How to Install AWS CLI: Step-by-Step Guide

To install the AWS CLI, download the installer for your operating system from the official AWS website or use a package manager like pip for Python. After installation, verify it by running aws --version in your terminal or command prompt.

Syntax

The basic command to check if AWS CLI is installed is aws --version. To install AWS CLI, you use different commands depending on your operating system:

• Windows: Run the downloaded MSI installer.
• macOS: Use brew install awscli if Homebrew is installed.
• Linux: Use the bundled installer script or pip install awscli (for AWS CLI v1 only).

bash

aws --version

Example

This example shows how to install AWS CLI on macOS using Homebrew and verify the installation.

bash

brew install awscli
aws --version

Output

aws-cli/2.13.8 Python/3.11.4 Darwin/22.6.0 source/x86_64 prompt/off

Common Pitfalls

Common mistakes include:

• Not adding AWS CLI to your system PATH, so the command is not recognized.
• Using outdated installation methods or versions.
• Confusing AWS CLI v1 and v2 installers.

Always use the latest official installer or package manager commands.

bash

## Wrong: Using pip for AWS CLI v2 (not supported)
pip install awscli

## Right: Use official installer or package manager
# For macOS with Homebrew
brew install awscli

Quick Reference

Platform	Installation Method	Command or Link
Windows	MSI Installer	https://awscli.amazonaws.com/AWSCLIV2.msi
macOS	Homebrew	brew install awscli
Linux	Bundled Installer	curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"
Any OS	Python pip (v1 only)	pip install awscli

Key Takeaways

Use the official AWS CLI installer or package manager for your OS.

Verify installation by running 'aws --version' in your terminal.

Avoid using pip for AWS CLI version 2; it supports only version 1.

Ensure AWS CLI is added to your system PATH to run commands anywhere.

Keep AWS CLI updated to access the latest features and fixes.