I don’t think you get my gist about syntax vs information. I can express the same data in a different format, in the same way that JSON and YAML can often be tr

I don’t think you get my gist about syntax vs information. I can express the same data in a different format, in the same way that JSON and YAML can often be transformed into each other. You are pulling a straw man by implying that requires much cloudformation, which is completely unrelated. Besides, CF is a good example of how you can use two different syntax to describe the same information.