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How to Install AWS CLI on Linux: A Practical Guide

How to Install AWS CLI on Linux: A Practical Guide

The AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) is a powerful tool that lets you manage your AWS services directly from the terminal. For teams and individual developers who work predominantly on Linux servers or workstations, a reliable Linux install of the AWS CLI streamlines deployment, automation, and day-to-day cloud operations. This guide walks you through the most reliable method for a Linux installation, explains alternatives, and offers practical tips to keep your setup secure and up to date. If you’re looking for a precise, repeatable process for the AWS CLI Linux install, you’re in the right place.

Why install the AWS CLI on Linux?

The AWS CLI provides a consistent interface across many AWS services, enabling you to script infrastructure tasks, run quick checks, and integrate AWS actions into CI/CD pipelines. On Linux, where many developers host services, containers, and automation tasks, the AWS CLI Linux install is a natural fit. The tool supports both a quick start for common tasks and advanced features like named profiles, output formats, and region configuration, all accessible from the command line.

Prerequisites for a smooth AWS CLI Linux install

  • A supported 64-bit Linux distribution (for example Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Fedora, Amazon Linux 2). Some environments also support ARM 64-bit (arm64) if you use the proper installer package.
  • Basic command-line familiarity, including the use of sudo for privileged operations.
  • Network access to download the installer and access to AWS endpoints when you begin to configure credentials.
  • Essential utilities such as curl or wget, unzip or a similar decompression tool, and a working shell (bash is common on most Linux systems).

Recommended method: AWS CLI v2 bundled installer

The most robust and portable approach for the Linux install is the AWS CLI v2 bundled installer. It does not depend on Python, making it a straightforward install across many distributions. This method covers both x86_64 and aarch64 (arm64) Linux environments. Follow these steps to perform the AWS CLI Linux install cleanly and consistently.

1) Prepare your system

Open your terminal and install prerequisite tools if they are not already present. You can use your distribution’s package manager to install curl and unzip. For example, on Debian/Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y curl unzip

On RHEL/CentOS/Amazon Linux 2:

sudo yum install -y curl unzip

2) Detect your architecture and download the appropriate installer

Use the following commands to identify architecture and fetch the correct AWS CLI installer. This ensures the AWS CLI Linux install works smoothly on both x86_64 and arm64 systems.

arch=$(uname -m)

if [ "$arch" = "x86_64" ]; then
  ZIP_FILE="awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip"
elif [ "$arch" = "aarch64" ]; then
  ZIP_FILE="awscli-exe-linux-aarch64.zip"
else
  echo "Unsupported architecture: $arch"
  exit 1
fi

curl -O https://awscli.amazonaws.com/$ZIP_FILE

3) Unzip and run the installer

Unzip the downloaded package and run the installation script with elevated privileges. The installer places the aws binary into standard system locations, typically under /usr/local/bin, so you can run aws from any directory.

unzip $ZIP_FILE
sudo ./aws/install

4) Verify the installation

Check that the AWS CLI is correctly installed and report its version. This also confirms that the binary is accessible from your PATH.

aws --version

You should see output similar to: aws-cli/2.x.x Python/3.x.x Linux/… Botocore/…

5) Clean up and optional tweaks

Optionally remove the installer ZIP file and the extracted directory to keep your system tidy. The aws command will usually be enough for regular usage, but cleaning helps keep servers uncluttered in production environments.

rm $ZIP_FILE
rm -rf awscli-exe-linux-*/  # adjust if a different extraction layout was used

Alternative method: AWS CLI v1 via package managers (not preferred for new projects)

Some Linux distributions offer older AWS CLI versions through standard package managers. AWS CLI v1 is still available on certain distros, but it is deprecated in favor of AWS CLI v2. If you are maintaining legacy scripts or environments that require v1, you can install it through your package manager, noting that you may miss newer features and improvements.

  • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt-get install awscli (installs AWS CLI v1)
  • RHEL/CentOS/Amazon Linux: sudo yum install awscli or dnf install awscli

After installation, verify with aws --version to confirm the version and keep in mind that AWS CLI v1 will not receive the same feature updates as v2.

Configuration: getting started with the AWS CLI on Linux

Once the AWS CLI is installed, configure your credentials, default region, and output format. This setup applies to both AWS CLI Linux install methods, but it is especially essential for the bundled installer to function with your AWS accounts and environments.

aws configure

You will be prompted to enter:

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

These details are stored in the file ~/.aws/credentials and ~/.aws/config. If you manage multiple accounts or roles, you can create named profiles and switch between them as needed, which is a common practice in professional environments.

Best practices for a reliable AWS CLI Linux install

  • Keep the AWS CLI up to date: the bundled installer facilitates straightforward updates. Run a new download and install when a new version is released to ensure you have the latest features and security improvements.
  • Use separate profiles for different environments (development, staging, production) to minimize risk and improve traceability in logs and automation scripts.
  • Limit permissions of the credentials used by the AWS CLI to the minimum required for your tasks, following the principle of least privilege.
  • Enable command-line completion to speed up workflows and reduce errors. For Linux shells like bash, you can follow the AWS CLI docs to enable completion for your shell version.
  • Automate the AWS CLI upgrade in your configuration management or CI/CD pipelines to ensure consistency across servers.

Troubleshooting common issues during the AWS CLI Linux install

  • Permission denied when running sudo: confirm your user is in the sudoers group and that you entered the correct password.
  • Insufficient dependencies: ensure unzip and curl are installed before starting the installer.
  • Unsupported architecture: verify your system architecture with uname -m and download the corresponding installer package.
  • Command not found after install: verify that /usr/local/bin is in your PATH or re-login to refresh the shell environment.

Verification and basic usage after installation

After a successful Linux install of the AWS CLI, you can run a quick command to list your S3 buckets, which both tests authentication and ensures the tool can access AWS services:

aws s3 ls

If you see a list of buckets (or an access denied response depending on your credentials), your AWS CLI Linux install is functioning and integrated with your AWS account.

Security considerations and maintenance

Security begins with credentials management. Keep your access keys secure, rotate them periodically, and use IAM roles or SSO where possible for automated workflows. Regularly audit your scripts that call AWS services and monitor for any unusual activity. When you perform the AWS CLI Linux install on shared or production systems, consider using configuration management tools (like Ansible, Chef, or Puppet) to enforce consistent installation and versioning across hosts.

Conclusion: a reliable, scalable path for the AWS CLI Linux install

The AWS CLI Linux install, especially via the bundled v2 installer, provides a robust, Python-free path to a modern command-line interface for AWS. By following the steps outlined here—preparing your system, selecting the appropriate architecture, using the bundled installer, and configuring credentials—you can establish a repeatable, scalable setup that works across diverse Linux environments. Whether you’re deploying cloud scripts, managing infrastructure, or integrating AWS tasks into CI pipelines, the AWS CLI Linux install is a practical starting point that aligns with best practices for security, maintainability, and performance. If you repeat this process with modern Linux hosts, you’ll find that the setup remains stable, predictable, and ready for whatever your cloud projects demand in the weeks and months ahead.