Installing AWS CLI on Ubuntu 24.04

February 24, 2025 rootlogic ubuntu aws

The AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) is a unified tool to manage your AWS services. This comprehensive guide covers installation, configuration, and practical usage.

Prerequisites

  • Ubuntu 24.04 system
  • User with sudo privileges
  • Internet connection
  • AWS account (for configuration)

Step 1: Update System Packages

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

sudo apt install -y unzip curl

Why these packages?

  • unzip: Required to extract AWS CLI archive
  • curl: Needed to download the installation file

Step 3: Download AWS CLI Package

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

Verification Tip: You can verify the download using SHA256 checksums:

curl -o awscliv2.sig https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip.sig
gpg --verify awscliv2.sig awscliv2.zip

Step 4: Extract the AWS CLI Package

unzip awscliv2.zip

Step 5: Install AWS CLI

sudo ./aws/install

Note: If you're updating an existing installation, use:

sudo ./aws/install --update

Step 6: Verify the Installation

aws --version

Step 7: Configure AWS CLI

aws configure

You'll need to enter:

  • AWS Access Key ID
  • AWS Secret Access Key
  • Default region name (e.g., us-east-1)
  • Default output format (json, text, or table)

Common AWS CLI Commands

Essential System Commands

# Get AWS CLI version
aws --version

# Get caller identity (who am I?)
aws sts get-caller-identity

# List available regions
aws ec2 describe-regions

Basic S3 Commands

# List all buckets
aws s3 ls

# Upload a file
aws s3 cp myfile.txt s3://my-bucket/

# Download a file
aws s3 cp s3://my-bucket/myfile.txt ./

# List contents of a bucket
aws s3 ls s3://my-bucket/

Basic EC2 Commands

# List all running instances
aws ec2 describe-instances --filters "Name=instance-state-name,Values=running"

# Start an instance
aws ec2 start-instances --instance-ids i-1234567890abcdef0

# Stop an instance
aws ec2 stop-instances --instance-ids i-1234567890abcdef0

# List all security groups
aws ec2 describe-security-groups

Basic IAM Commands

# List users
aws iam list-users

# List groups
aws iam list-groups

# List access keys for a user
aws iam list-access-keys --user-name myuser

Advanced Configuration

Configuration Profiles

Create multiple profiles for different AWS accounts:

aws configure --profile production
aws configure --profile development

Use specific profile:

aws s3 ls --profile production

Environment Variables

Add to your ~/.bashrc:

export AWS_PROFILE=production
export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-west-2

Advanced Usage Examples

S3 Operations

# Sync local directory with S3
aws s3 sync . s3://my-bucket/

# Copy with specific permissions
aws s3 cp myfile.txt s3://my-bucket/ --acl public-read

# List objects with specific prefix
aws s3 ls s3://my-bucket/folder/

EC2 Advanced Commands

# Get detailed instance information
aws ec2 describe-instances --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].[InstanceId,State.Name,Tags[?Key==`Name`].Value[]|[0]]' --output table

# Create AMI from instance
aws ec2 create-image --instance-id i-1234567890abcdef0 --name "My-Server-Backup-$(date +%Y%m%d)"

# List all volumes
aws ec2 describe-volumes --query 'Volumes[*].{ID:VolumeId,Size:Size,State:State,Type:VolumeType}'

Using AWS CLI with jq

# Install jq
sudo apt install jq

# Example: Format instance list
aws ec2 describe-instances | jq '.Reservations[].Instances[].InstanceId'

# Example: Get specific tag values
aws ec2 describe-instances | jq '.Reservations[].Instances[] | {id: .InstanceId, name: (.Tags[]|select(.Key=="Name").Value)}'

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Credentials Issues

# Check credentials file
cat ~/.aws/credentials

# Check config file
cat ~/.aws/config

Permission Problems

# Fix permissions
chmod 600 ~/.aws/credentials
chmod 600 ~/.aws/config

Command Completion

# Enable command completion
complete -C '/usr/local/bin/aws_completer' aws

Security Best Practices

  • Use IAM roles instead of access keys when possible
  • Regularly rotate access keys
  • Never commit credentials to version control
  • Use separate profiles for different environments
  • Enable MFA for CLI operations when possible
  • Monitor CloudTrail for CLI activities
  • Use AWS CLI profiles to prevent accidents

Cleanup

Remove installation files:

rm -rf aws awscliv2.zip

Additional Tips

  • Use the --dry-run flag to test commands without making changes
  • Utilize the --query parameter to filter results
  • Save common commands as shell aliases
  • Keep the AWS CLI updated for new features
  • Use the help command for detailed information: aws help