Introduction

Overview

In this exercise, you will learn about the AWS CLI and use it to interact with AWS services.

AWS CLI

The AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) is an open-source tool that allows you to interact with AWS services using command-line shell commands. With a simple setup process, the AWS CLI will enable you to run commands that deploy functionality equivalent to that provided by the AWS Management Console in the browser.

AWS CLI supports the following command windows:

  • Linux shells – Use popular command window programs like bash, zsh and tcsh to run commands in Linux or macOS.
  • Windows command line – On Windows, run the command in the Windows command prompt (command prompt) or PowerShell.
  • Remotely – Run commands in an Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud (Amazon EC2) virtual machine through a command window such as PuTTY, SSH, or AWS Systems Manager.

All administration, management, and access to AWS resources in the AWS Management Console are available in the AWS API and CLI. New AWS features and services will be made available on the AWS Management Console via API and CLI immediately upon launch or within 180 days after that.

AWS CLI provides direct access to public APIs of AWS services. You can explore the capabilities of an AWS service with the AWS CLI and develop shell scripts to manage your resources. In addition to the API-equivalent low-level commands, many AWS services allow customizations on the AWS CLI. Customizations can include higher-level commands that simplify the use of services with complex APIs.