AWS CLI Configuration Guide

Junior Mbogning
Junior Mbogning
AWS CLI Configuration Guide

Introduction

AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) is a unified tool that allows you to manage your AWS services from the comand line. This guide will take you step-by-step through the installation and configuration of AWS CLI.

Prerequisites

  • An active AWS account
  • AWS credentials (Access Key ID and Secret Access Key)
  • A Linux operating system
  • Administrative rights on your machine
  1. Checking the existing installation

Before proceeding with a new installation, check whether AWS CLI is already installed

aws --version

2. Installing AWS CLI

On Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt-get update

sudo apt-get install unzip curl

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

unzip awscliv2.zip

sudo ./aws-cli-install

3. Initial configuration

Configuring AWS CLI requires four main pieces of information

aws configure

You will be asked to enter :

  1. AWS Access Key ID
  2. AWS Secret Access Key
  3. Default region name (e.g. eu-west-3 for Paris)
  4. Default output format (recommended : json)

Structure of the configuration file :

~/.aws/credentials : Stores your credentials

~/.aws/config : Stores the general configuration

# ~/.aws/credentials
[default]
aws_access_key_id = YOUR_ACCESS_KEY
aws_secret_access_key = YOUR_SECRET_KEY

# ~/.aws/config
[default]
region = eu-west-3
output = json

4. Checking the configuration

To check that your configuration is correct :

aws sts get-caller-identity

The command should return your AWS identity information :

image

5. Good safety practice

  1. Regular key rotation: Change your access keys regularly
  2. Minimum permissions: Use the principle of least privilege
  3. Multifactor Authentication (MFA): Enable two-factor authentication
  4. Multiple profiles: Use different profiles for different accounts

Configuring multiple profiles

aws configure --profile prod
aws configure --profile dev

Use of a specific profile :

aws s3 ls --profile prod

Conclusion

AWS CLI is a powerful tool for managing your AWS resources. Correct configuration is essential for secure and efficient use. Don’t forget to keep your credentials up to date and to follow good security practices.

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