How to use the command 'aws' (with examples)

The ‘aws’ command is the official CLI tool for Amazon Web Services. It provides a command-line interface that allows users to interact with various AWS services and manage their resources. This article will illustrate different use cases of the ‘aws’ command with examples of each command.

Use case 1: Configure the AWS Command-line

Code:

aws configure wizard

Motivation: The ‘aws configure wizard’ command is used to configure the AWS Command-line using a configuration wizard. This command prompts the user to enter their AWS access key ID, secret access key, default region, and default output format. It simplifies the process of setting up the AWS CLI by guiding the user through the configuration process.

Explanation: The ‘aws configure wizard’ command starts a configuration wizard that helps users set up the AWS Command-line. It requires no additional arguments.

Example output:

AWS Access Key ID [None]: XXXXXXXX
AWS Secret Access Key [None]: XXXXXXXX
Default region name [None]: us-west-2
Default output format [None]:

Use case 2: Configure the AWS Command-line using SSO

Code:

aws configure sso

Motivation: The ‘aws configure sso’ command is used to configure the AWS Command-line using Single Sign-On (SSO). This command simplifies the configuration process for users who authenticate using SSO. It prompts the user to authenticate using their SSO credentials and sets up the necessary configurations to use SSO for subsequent AWS CLI commands.

Explanation: The ‘aws configure sso’ command starts the configuration process for the AWS Command-line using Single Sign-On (SSO). It prompts the user to sign in using their SSO credentials and selects the SSO start URL and region. It requires no additional arguments.

Example output:

Please sign-in using your AWS Single Sign-On profile credentials.

SSO start URL [None]:
Region [None]:

Use case 3: See help text for the AWS command

Code:

aws command help

Motivation: The ‘aws command help’ command is used to see the help text for a specific AWS command. It provides detailed information about the command, including its usage, available options, and examples. This command is useful when users need assistance or want to explore all the capabilities of a specific AWS command.

Explanation: The ‘aws command help’ command displays the help text for a specific AWS command. It requires the command name as an argument. For example, ‘aws s3 help’ displays the help text for the ‘aws s3’ command.

Example output:

This command provides a list of available subcommands and a brief description for each subcommand. Use "aws s3 help" to see a complete list of subcommands or "aws s3 <subcommand> help" to see details of a specific subcommand.

Use case 4: Get the caller identity

Code:

aws sts get-caller-identity

Motivation: The ‘aws sts get-caller-identity’ command is used to get the caller identity, which can be helpful for troubleshooting permissions issues. It provides information about the AWS account ID, user ARN, and user principal ID associated with the current credentials. This command is useful when users need to verify their identity or investigate permissions-related errors.

Explanation: The ‘aws sts get-caller-identity’ command retrieves the caller identity associated with the current credentials. It requires no additional arguments.

Example output:

{
    "Account": "123456789012",
    "UserId": "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
    "Arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/username"
}

Use case 5: List AWS resources in a region and output in YAML

Code:

aws dynamodb list-tables --region us-east-1 --output yaml

Motivation: The ‘aws dynamodb list-tables’ command is used to list all the DynamoDB tables in a specific AWS region. By specifying the region and output format as YAML, the command returns a YAML-formatted list of DynamoDB tables. This command is useful when users want to retrieve a structured list of their DynamoDB tables in a specific region.

Explanation: The ‘aws dynamodb list-tables’ command lists all the DynamoDB tables in a specified region. The ‘–region’ option is used to specify the AWS region. The ‘–output’ option is used to specify the output format, which can be ‘json’, ‘yaml’, ’text’, or ’table’ (default is ‘json’).

Example output:

Tables:
- Table1
- Table2
- Table3

Use case 6: Use auto prompt to help with a command

Code:

aws iam create-user --cli-auto-prompt

Motivation: The ‘aws iam create-user’ command is used to create an IAM user in AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM). By using the ‘–cli-auto-prompt’ option, the command automatically prompts the user to enter the required parameters, such as the user name. This command simplifies the user creation process by providing interactive prompts.

Explanation: The ‘aws iam create-user’ command creates an IAM user. The ‘–cli-auto-prompt’ option enables auto prompts, allowing the user to interactively enter the required parameters.

Example output:

You are about to create a new user with name "username". Is this correct? [yes]: yes
{
    "User": {
        "Path": "/",
        "UserName": "username",
        "UserId": "XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX",
        "Arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/username",
        "CreateDate": "2022-01-01T12:00:00Z"
    }
}

Use case 7: Get an interactive wizard for an AWS resource

Code:

aws dynamodb wizard new_table

Motivation: The ‘aws dynamodb wizard new_table’ command is used to create a new DynamoDB table using an interactive wizard. This command guides the user through the process of specifying the table name, primary key schema, and other configuration options. It simplifies the table creation process by providing an interactive and guided experience.

Explanation: The ‘aws dynamodb wizard new_table’ command starts an interactive wizard for creating a new DynamoDB table. It requires no additional arguments.

Example output:

Welcome to the DynamoDB table creation wizard.

Enter the name of the table you want to create.
Table name [None]: MyTable

Enter the primary key schema for the table.

Use case 8: Generate a JSON CLI Skeleton

Code:

aws dynamodb update-table --generate-cli-skeleton

Motivation: The ‘aws dynamodb update-table’ command is used to update an existing DynamoDB table. By using the ‘–generate-cli-skeleton’ option, the command generates a JSON skeleton that can be used as a starting point for updating the table configuration. This command is useful when users want to modify the table configuration and need a template to work with.

Explanation: The ‘aws dynamodb update-table’ command updates an existing DynamoDB table. The ‘–generate-cli-skeleton’ option generates a JSON CLI skeleton that represents the current table configuration.

Example output:

{
    "TableName": "",
    "ProvisionedThroughput": {
        "ReadCapacityUnits": 0,
        "WriteCapacityUnits": 0
    }
}

Conclusion:

In this article, we explored various use cases of the ‘aws’ command, which is the official CLI tool for Amazon Web Services. The examples provided demonstrated how to configure the AWS Command-line, retrieve the caller identity, list AWS resources in a region, and more. The ‘aws’ command is a powerful tool that allows users to manage their AWS resources and interact with AWS services through the command-line interface.