> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://guide.sphericaldefence.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://guide.sphericaldefence.com/guide/quickstart/cloudformation.md).

# CloudFormation

The simplest installation route is through **CloudFormation**, which enables you to get up and running with (almost) a single click. The following link will set up a Spherical stack, including an externally facing **AWS API Gateway** for data ingestion. 

[Launch a CloudFormation Spherical Stack](https://us-west-2.console.aws.amazon.com/cloudformation/home?region=us-west-2#/stacks/create/review?templateURL=https://spherical-integrations-virgin.s3.amazonaws.com/SphericalDefenceIntegrationHarness.cloudformation.yaml\&stackName=SphericalDefence)

You can choose to run the system in front of an underlying service as a **reverse proxy**, or alternatively in offline mode without any redirection of requests to another service. Offline mode is usually a much better way of getting started. Additional benefits of using **CloudFormation** as your deployment option enables easy integration with a number of services.

![The stack that is created on your AWS infrastructure looks like this. ](/files/-LuIRrOisdn1kWm7X7Nv)

Spherical integrates with services in two ways, **outbound** and **inbound.** Inbound integrations help get data into a Spherical instance. Outbound integrations help get events out of a Spherical instance for your security team to view. See how to integrate Spherical into your workflow with the following link:

{% content-ref url="/pages/-LuDOkA1CAQq-zzNHAGU" %}
[Integrations](/guide/integrations.md)
{% endcontent-ref %}

#### API Gateway

The API Gateway is the component that allows you to process API traffic coming in from the outside world. Spherical can be configured with most API Gateways that enable *proxy integrations.* This means that the API Gateway will pass forward the entirety of every request that it receives. 

#### Proxy Lambda

This component is used to enable Spherical to get a **copy** of all traffic moving from your API Gateway, and your backend API service. It is very **lightweight**, and merely loads the HTTP/S request into memory, before sending a copy to the **Broker Lambda** and the original onto the underlying service.

#### Broker Lambda

This component handles the **outbound integrations** to alerting services like Splunk. It either integrates with the Proxy Lambda directly (when using the AWS API Gateway), or alternatively with the Gateway itself (when using Kong or Apigee). This Lambda forwards API requests to the Spherical instance, and does something with the response.


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