CloudFormation - WordPress (simple) sample blog template no longer works

I understand your frustration with the WordPress sample template not working as expected. The error you're encountering, "Failed to receive 1 resource signal(s) within the specified duration," typically indicates that the EC2 instance is not sending the expected signal back to CloudFormation within the allotted time.

There could be several reasons for this issue:

1. The EC2 instance might not be able to complete its initialization process in time. This could be due to changes in the underlying Amazon Machine Image (AMI) or updates to the software packages being installed.

2. There might be network connectivity issues preventing the instance from sending the signal back to CloudFormation.

3. The cfn-signal script, which is responsible for sending the completion signal, might be failing to execute properly.

To troubleshoot this issue, you can try the following steps:

1. Check the EC2 instance's system log and CloudWatch logs for any error messages or indications of what might be causing the initialization to fail or take too long.

2. Verify that the EC2 instance has the necessary permissions to send signals back to CloudFormation. This includes having the appropriate IAM role and security group settings.

3. Consider increasing the timeout period for the WaitCondition in the template. This might allow more time for the instance to complete its setup.

4. Review the user data script in the template to ensure it's still valid and all the commands are executing correctly.

5. Try using a more recent Amazon Linux 2 AMI, as the sample template might be using an outdated AMI.

If the issue persists, you may want to consider creating a custom template based on the sample, updating it with current best practices and more recent AMIs. This would give you more control over the setup process and allow you to tailor it to your specific needs.

Remember that sample templates are meant for learning purposes and may not always be kept up-to-date with the latest changes in AWS services or underlying software components. For production use or even for teaching purposes, it's often better to create and maintain your own templates based on current best practices.
Sources
Sample templates - AWS CloudFormation
How CloudFormation works - AWS CloudFormation
Resolve custom resource failures in CloudFormation | AWS re:Post
Peek inside your AWS CloudFormation Deployments with timeline view | AWS DevOps & Developer Productivity Blog