Final answer:
CloudFormation templates can be written in two syntax options: JSON and YAML, both of which are human-readable and machine-parsable formats suitable for declaring infrastructure as code.
Step-by-step explanation:
The two syntax options for CloudFormation templates are a) JSON and YAML. JSON (JavaScript Object Notation) is a lightweight data-interchange format that is easy for humans to read and write, and easy for machines to parse and generate. YAML (YAML Ain't Markup Language) is a human-readable data serialization standard that can be used in conjunction with all programming languages and is often used to write configuration files.
Both JSON and YAML are designed to be easily understood by both humans and computers, which is essential for infrastructure as code (IaC) practices, where infrastructure setup is declared using a high-level descriptive coding language. CloudFormation templates written in these formats describe the desired state of AWS resources and their interrelations, allowing for automated and reproducible infrastructure deployment.