Install awscli with Homebrew, chocolatey, apt, dnf, Nix, zypper, scoop

Project links

• Homepage
• Repository
• Upstream docs
• Package manager page

Commands and aliases

• aws
• aws_completer

Project history

The public `aws/aws-cli` repository was created in November 2012 and the 1.0.0 tag was cut in September 2013. Version 1 established the familiar Python-based command structure, shared AWS config and credentials files, profiles, output formats, and generated service commands that made AWS automation feel like a regular Unix tool.

AWS CLI v2 was previewed publicly with the `2.0.0dev0` tag in November 2018 and tagged 2.0.0 in February 2020. The v2 package became the preferred install target for the main AWS CLI docs and Homebrew formula, while v1 continued as a compatibility line for workflows pinned to the Python package ecosystem or older behavior.

Adoption history

The AWS CLI became infrastructure plumbing because it is the AWS-native denominator shared by developers, CI jobs, shell scripts, and operational runbooks. Its adoption tracks both AWS service growth and package-manager culture: Homebrew, Linux distro packages, Chocolatey, Scoop, Nix, and vendor installers all expose an `aws` command that users expect to be available on fresh machines.

AWS announced a v1 maintenance transition in 2024: v1 enters maintenance mode on February 1, 2026, reaches end-of-support on July 31, 2027, and users are directed toward v2 for ongoing feature work. That split is why package collections commonly carry both `awscli` and an explicit v1 package.

How it is used

Common usage is interactive and scripted: configure credentials with `aws configure`, select profiles with `--profile` or `AWS_PROFILE`, call service subcommands such as `aws s3`, `aws ec2`, and `aws sts`, and pipe JSON output through tools like `jq`. The shared config file normally lives at `~/.aws/config`, while long-lived credentials and session material normally live at `~/.aws/credentials`.

The CLI also serves as an authentication substrate for other tools in this batch. awscurl, awslogs, and AWSume all either read the same shared files or help produce/export credentials used by the AWS CLI and SDK credential chain.

Why package nerds care

AWS CLI is a packaging stress test: it has high release velocity, a large generated command surface, platform-specific installers, shell completion, and a v1/v2 compatibility split. Package maintainers care about it because many downstream tools assume the `aws` executable exists, while users care about whether their package manager delivers v2, legacy v1, or both.

It is also one of the clearest examples of cloud vendors turning APIs into package-manager-distributed command-line infrastructure. Installing `awscli` is often the first step in bootstrapping an AWS workstation or CI image.

Timeline

• 2012: Public GitHub repository `aws/aws-cli` created.
• 2013: AWS CLI 1.0.0 tag cut.
• 2018: AWS CLI v2 developer preview tag `2.0.0dev0` published.
• 2020: AWS CLI v2 2.0.0 tag cut.
• 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 v1 is the legacy major line packaged by Homebrew as `awscli@1`.
• AWS SDK for Python (Boto3/Botocore) supplies the Python AWS client and model ecosystem that underpins much of the v1-era command generation.
• awscurl, awslogs, and AWSume are companion command-line tools that reuse AWS credentials, profiles, or service semantics.

Sources

• https://api.github.com/repos/aws/aws-cli
• https://api.github.com/repos/aws/aws-cli/git/tags/b824720aa0c766c39ee2c6039f25e9425ddf4498
• https://api.github.com/repos/aws/aws-cli/git/tags/ec5534a7194f2def0b80dcf9291ab1d78fcf11d7
• https://api.github.com/repos/aws/aws-cli/git/tags/ed249f078fc585d3ed4878bb2535697622091b4a
• https://aws.amazon.com/blogs/developer/cli-v1-maintenance-mode-announcement/
• https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/cli-configure-files.html
• https://github.com/aws/aws-cli