AWS CLI (Command Line Interface) (original) (raw)

Last Updated : 19 May, 2026

AWS CLI is a command-line tool that allows you to manage and interact with AWS services directly from your terminal. After configuring it with your AWS credentials, you can automate tasks and control cloud resources efficiently through scripts.

• Enables management of AWS services without using the web console, providing direct control from your command line.
• Allows repetitive tasks to be executed via scripts, reducing manual intervention and improving efficiency.
• Simplifies operations such as launching EC2 instances, managing EBS volumes, and handling S3 buckets from a single interface.
• Provides consistent commands across various AWS services for easier learning and consistent workflows.
• Supports JSON, text, and table output formats for easy parsing and readability.

Working of AWS CLI

AWS CLI provides a unified command structure that facilitates efficient management of AWS resources. Key aspects include:

• **Configuration: Users configure the CLI with AWS credentials (Access Key and Secret Key) and default region, enabling secure access to their AWS account.
• **Command Execution: Allows execution of commands for a wide range of operations, including launching instances, managing storage, and monitoring resources.
• **Scripting and Automation: Supports scripting for automating repetitive tasks and integrating with other tools and services.

Installing AWS CLI

Method 1: Using Package Managers (Recommended for Most Users)

AWS CLI is available through native package managers on most operating systems. These installations are quick and straightforward, though version availability may depend on your distribution.

**Linux (Debian-based)

sudo apt update
sudo apt install awscli

**Linux (RHEL-Based)

sudo dnf install awscli

or for older systems:

sudo yum install awscli

**mac OS (Homebrew)

brew install awscli

**Windows (Windows Package Manager)

winget install awscli

**Verify Installation

aws --version

**Note: While package manager versions are convenient, AWS recommends installing from official AWS distribution points for guaranteed latest features and updates. If you require the latest version, use Method 2 below.

Method 2: Using Official AWS Installer (Recommended for Latest Version)

For the most up-to-date version, download directly from AWS.

**Step 1: Download the Installer

For macOS

curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/AWSCLIV2.pkg" -o "AWSCLIV2.pkg"

For Linux

curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"

**Step 2: Run the Installer

For Linux

unzip awscliv2.zip
sudo ./aws/install

For macOS

sudo installer -pkg AWSCLIV2.pkg -target /

**Step 3: Verify Installation

aws --version

Method 3: Using pip (Python Package Manager)

If you have Python installed, you can use pip:

For Python 3

pip3 install awscli --upgrade --user

Verify installation

aws --version

**Step 4: Configure AWS CLI

Configure with your AWS credentials (Access Key and Secret Key) by running:

aws configure

You will be prompted to enter:

• AWS Access Key ID
• AWS Secret Access Key
• Default region (e.g., us-east-1, ap-south-1)
• Output format (e.g., json, text, table)

AWS Console Vs AWS CLI

The following are the differences between AWS Console and AWS CLI:

AWS Shell Vs AWS CLI

The following are the differences between AWS Shell and AWS CLI:

AWS CLI Vs AWS SDK

The following are the differences between AWS Console, AWS CLI, and AWS SDK:

Setting Up AWS CLI with AWS Services

Step 1: Create an IAM User

Log in to the AWS Console, search for IAM, and create a new IAM user with appropriate permissions:

• Navigate to Users and click Add user.
• Enter a username and select Access Key as the credential type.
• Assign Administrator Access permissions.
• Click Create user to complete the process.

AWS Console

IAM Dashboard

Adding IAM user

Setting Username and Password

Assigning Administration Access

Creating user

Successful Creation

Step 2: Configure AWS CLI

Configure with your AWS credentials (Access Key and Secret Key) by running:

aws configure

You will be prompted to enter:

• AWS Access Key ID
• AWS Secret Access Key
• Default region (e.g., us-east-1, ap-south-1)
• Output format (e.g., json, text, table)

Using AWS CLI with EC2, EBS, and S3

Create an EC2 Instances

aws ec2 run-instances \
--image-id ami-xxxxxxxx \
--count 1 \
--instance-type t3.micro \
--key-name MyKeyPair \
--security-group-ids sg-xxxxx \
--subnet-id subnet-xxxxx

**Note: Replace ami-xxxxxxxx with your AMI ID, sg-xxxxx with your security group ID, MyKeyPair with your key pair name, and subnet-xxxxx with your subnet ID.

Creating EC2 Instance

Create a Key Pair

aws ec2 create-key-pair --key-name vivek1

Key Pair Creation

Create an EBS Volume

aws ec2 create-volume \
--volume-type gp2 \
--size 8 \
--availability-zone ap-south-1a

EBS Volume

Attach EBS Volume to EC2 Instance

aws ec2 attach-volume
--volume-id vol-1234567890abcdef0
--instance-id i-01474ef662b89480
--device /dev/sdf

Attaching EBS Volume

Adding Security Groups Using AWS CLI

aws ec2 create-security-group \
--group-name my-sg \
--description "My security group" \
--vpc-id vpc-f0e73c9b

Adding Security Groups

Create an S3 Bucket and Upload Objects

Create bucket

aws s3 mb s3://mybucket

Upload file

aws s3 cp localfile.txt s3://mybucket/

Make object publicly readable

aws s3api put-object-acl \
--bucket mybucket \
--key localfile.txt \
--acl public-read

List buckets

aws s3 ls

Uploading File

Made the File Public

AWS CLI Commands Reference

Configuration

aws configure

List Amazon S3

List S3 buckets

aws s3 ls

Copy file to S3

aws s3 cp localfile.txt s3://bucketname/

Create S3 bucket

aws s3 mb s3://mybucket

Delete S3 bucket

aws s3 rb s3://mybucket --force

Amazon EC2

List EC2 instances

aws ec2 describe-instances

Start EC2 instance

aws ec2 start-instances --instance-ids i-1234567890abcdef0

Stop EC2 instance

aws ec2 stop-instances --instance-ids i-1234567890abcdef0

AWS Lambda

List Lambda functions

aws lambda list-functions

Invoke Lambda function

aws lambda invoke --function-name myfunction out.txt

Amazon DynamoDB

Create DynamoDB table

aws dynamodb create-table \
--table-name mytable \
--attribute-definitions AttributeName=Id,AttributeType=S \
--key-schema AttributeName=Id,KeyType=HASH \
--provisioned-throughput ReadCapacityUnits=1,WriteCapacityUnits=1

AWS CloudFormation

List CloudFormation stacks

aws cloudformation list-stacks

Deploy CloudFormation stack

aws cloudformation deploy \
--template-file template.yaml \
--stack-name my-stack \
--capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM

Amazon RDS

List RDS instances

aws rds describe-db-instances

Features of AWS CLI

• **Unified Interface: Provides a consistent command structure for managing various AWS services.
• **Automation: Allows scripting and automation of repetitive tasks, enhancing efficiency and consistency.
• **Cross-Platform Compatibility: Works seamlessly on Windows, macOS, and Linux, ensuring flexibility across different environments.
• **Configuration Management: Supports profiles and configuration settings for customizing environments and managing multiple AWS accounts.
• **Multiple Output Formats: Offers JSON, text, and table formats for easy parsing and readability.