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AWS CLI in Action: Automate Everything From Your Terminal ⚡🖥️


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yash Sonawane

“Imagine controlling all of AWS with just your keyboard.”

No endless clicking, no hunting through console tabs — just raw power, in your terminal.

Welcome to the AWS CLI (Command Line Interface) — your cloud command center. In this guide, we’ll unlock its full potential with real-world examples, beginner-friendly tips, and the exact commands to get you automating like a DevOps pro.

🤔 What Is the AWS CLI?

The AWS Command Line Interface lets you interact with AWS services using simple commands from your terminal.

It’s like talking directly to AWS without using the browser.

Real-world analogy: Think of the AWS Console as the iPhone app — nice UI. But AWS CLI is like using Siri for superpowers. Fast, precise, and fully scriptable.

🔧 Step 1: Install and Configure AWS CLI

✅ Install AWS CLI (v2 recommended)

  • On Mac: 
brew install awscli
  • On Ubuntu: 
sudo apt install awscli -y

✅ Configure It

You’ll need your AWS access keys:

aws configure

You’ll be prompted to enter:

  • AWS Access Key ID
  • AWS Secret Access Key
  • Default region (e.g., us-east-1)
  • Output format (choose json or table for readability)

Done? You’re ready to fly. 🚀

⚡ Real-World AWS CLI Commands You’ll Use Daily

🔍 Check Your Identity 

aws sts get-caller-identity

Great for validating your current credentials.

💾 S3: Upload & Download Files 

aws s3 cp mysite/index.html s3://my-bucket-name/
aws s3 sync ./website s3://my-bucket-name/

🔁 sync is your best friend for automated static site updates.

💻 EC2: Start, Stop, and Manage Instances 

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

☁ RDS: Check Database Status 

aws rds describe-db-instances

📦 Deploy a Lambda Function 

aws lambda create-function \
--function-name my-function \
--runtime nodejs18.x \
--handler index.handler \
--role arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/my-lambda-role \
--zip-file fileb://function.zip

💡 Pro Tip: Combine these with shell scripts or GitHub Actions to automate CI/CD pipelines!

🔁 Automate Like a Pro: Shell Scripts + AWS CLI

Here’s an example script to stop all EC2 instances in a specific region:

#!/bin/bash
for id in $(aws ec2 describe-instances \
  --query "Reservations[*].Instances[*].InstanceId" \
  --output text); do
  echo "Stopping instance $id..."
  aws ec2 stop-instances --instance-ids $id
done

This is how you go from manual admin to DevOps automation master.

🧠 Why Learn AWS CLI?

Benefit Why It Matters
🚀 Speed One command > 10 clicks
🔄 Automation Script repeatable tasks
📦 CI/CD Perfect for DevOps pipelines
🧪 Scripting Combine with Bash, Python, or cron jobs
🤖 API Control Under the hood of all AWS SDKs

🛡 Security Tips

  • Never hard-code credentials in scripts
  • Use IAM roles with aws sts assume-role
  • Rotate access keys regularly
  • Use AWS profiles for multi-account setups: 
aws configure --profile dev

🧪 Try These Challenges

  • ✅ Upload your portfolio to S3 using the CLI
  • ✅ Write a script to back up logs to S3 every day
  • ✅ Start and stop EC2 based on time of day (cron + CLI)
  • ✅ Describe all Lambda functions in your region

Want the step-by-step for any of these? Just ask in the comments!

💬 Join the CLI Movement!

The AWS CLI isn’t just a tool — it’s a superpower. Once you master it, you’ll never want to go back to the web console again.

👇 What’s your favorite AWS CLI trick? Got a script that changed your workflow?

Drop it in the comments, smash ❤ if you learned something new, and share this with your terminal-loving friends!

Let’s automate the cloud — one command at a time. 🧡


This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Yash Sonawane