# SQS Ref in serverless.yml **URL:** \ **Category:** Serverless Framework\ **Created:** [September 20, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739 "2017-09-20T22:13:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![zainzafar](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/zainzafar/32/1060_2.png) [@zainzafar](https://forum.serverless.com/u/zainzafar)\ **Post date:** [September 20, 2017, 10:13pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/1 "2017-09-20T22:13:10Z")
Hi, I’m trying to use serverless to deploy a service which reads a JSON payload on an http endpoint and then passes it to an SQS queue. Here’s my serverless.yml: ``` provider: name: aws runtime: nodejs6.10 environment: sqs_url: !Ref MessagesQueue functions: process: handler: handler.handler events: - http: get handler resources: Resources: MessagesQueue: Type: AWS::SQS::Queue ``` This gives me an error saying: unknown tag !\ Basically, I’m trying to set the environment variable sqs\_url to the newly created SQS queue’s url. Is this possible? ---
**Author:** ![rowanu](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/rowanu/32/75_2.png) [@rowanu](https://forum.serverless.com/u/rowanu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 4:34am UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/2 "2017-09-21T04:34:45Z")
You can’t (yet) use the YAML CFN functions in Serverless - it’s all converted to JSON under the hood. If you replace it with a straight “`Ref:`” object, it should work fine. ---
**Author:** ![zainzafar](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/zainzafar/32/1060_2.png) [@zainzafar](https://forum.serverless.com/u/zainzafar)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 4:46am UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/3 "2017-09-21T04:46:17Z")
Hi, Do you have a sample serverless.yml which does that? ---
**Author:** ![rowanu](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/rowanu/32/75_2.png) [@rowanu](https://forum.serverless.com/u/rowanu)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 9:14am UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/4 "2017-09-21T09:14:00Z")
Changing the first part of your snippet will fix the error you’re reporting: ```auto provider: name: aws runtime: nodejs6.10 environment: sqs_url: Ref: MessagesQueue ``` ---
**Author:** ![zainzafar](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/zainzafar/32/1060_2.png) [@zainzafar](https://forum.serverless.com/u/zainzafar)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 6:48pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/5 "2017-09-21T18:48:53Z")
Awesome that worked! One more question: Can I also limit the iamRoleStatements to this Queue, Right now I have this: ``` iamRoleStatements: - Effect: Allow Action: - sqs:* Resource: arn:aws:sqs:*:*:* ``` I tried changing that to the following but that doesn’t work. ``` iamRoleStatements: - Effect: Allow Action: - sqs:* Resource: Ref: MessageQueue ``` ---
**Author:** ![bfieber](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/bfieber/32/653_2.png) [@bfieber](https://forum.serverless.com/u/bfieber)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/6 "2017-09-21T19:44:50Z")
Yes, but the IAM Resource requires the Arn instead of the Url. So use the following: ```auto iamRoleStatements: - Effect: Allow Action: - sqs:* Resource: Fn::GetAtt: [MessageQueue, Arn] ``` Or if you prefer, limit the role to only allow adding messages to the queue like so: ```auto iamRoleStatements: - Effect: Allow Action: - sqs:SendMessage Resource: Fn::GetAtt: [MessageQueue, Arn] ``` Hope it helps. ---
**Author:** ![zainzafar](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/zainzafar/32/1060_2.png) [@zainzafar](https://forum.serverless.com/u/zainzafar)\ **Post date:** [September 21, 2017, 9:44pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/7 "2017-09-21T21:44:56Z")
Awesome, it works. Thanks a lot! ---
**Author:** ![colcodev](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/colcodev/32/2229_2.png) [@colcodev](https://forum.serverless.com/u/colcodev)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2018, 11:53pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/8 "2018-07-11T23:53:05Z")
Same questions… Thanks! You rock! 💪🏿 ---
**Author:** ![s-chand](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/s-chand/32/2743_2.png) [@s-chand](https://forum.serverless.com/u/s-chand)\ **Post date:** [November 14, 2018, 10:45am UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/9 "2018-11-14T10:45:09Z")
So I have just hit this snag. However in place of the SQS QueueUrl being return I get [object Object] as the environment variable. Not sure why ---
**Author:** ![locoBit](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex036/user_avatar/forum.serverless.com/locobit/32/3395_2.png) [@locoBit](https://forum.serverless.com/u/locoBit)\ **Post date:** [June 11, 2019, 9:40pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/10 "2019-06-11T21:40:38Z")
This is why your env variable points to a reference not to a value. Maybe you are running your lambda on your local machine (as me).This is because there is not exist a defined **stage** in our local machines. In my case I used this plugin in order to get the **value** in my environment value. See this [post](https://www.jeremydaly.com/projects/serverless-cloudside-plugin/) which use [serverless-cloudside-plugin](https://www.npmjs.com/package/serverless-cloudside-plugin) in order to define a _stage_ locally and then, get the real environment variable value. ``` environment: QUEUE_URL: Ref: MyQueue ``` At the beginning **QUEUE\_URL** had **[Object object]** string value, after using **cloudside** plugin I got the real value ---
**Author:** ![parifuture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9f8e36/32.png) [@parifuture](https://forum.serverless.com/u/parifuture)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://forum.serverless.com/t/sqs-ref-in-serverless-yml/2739/11 "2020-06-09T19:21:23Z")
Adding a **proper working example** for anyone who lands on this page. CREDIT TO: [https://dev.to/piczmar\_0/aws-lambda-sqs-events-with-serverless-framework-oj6](https://dev.to/piczmar_0/aws-lambda-sqs-events-with-serverless-framework-oj6) ```auto service: sqs-triggers-demo provider: name: aws runtime: nodejs12.x profile: sls region: us-west-2 iamRoleStatements: - Effect: "Allow" Action: - "sqs:SendMessage" - "sqs:GetQueueUrl" Resource: "arn:aws:sqs:${self:provider.region}:811338114632:MyQueue" - Effect: "Allow" Action: - "sqs:ListQueues" Resource: "arn:aws:sqs:${self:provider.region}:811338114632:*" functions: sender: handler: sender.handler events: - http: path: v1/sender method: post receiver: handler: receiver.handler events: - sqs: arn: Fn::GetAtt: - MyQueue - Arn resources: Resources: MyQueue: Type: "AWS::SQS::Queue" Properties: QueueName: "MyQueue" ``` CREDIT TO: [https://dev.to/piczmar\_0/aws-lambda-sqs-events-with-serverless-framework-oj6](https://dev.to/piczmar_0/aws-lambda-sqs-events-with-serverless-framework-oj6)