes (resource group, subscription, management group, tenant) via Azure Resource Manager's management layer, while Heat orchestrates within a single OpenStack project/tenant. OpenTofu can target multiple projects via provider configuration.
Change-preview behavior differs: ARM supports a built-in “what-if” style preview of changes via Resource Manager deployments, while OpenTofu provides `tofu plan` for change previews. Heat relies on stack update events (legacy workflow).
Resource coverage lifecycle differs: ARM templates support Azure resource types exposed by Azure resource providers; OpenTofu covers OpenStack resource types via the OpenStack provider, and Heat (legacy) supports a narrower set via built-in resource plugins.

Azure docs ↗

▸Google Cloud·Deployment Manager

Deployment Managerhigh

Uses YAML configurations with optional Jinja2/Python templates expanded server-side; Quake AI offers Heat (legacy, HOT/YAML) and recommends OpenTofu (HCL) for new work.
Resource types named as service.v1.resource (e.g., compute.v1.instance) tied to GCP APIs, vs OpenStack prefixed types like OS::Nova::Server.
Single integrated GCP service (no separate API/engine processes); Heat has a multi-service architecture (heat-api, heat-engine) but is legacy. OpenTofu runs client-side with no server component.
No additional service fee; bills only for deployed GCP resources, same as OpenStack resources billing via provider.

Google Cloud docs ↗

How to create a Heat stack

A Heat stack provisions a group of resources from a HOT (Heat Orchestration Template) YAML file. You define the resources, parameters, and outputs in the template, and Heat creates them as a single unit that you can update or delete together.

Prerequisites

ConsoleLogged in to the Quake AI console
CLIOpenStack CLI installed and authenticated (clouds.yaml or openrc sourced)

Windows: CLI examples use bash. Set up a Linux CLI environment on Windows before proceeding.

A HOT template file (.yaml) defining the resources to create
Familiarity with Heat and IaC on Quake AI

The Heat simple stack template shows the full pattern. Its compute resource sets block_device_mapping_v2 so the server boots from a volume:

YAML

resources:
  instance:
    type: OS::Nova::Server
    properties:
      flavor: { get_param: flavor }
      key_name: { get_param: key_name }
      networks:
        - port: { get_resource: port }
      block_device_mapping_v2:
        - boot_index: 0
          image: { get_param: image }
          volume_size: 20
          delete_on_termination: true

Create the stack#

The Create Stack flow is a two-page wizard. The step indicator at the top names both pages: Prepare Template (page 1, template and environment) and Orchestration information (page 2, stack name, timeout, and rollback policy).

Select Automation > Heat Stacks > Create Stack.
On Prepare Template, paste the template content, or select Load from local files to upload a .yaml file.
Optionally paste content into the Environment Variable field, or use the Load from local files control beneath it to upload an environment .yaml.
Select Next: Orchestration information.
Every page-2 form field carries a leading * to mark it as required. Page 2 also always renders a Fill In The Parameters section heading; that section is empty when the template declares no parameters: block, otherwise it lists one input per declared parameter.
In the * Stack Name field, enter a name that identifies this deployment.
In the * Creation Timeout (Minutes) field, set how long Heat should wait before rolling back. The default is 60.
For * Fail Rollback, pick one of two required radio options:
- Enable (the default): Heat deletes the partial resources when stack creation fails (clean-up on failure).
- Disable: Heat keeps the partial resources for inspection (preserve on failure for debugging).
ℹ️ Fail rollback options
Enable (default): Heat deletes partial resources when stack creation fails. Disable: Heat keeps partial resources so you can inspect what was created before the failure.

The underlying OpenStack Heat API uses disable_rollback as the inverse parameter (Enable maps to disable_rollback=false, Disable to disable_rollback=true); this inverse naming is a common source of confusion for Heat operators.
The page-2 action bar at the bottom exposes three buttons in this order: Cancel (abandon the wizard), Previous: Prepare Template (return to page 1; the Console keeps the form state intact), and Confirm (create the stack). Select Confirm.

Verify the stack#

After creation, verify the stack reached CREATE_COMPLETE (the Console renders this state as Create Complete with a green status dot):

Navigate to Automation > Heat Stacks and confirm Stack Status shows Create Complete. Open the stack to review resources on Stack Resources and events on Stack Events when creation fails.

Next steps#

Heat and IaC comparison: when to use Heat vs. Terraform
Automation console
IaC templates: ready-to-deploy Heat and Terraform templates

Usage Guidelines

The sample code, software libraries, command line tools, proofs of concept, templates, and other related technology on this page (including any of the foregoing that is provided by Quake AI personnel) is provided to you as Quake AI Content under the Quake AI Customer Agreement, or the relevant written agreement between you and Quake AI (whichever applies). Do not use this Quake AI Content in your production accounts, or on production or other critical data. You are responsible for testing, securing, and optimizing the Quake AI Content (such as sample code) as appropriate for production grade use based on your specific quality control practices and standards. Deploying Quake AI Content may incur Quake AI charges for creating or using Quake AI chargeable resources, such as running Compute instances or storing data in Object Storage. Your use is also subject to the Acceptable Use Policy.

For the full policy, see Usage Guidelines.

Last validated: 02.06.2026

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How to create a Heat stack

How to create a Heat stack

Create the stack#

Verify the stack#

Next steps#

Usage Guidelines

Quick answers

See Also