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Most Popular AWS CLI Commands Every Developer Should Know

The AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) is one of the most powerful tools in a developer’s workflow. Whether you’re managing infrastructure, deploying applications, or automating cloud operations, the AWS CLI provides direct access to AWS services from your terminal.

For developers working with DevOps, backend systems, cloud-native applications, or automation pipelines, mastering the AWS CLI is essential.

This article covers the most commonly used AWS CLI commands and practical examples for real-world usage.

Why Use AWS CLI?

While the AWS Console is user-friendly, the CLI offers:

  • Faster workflows
  • Automation capabilities
  • Scriptable deployments
  • CI/CD integration
  • Infrastructure management at scale

For serious cloud work, CLI proficiency separates beginners from professionals.

1. Authentication & Configuration

Before using AWS CLI, you must configure your credentials.

Configure AWS Credentials

aws configure

You’ll be prompted for:

  • AWS Access Key ID
  • AWS Secret Access Key
  • Default region
  • Output format (json/table/text)

Verify Current Identity

aws sts get-caller-identity

This is one of the most useful debugging commands. It tells you exactly which IAM user or role you’re authenticated as.

2. S3 Commands (Most Frequently Used)

Amazon S3 is one of the most widely used AWS services.

List All Buckets

aws s3 ls

List Objects in a Bucket

aws s3 ls s3://my-bucket

Upload a File

aws s3 cp file.txt s3://my-bucket/

Upload a Folder Recursively

aws s3 cp my-folder s3://my-bucket/ --recursive

Sync Local Folder with S3

aws s3 sync ./local-folder s3://my-bucket

The sync command is especially powerful for deployments and backups.

3. EC2 Commands

Managing virtual servers through CLI is extremely efficient.

List EC2 Instances

aws ec2 describe-instances

Start an Instance

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

Stop an Instance

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

These are commonly used in automation scripts.

4. Lambda Commands

Serverless development often relies heavily on CLI operations.

List Lambda Functions

aws lambda list-functions

Invoke a Function

aws lambda invoke \
  --function-name my-function \
  output.json

Update Function Code

aws lambda update-function-code \
  --function-name my-function \
  --zip-file fileb://function.zip

This is essential for CI/CD pipelines.

5. IAM Commands

Identity and Access Management controls permissions in AWS.

List IAM Users

aws iam list-users

List IAM Roles

aws iam list-roles

Understanding IAM via CLI is critical for security-focused teams.

6. RDS Commands

For database management:

List RDS Instances

aws rds describe-db-instances

This helps monitor production databases programmatically.

7. Output Formatting & Querying (Advanced)

AWS CLI becomes powerful when combined with filtering.

Output as Table

aws ec2 describe-instances --output table

Query Specific Data

aws ec2 describe-instances \
  --query "Reservations[*].Instances[*].InstanceId"

This uses JMESPath filtering and is extremely useful in automation.

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