Using profiles for multiple accounts in AWS - Step-by-Step Execution

Process Flow - Using profiles for multiple accounts

Create profile1 with account1 creds

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Create profile2 with account2 creds

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Use AWS CLI with --profile profile1

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Commands run on account1

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Use AWS CLI with --profile profile2

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Commands run on account2

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Switch profiles anytime to access different accounts

Set up separate profiles for each AWS account, then specify the profile when running commands to work with that account.

Execution Sample

AWS

[default]
aws_access_key_id=AKIA...
aws_secret_access_key=...

[profile1]
aws_access_key_id=AKIA1...
aws_secret_access_key=...

[profile2]
aws_access_key_id=AKIA2...
aws_secret_access_key=...

This config file defines credentials for default, profile1, and profile2 to access multiple AWS accounts.

Process Table

Step	Command	Profile Used	Account Accessed	Result
1	aws s3 ls --profile profile1	profile1	Account1	Lists S3 buckets in Account1
2	aws ec2 describe-instances --profile profile1	profile1	Account1	Shows EC2 instances in Account1
3	aws s3 ls --profile profile2	profile2	Account2	Lists S3 buckets in Account2
4	aws ec2 describe-instances --profile profile2	profile2	Account2	Shows EC2 instances in Account2
5	aws s3 ls	default	Default Account	Lists S3 buckets in default account
6	aws s3 ls --profile unknown	unknown	None	Error: Profile not found

💡 Execution stops when an invalid or unknown profile is used, causing an error.

Status Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 3	After Step 5	Final
profile_used	none	profile1	profile2	default	unknown
account_accessed	none	Account1	Account2	Default Account	None (error)

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why do commands fail when using a profile name not defined in the config?

Because the AWS CLI looks for credentials under the given profile name and cannot find them, causing an error as shown in step 6 of the execution table.

How does specifying --profile change which AWS account the command talks to?

The --profile option tells AWS CLI which set of credentials to use, so commands run under that profile access the corresponding AWS account, as seen in steps 1 and 3.

What happens if you run AWS CLI commands without specifying a profile?

The CLI uses the default profile credentials, accessing the default account, as shown in step 5.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, which profile is used to list S3 buckets in Account2?

A default

B profile1

C profile2

D unknown

💡 Hint

Check step 3 in the execution table where 'aws s3 ls --profile profile2' lists buckets in Account2.

At which step does the AWS CLI return an error due to an unknown profile?

A Step 4

B Step 6

C Step 5

D Step 2

💡 Hint

Look at the last row in the execution table where the profile 'unknown' causes an error.

If you remove the default profile from the config, what happens when you run 'aws s3 ls' without --profile?

A Returns an error for missing default profile

B Lists buckets in profile2 account

C Lists buckets in profile1 account

D Lists buckets in the last used profile

💡 Hint

Refer to variable_tracker and key moment about default profile usage when no --profile is specified.

Concept Snapshot

AWS CLI profiles let you store credentials for multiple accounts.
Use the config file to define profiles with keys.
Run commands with --profile to choose account.
Without --profile, default profile is used.
Invalid profile names cause errors.

Full Transcript

Using AWS CLI profiles allows you to manage multiple AWS accounts by storing their credentials under different profile names in the config file. When you run AWS CLI commands, you specify which profile to use with the --profile option. This tells the CLI which account to access. If you omit --profile, the CLI uses the default profile. If you use a profile name not defined, the CLI returns an error. This way, you can switch between accounts easily by changing the profile used in your commands.