Install awscli@1 with Homebrew, chocolatey, apt, dnf, Nix, zypper

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

No executable aliases were found in the local package database.

Project history

The v1 line began in the same `aws/aws-cli` repository as the main CLI. The repository was created in 2012 and the 1.0.0 release tag was cut in September 2013, establishing the `aws` executable, service subcommands, shared config and credentials files, and a generated interface over AWS service models.

AWS CLI v1 remained the default AWS CLI for years and continued to receive release tags after v2 became available. By late 2025, the repository was still cutting 1.x release tags, but AWS' official lifecycle announcement moved the line into a legacy role.

Adoption history

v1 spread through Python packaging and operating-system package managers because it was easy to install into development machines, servers, and CI images. Many long-running scripts, docs, and wrapper tools still assume v1-era behavior, which is why package managers expose a versioned package rather than only replacing it with v2.

AWS announced that CLI v1 enters maintenance mode on February 1, 2026, and reaches end-of-support on July 31, 2027. That lifecycle makes `awscli@1` useful as a compatibility package, not the forward-looking default.

How it is used

AWS CLI v1 is used like the modern CLI: `aws configure`, `aws --profile NAME`, and service subcommands such as `aws s3` and `aws sts`. It reads the same shared config and credentials files documented by AWS, normally `~/.aws/config` and `~/.aws/credentials` on Unix-like systems.

The practical reason to install `awscli@1` is compatibility: pinning scripts, environments, or plugins that have not yet been moved to AWS CLI v2.

Why package nerds care

The formula is a clean example of package-manager major-version coexistence. The executable name is still `aws`, but the package name advertises that the user is opting into a legacy major line with a published support clock.

For package nerds, the interesting bit is not novelty but preservation: keeping old automation reproducible while the vendor's main installation path moves on.

Timeline

• 2012: Public GitHub repository `aws/aws-cli` created.
• 2013: AWS CLI 1.0.0 tag cut.
• 2020: AWS CLI v2 2.0.0 tag cut, creating the long-term v1/v2 split.
• 2025: AWS CLI 1.44.0 tag cut, showing ongoing v1 releases before maintenance mode.
• 2026: AWS CLI v1 scheduled to enter maintenance mode on February 1.
• 2027: AWS CLI v1 scheduled to reach end-of-support on July 31.

Related projects

• AWS CLI v2 is the successor major line packaged by Homebrew as `awscli`.
• Botocore and Boto3 are the Python AWS SDK pieces most closely associated with the v1 ecosystem.
• AWSume, awscurl, and awslogs consume the same shared AWS credential/profile conventions.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/aws/aws-cli
• https://api.github.com/repos/aws/aws-cli/git/tags/7dc8d4f613a5b0d6d0fe80977bbcb13662bf6b55
• https://api.github.com/repos/aws/aws-cli/git/tags/b824720aa0c766c39ee2c6039f25e9425ddf4498
• https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/developer/cli-v1-maintenance-mode-announcement/
• https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/v1/userguide/cli-configure-files.html
• https://github.com/aws/aws-cli