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Destroy a stack

Updated October 19, 2026Plans: Free, Pro, Enterprise

Overview

Destroying a stack deletes every AWS resource ArchFoundry created for that diagram, and stops what they cost. Before anything is deleted, ArchFoundry reads the saved state and lists each resource it would remove, and you type the stack's name to confirm. You can destroy a stack on any plan.

Prerequisites

  • A stack that ArchFoundry deployed, listed in Deployments.
  • Stacks ArchFoundry manages but did not create, marked managed, cannot be destroyed here. Use Release… instead.

Steps

  1. In the workspace sidebar, click Deployments. On the canvas, the Deploy button's menu has What you have running…, which opens the same list.
  2. On the stack's row, click Destroy…. ArchFoundry reads the saved state. Nothing is deleted yet.
  3. Read the list of resources it would remove.
  4. If any bucket holds files, empty it first in the S3 console: select the bucket, then Empty. AWS will not delete a bucket with anything in it, and ArchFoundry does not delete what is stored in one.
  5. Type the stack's name under Type followed by its name to confirm.
  6. Click Destroy followed by the number of resources.
  7. Wait while it runs. Some resources take several minutes: a load balancer has to release its network interfaces before the rest of the network can go. Leaving the page does not stop it.

Example

For a stack named <your-diagram-name> with 17 resources, the screen reads:

text
Destroy <your-diagram-name>?
This removes 17 resources from your AWS account.
This cannot be undone. Data on these resources goes with them.
Removing them stops what they cost, from the moment it finishes.
Type <your-diagram-name> to confirm

Expected result: the screen says Destroyed. and the stack leaves the list of what is running.

Verify it worked

  • The stack is no longer in Deployments, and the running total at the top of the section drops by its monthly cost.
  • The diagram stays on the canvas, so you can deploy it again later.

Troubleshooting

This destroy will stop at a bucket with files in it. Empty the bucket in the S3 console, then destroy again. Destroying now removes what it can and stops at the bucket.

The destroy stopped part-way. The deployment is still listed. Run the destroy again to finish it.

Lost contact with the server. The job is still running. Reopen Deployments and click Show log on the stack to follow it.

Could not read what this deployment made. ArchFoundry could not read the saved state for the stack, so nothing was deleted. Try again later.

You want ArchFoundry to stop managing a stack without deleting it. For a managed stack, click Release…, then Release. Nothing in AWS is touched.

Next steps