Why Use an SDK?

SDKs are useful when your application needs to:

• Upload files to S3
• Read from DynamoDB
• Send messages to SQS
• Invoke Lambda functions
• Manage AWS resources dynamically

AWS CloudShell

AWS also provides CloudShell, which is essentially a terminal running in the cloud and accessible directly from the AWS Console.

With CloudShell you can:

• Run AWS CLI commands without installing anything locally
• Access a pre-authenticated shell environment
• Execute scripts and automation tasks
• Manage AWS resources directly from your browser

CloudShell is useful when you need quick access to a terminal and don't want to install or configure the AWS CLI on your local machine.

CLI vs SDK

The CLI is intended for humans operating from a terminal, while SDKs are intended for applications and automation code.

Installing AWS CLI on macOS

brew install awscli

Verify the installation:

aws --version

Example output:

aws-cli/2.x.x Python/3.x.x Darwin/xx.x.x source/...

The output also shows the Python runtime version being used by the AWS CLI.

Configuring AWS CLI

Run:

aws configure

You will be prompted for:

AWS Access Key ID:
AWS Secret Access Key:
Default region name:
Default output format:

These credentials are stored locally and used whenever the CLI communicates with AWS.

Generating an Access Key

Steps

1. Sign in to the AWS Console.
2. Open IAM.
3. Select the IAM user.
4. Navigate to Security credentials.
5. Under Access keys, choose Create access key.
6. Download or securely copy:
   • Access Key ID
   • Secret Access Key

Important: The Secret Access Key is shown only once when it is created. Store it securely.

Security Best Practices

• Never commit credentials to source control.
• Rotate keys periodically.
• Follow the principle of least privilege.
• Use IAM roles whenever possible.
• Store secrets in a secure secret-management solution.

Conclusion

The AWS CLI and AWS SDKs provide powerful alternatives to the AWS Management Console.

• Use the AWS CLI when working from a terminal or automating tasks with scripts.
• Use an AWS SDK when building applications that need to interact with AWS services programmatically.
• Use AWS CloudShell when you want a browser-based terminal without installing anything locally.

Getting started is simple:

brew install awscli
aws --version
aws configure

After generating an access key from your IAM user, you'll be ready to manage AWS resources directly from your terminal or applications.