To perform operations on a stack using the Heat client, you only need to compile a template file.
To perform operations on a stack using the RTS console, you need to not only compile a template file, but also package the file in the required format if you create a stack by uploading a template. However, packaging the template file is not required if you choose to compile a template online. Compiling a template online is suitable if only one template is required. Uploading a template fits a wider range of templates: a single template or nested templates.

**Table 1** Scenario description
Method		How to Prepare a Template
Heat client		Use a text editor (like Notepad++) to compile a template and save it in the YAML format.
Management console	Entering template content	Compile a template using a text editor and copy template content to the text box when creating a stack.
Management console	Uploading a file	Compile a template using a text editor and then pack it in the format provided in Template Package Structure. Example Template Packages provides examples for your reference.

Template files can be in the YAML or JSON format.

You can compile a template by following instructions in Template Syntax. If you are not familiar with how to compile a template, you can refer to our examples.

Scenarios