AWS CLI
AWS Command Line Interface (CLI)
AWS provides a command line interface (CLI) to interact with AWS services. The CLI is a unified tool to manage your AWS services. With minimal configuration, you can start using all of the functionality provided by AWS. You can use the AWS CLI to perform the same tasks that you can perform in the AWS Management Console. You can use the AWS CLI to create and manage AWS resources, such as Amazon EC2 instances and Amazon S3 buckets.
https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/getting-started-install.html
Installation
Windows
There are several options you may use to install the AWS CLI including the Windows Package Manager (winget), Chocolatey, and the MSI installer.
Windows Package Manager (winget)
The Windows Package Manager (winget) is a command-line utility for installing and updating Windows applications. The Windows Package Manager is available for Windows 10 and Windows 11. The Windows Package Manager is not available for Windows 7 or Windows 8.
To install the AWS CLI using winget, open a PowerShell window and run the following command:
winget install Amazon.AWSCLI
Chocolatey
Chocolatey is a software management solution similar to apt-get for Linux or Homebrew for macOS. Chocolatey is available for Windows 7 and later.
To install the AWS CLI using Chocolatey, open a PowerShell window and run the following command:
choco install awscli
MSI Installer
The MSI installer is available for download from the AWS CLI download page. The MSI installer is available for Windows 7 and later.
macOS
The AWS CLI is available for macOS 10.7 and later. The AWS CLI is available as a standalone package or as a Homebrew package.
Standalone Package
The standalone package is available for download from the AWS CLI download page. The standalone package is available for macOS 10.7 and later.
Homebrew
Homebrew is a free and open-source software package management system that simplifies the installation of software on Apple’s macOS operating system. Homebrew is available for macOS 10.7 and later.
To install the AWS CLI using Homebrew, open a Terminal window and run the following command:
brew install awscli
Linux
The AWS CLI is available for Linux by way of a zipped package of binaries that can be downloaded directly from AWS and installed using the provided script.
curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"
unzip awscliv2.zip
sudo ./aws/install
This install can be updated with the --update flag as follows:
sudo ./aws/install --bin-dir /usr/local/bin --install-dir /usr/local/aws-cli --update
Configuration
The AWS CLI requires that you configure your credentials before you can use it to interact with AWS services. Access Keys can be be created as part of an existing user, or new user, via the AWS Management Console. Once create the Access Keys can be used to configure the AWS CLI.
Creating Keys With The AWS Management Console
Existing User
To configure your credentials using the AWS Management Console, open a web browser and navigate to the AWS Management Console. Select Users from the left-hand menu. Select the user you wish to configure. Select Security credentials. Select Create access key. You will be prompted to download a CSV file containing your AWS Access Key ID and AWS Secret Access Key. Save the file to a secure location.
Create a New User
To configure your credentials using the AWS Management Console, open a web browser and navigate to the AWS Management Console. Select Users from the left-hand menu. Select Add user. Enter a user name and select Programmatic access. Select Next: Permissions. Select Attach existing policies directly. Select AdministratorAccess. Select Next: Tags. Select Next: Review. Select Create user. You will be prompted to download a CSV file containing your AWS Access Key ID and AWS Secret Access Key. Save the file to a secure location.
AWS CLI
To configure your credentials using the AWS CLI, open a Terminal window and run the following command:
aws configure
You will be prompted to enter your AWS Access Key ID and AWS Secret Access Key. You can find your AWS Access Key ID and AWS Secret Access Key in the AWS Management Console. For more information, see Creating an IAM User in Your AWS Account.
Example
PS C:\Users\Graham> aws configure
AWS Access Key ID [None]: <access_key_id>
AWS Secret Access Key [None]: <access_key>
Default region name [None]: us-east-1 # or your preferred region
Default output format [None]: json # or your preferred format, e.g. text, yaml
Named Profiles
The AWS CLI supports the use of named profiles. Named profiles allow you to configure multiple sets of credentials and switch between them as needed. To configure a named profile, open a Terminal window and run the following command:
aws configure --profile <profile_name>
As with the default profile, you will be prompted to enter your AWS Access Key ID and AWS Secret Access Key. You can find your AWS Access Key ID and AWS Secret Access Key in the AWS Management Console. For more information, see Creating an IAM User in Your AWS Account.
Example
PS C:\Users\Graham> aws configure --profile test
AWS Access Key ID [None]: <access_key_id>
AWS Secret Access Key [None]: <access_key>
Default region name [None]: us-east-1
Default output format [None]: json
Listing Profiles
To list the profiles configured on your system, open a Terminal window and run the following command:
aws configure list-profiles
Example
PS C:\Users\Graham> aws configure list-profiles
default
profile1
profile2
Using Profiles
To use a named profile, open a Terminal window and run the following command:
aws --profile <profile_name> <command>
Alternatively, you can set the AWS_PROFILE environment variable to the name of the profile you wish to use. For example:
export AWS_PROFILE=<profile_name>
Or for Windows:
Set-Variable -Name AWS_PROFILE -Value <profile_name>
