AWS CLI Cheat Sheet

A quick reference for common AWS CLI commands.

Command	Description
`aws s3 ls`	List all S3 buckets.
`aws s3 ls s3://[bucket-name]`	List objects in a bucket.
`aws s3 mb s3://[bucket-name]`	Create an S3 bucket.
`aws s3 rb s3://[bucket-name]`	Delete an S3 bucket.
`aws s3 cp [file] s3://[bucket-name]`	Copy a file to an S3 bucket.
`aws s3 cp s3://[bucket-name]/[file] [destination]`	Copy a file from an S3 bucket.
`aws s3 mv [file] s3://[bucket-name]`	Move a file to an S3 bucket.
`aws s3 rm s3://[bucket-name]/[file]`	Delete a file from an S3 bucket.
`aws s3 sync [folder] s3://[bucket-name]`	Sync a folder with an S3 bucket.
`aws s3 presign s3://[bucket-name]/[file]`	Generate a presigned URL for a file.

Command	Description
`aws ec2 describe-instances`	Describe all EC2 instances.
`aws ec2 run-instances --image-id [ami-id] --instance-type [type] --key-name [key-name]`	Launch an EC2 instance.
`aws ec2 start-instances --instance-ids [instance-id]`	Start an EC2 instance.
`aws ec2 stop-instances --instance-ids [instance-id]`	Stop an EC2 instance.
`aws ec2 reboot-instances --instance-ids [instance-id]`	Reboot an EC2 instance.
`aws ec2 terminate-instances --instance-ids [instance-id]`	Terminate an EC2 instance.
`aws ec2 describe-vpcs`	Describe all VPCs.
`aws ec2 describe-subnets`	Describe all subnets.
`aws ec2 describe-security-groups`	Describe all security groups.
`aws ec2 create-key-pair --key-name [key-name]`	Create a new EC2 key pair.

Command	Description
`aws iam list-users`	List all IAM users.
`aws iam create-user --user-name [username]`	Create a new IAM user.
`aws iam delete-user --user-name [username]`	Delete an IAM user.
`aws iam list-roles`	List all IAM roles.
`aws iam create-role --role-name [rolename] --assume-role-policy-document file://[policy.json]`	Create a new IAM role.
`aws iam attach-role-policy --role-name [rolename] --policy-arn [policy-arn]`	Attach a policy to an IAM role.
`aws iam list-policies`	List all IAM policies.

Command	Description
`aws lambda list-functions`	List all Lambda functions.
`aws lambda invoke --function-name [function-name] [output-file]`	Invoke a Lambda function.
`aws lambda create-function --function-name [name] --runtime [runtime] --role [role-arn] --handler [handler] --zip-file fileb://[package.zip]`	Create a new Lambda function.
`aws lambda delete-function --function-name [function-name]`	Delete a Lambda function.
`aws lambda get-function-configuration --function-name [function-name]`	Get configuration for a Lambda function.

Command	Description
`aws cloudformation create-stack --stack-name [name] --template-body file://[template.yaml]`	Create a new CloudFormation stack.
`aws cloudformation update-stack --stack-name [name] --template-body file://[template.yaml]`	Update an existing CloudFormation stack.
`aws cloudformation delete-stack --stack-name [name]`	Delete a CloudFormation stack.
`aws cloudformation describe-stacks --stack-name [name]`	Describe a CloudFormation stack.
`aws cloudformation validate-template --template-body file://[template.yaml]`	Validate a CloudFormation template.

Command	Description
`aws logs describe-log-groups`	List all log groups.
`aws logs describe-log-streams --log-group-name [log-group-name]`	List log streams in a log group.
`aws logs get-log-events --log-group-name [log-group-name] --log-stream-name [log-stream-name]`	Get log events from a log stream.
`aws logs tail [log-group-name]`	Tail log events in real-time.

Command	Description
`aws sqs list-queues`	Lists all your SQS queues.
`aws sqs create-queue --queue-name [value]`	Creates a new queue.
`aws sqs get-queue-url --queue-name [value]`	Gets the URL of a queue.
`aws sqs send-message --queue-url [value] --message-body [value]`	Sends a message to a queue.
`aws sqs receive-message --queue-url [value]`	Receives one or more messages from a queue.
`aws sqs delete-message --queue-url [value] --receipt-handle [value]`	Deletes a message from a queue.
`aws sqs purge-queue --queue-url [value]`	Deletes all messages in a queue.
`aws sqs delete-queue --queue-url [value]`	Deletes a queue.

Command	Description
`aws sns create-topic --name [topic-name]`	Create a new SNS topic.
`aws sns list-topics`	List all SNS topics.
`aws sns delete-topic --topic-arn [topic-arn]`	Delete a topic.
`aws sns subscribe --topic-arn [topic-arn] --protocol [protocol] --notification-endpoint [endpoint]`	Create a subscription.
`aws sns confirm-subscription --topic-arn [topic-arn] --token [token]`	Confirm a subscription.
`aws sns list-subscriptions-by-topic --topic-arn [topic-arn]`	List subscriptions for a topic.
`aws sns unsubscribe --subscription-arn [subscription-arn]`	Remove a subscription.
`aws sns publish --topic-arn [topic-arn] --message [message]`	Publish a message to a topic.
`aws sns publish --phone-number [phone-number] --message [message]`	Send an SMS message directly.

Additional Information

Use aws configure to set up your credentials and default region.
Add --output json or --output text to format the output.
Use --query to filter results with JMESPath expressions.
Most commands support a --dry-run flag to simulate the command without actually running it.

Filtering Output: Use --filter (server-side) or --query (client-side with JMESPath) to refine results.
JMESPath: A powerful query language for JSON output. Learn more at https://jmespath.org/tutorial.html.
Configuration and Profiles: Manage multiple AWS accounts or roles using named profiles in ~/.aws/config and ~/.aws/credentials.
Automation and Scripting: The AWS CLI is excellent for automating tasks and can be integrated into scripts.
Command Completion: Enable tab completion for faster command-line usage.
Dry Run: Use --dry-run to simulate commands without execution.
Session Manager: Start interactive sessions on EC2 instances without SSH.
Aliases: Create aliases for frequently used commands.
Standard Input/Output Redirection: Use - to pipe data.