AWS CloudFormation vs StackGen
AWS CloudFormation is an MCP server published by awslabs. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). StackGen is an MCP server published by stackgenhq. Marketplaces we read that list it: 1 (Docker MCP Catalog). As of our marketplace pass on 2026-10-12. This pair was picked by a reader, not by our comparison rule, so search engines are asked not to index the page.
Where each is published
| Marketplace | ||
|---|---|---|
| Docker MCP Catalog | Listed Version: sha256:d1c0846eb6e5 Forks (GitHub): 1 805 Pulls (Docker Hub): 17 654 Stars (Docker Hub): 0 Stars (GitHub): 9 773 Not marked · First seen |
Listed Version: sha256:e0bab64f662a Forks (GitHub): 1 Stars (GitHub): 1 Not marked · First seen |
Each figure is the marketplace's own and is never added up across marketplaces. A marketplace that publishes no figure shows none: no number is not zero.
The facts side by side
| Fact | AWS CloudFormation | StackGen |
|---|---|---|
| Marketplaces that list it | 1 | 1 |
| Stars (GitHub) (differs) | 9 773 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Pulls (Docker Hub) (differs) | 17 654 | No figure on Docker Hub |
| Forks (GitHub) (differs) | 1 805 (better) | 1 (worse) |
| Last release | Not published | Not published |
| Where it runs (differs) | On your machine (mcp/cfn-mcp-server) | On your machine (ghcr.io/stackgenhq/stackgen) |
| Transport | stdio | stdio |
| Tools it declares (differs) | 8 | 4 |
| Environment variables it asks for (differs) | 5, secrets among them: 2 | 2, secrets among them: 1 |
| Licence (differs) | Apache-2.0 | Not stated |
| Repository (differs) | github.com/awslabs/mcp | github.com/stackgenhq/homebrew-stackgen |
| Changes in the last 7 days | 0 | 0 |
| First seen | 2026-10-11 | 2026-10-11 |
Lines where the two differ have a tinted background and bold values. Where the data itself says which value is better (more marketplaces, a larger figure of the same marketplace, a fresher release, a verified mark on a marketplace that lists both), the better one is also marked green with ▲ and the worse one red with ▼. Where it runs, the transport, the tools, the settings, hooks, the bundle's parts, the licence and the week's changes are marked only as different: more or fewer is not better in itself.
What each says it does
AWS CloudFormation
CloudFormation resource management via Cloud Control API.
StackGen
AI-powered DevOps assistant for managing cloud infrastructure and applications.
How to run each
AWS CloudFormation As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=<YOUR_AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY>" --env "AWS_SESSION_TOKEN=<YOUR_AWS_SESSION_TOKEN>" --transport stdio awslabs-cfn -- docker run -i --rm -e AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY -e AWS_SESSION_TOKEN mcp/cfn-mcp-serverRequires: AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY (secret), AWS_SESSION_TOKEN (secret)
StackGen As a local MCP server: Docker image
claude mcp add --env "STACKGEN_TOKEN=<YOUR_STACKGEN_TOKEN>" --transport stdio stackgen -- docker run -i --rm -e STACKGEN_TOKEN ghcr.io/stackgenhq/stackgenRequires: STACKGEN_TOKEN (secret)
Commands built only from what the marketplaces declare; the full set for every client is on each card.
Tools each declares
Only AWS CloudFormation declares
create_resourcecreate_templatedelete_resourceget_resourceget_resource_request_statusget_resource_schema_informationlist_resourcesupdate_resource
Only StackGen declares
destroy_deploymentdetect-driftdownload-iacprovision_appstack
Both declare
None
Tool names as each marketplace publishes them. More tools is not better in itself: compare what each needs for the job.
Settings each asks for
Only AWS CloudFormation asks for
AWS_ACCESS_KEY_IDAWS_PROFILEAWS_REGIONAWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY (secret)AWS_SESSION_TOKEN (secret)
Only StackGen asks for
STACKGEN_TOKEN (secret)STACKGEN_URL
Settings as each marketplace publishes them. Asking for fewer is not better in itself.
What it can do: AWS CloudFormation · What it can do: StackGen · Compare two other plugins
Data comes from the Docker MCP Catalog (desktop.docker.com/mcp/catalog) and Docker Hub. Figures come from our own regular passes over the marketplaces, last read on . We publish no contact details for plugin publishers.