Lab: Installing AWS CLI and EB CLI

Goal

Install and configure the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) and Elastic Beanstalk CLI (EB CLI) tools for deploying applications to AWS.

Learning Objectives

• Install the AWS CLI on your operating system
• Configure AWS credentials for CLI access
• Install the Elastic Beanstalk CLI using pip
• Verify both CLI tools are working correctly
• Understand the difference between AWS CLI and EB CLI

Pre-requisites

• An AWS account (free tier is sufficient)
• Python 3.8+ installed (for EB CLI)
• Administrator access to your computer

Background

The AWS CLI is a unified tool to manage AWS services from the command line. It allows you to control multiple AWS services, automate tasks through scripts, and is essential for DevOps workflows.

The EB CLI is specifically designed for Elastic Beanstalk, providing commands to create, configure, and deploy applications to AWS Elastic Beanstalk environments.

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Tasks

Task 1: Install AWS CLI

Windows

1. Download the AWS CLI MSI installer:

   # Run in PowerShell as Administrator
   msiexec.exe /i https://awscli.amazonaws.com/AWSCLIV2.msi

2. Or download manually from: https://aws.amazon.com/cli/

3. Restart your terminal after installation.

4. Verify installation:

   aws --version
   # Expected: aws-cli/2.x.x Python/3.x.x Windows/10 ...

macOS

# Using Homebrew (recommended)
brew install awscli

# Verify installation
aws --version

Linux

curl "https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-exe-linux-x86_64.zip" -o "awscliv2.zip"
unzip awscliv2.zip
sudo ./aws/install
aws --version

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Task 2: Configure AWS Credentials

1. Log in to the AWS Console and navigate to IAM → Users → Your User → Security Credentials

2. Create an Access Key (if you don't have one):

   • Click "Create access key"
   • Select "Command Line Interface (CLI)"
   • Download the credentials (you won't see them again!)

3. Run the configuration command:

   aws configure

4. Enter your credentials when prompted:

   AWS Access Key ID [None]: YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID
   AWS Secret Access Key [None]: YOUR_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
   Default region name [None]: us-east-1
   Default output format [None]: json
   

5. Verify your configuration:

   aws sts get-caller-identity

   Expected output:

   {
       "UserId": "AIDAEXAMPLE12345",
       "Account": "123456789012",
       "Arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/your-username"
   }

⚠️ Security Warning: Never share or commit your AWS credentials. They provide full access to your AWS account!

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Task 3: Install EB CLI

The EB CLI is installed using Python's pip package manager.

1. Verify Python is installed:

   python --version
   # Expected: Python 3.8 or higher

2. Install EB CLI:

   pip install awsebcli --upgrade

3. If you get a permission error:

   pip install --user awsebcli --upgrade

4. Add to PATH (if eb command is not found):

   First, find the install location:

   pip show awsebcli
   # Look for the "Location" line

   The eb executable is in the Python Scripts folder. On Windows, this is typically:

   C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python3xx\Scripts
   

   Add this to your system PATH (see Hints below).

5. Restart your terminal, then verify:

   eb --version
   # Expected: EB CLI 3.x.x (Python 3.x.x)

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Task 4: Test Both CLIs

1. Test AWS CLI by listing S3 buckets:

   aws s3 ls
   # Shows your S3 buckets (may be empty)

2. Test EB CLI by checking available platforms:

   eb platform list
   # Shows available Elastic Beanstalk platforms

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Hints

Hint 1: Adding to PATH on Windows

Via GUI:

1. Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, press Enter
2. Click Advanced tab → Environment Variables
3. Under "User variables", select Path → Click Edit
4. Click New → Paste the Scripts folder path
5. Click OK on all dialogs
6. Restart your terminal

Via PowerShell (as Administrator):

$scriptsPath = "C:\Users\YourName\AppData\Roaming\Python\Python3xx\Scripts"
$currentPath = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "$currentPath;$scriptsPath", "User")

Hint 2: Common EB CLI Installation Issues

Issue	Solution
'eb' is not recognized	Add Python Scripts folder to PATH
Permission errors	Use pip install --user awsebcli
Python not found	Install Python from python.org
pip not found	Run python -m pip install awsebcli

Hint 3: Alternative Installation with pipx

pipx automatically handles PATH for CLI tools:

pip install pipx
pipx install awsebcli
eb --version

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Expected Output

AWS CLI Version Check

$ aws --version
aws-cli/2.15.0 Python/3.11.6 Windows/10 exe/AMD64 prompt/off

AWS Identity Check

$ aws sts get-caller-identity
{
    "UserId": "AIDAEXAMPLE12345",
    "Account": "123456789012",
    "Arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/trainee"
}

EB CLI Version Check

$ eb --version
EB CLI 3.25.3 (Python 3.12.0)

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Deliverables

1. Screenshot showing aws --version output
2. Screenshot showing aws sts get-caller-identity output
3. Screenshot showing eb --version output

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Stretch Goals

• Create a named AWS profile for a different region
• Explore aws configure list to see all configured settings
• Run eb init in an empty folder to see the interactive setup

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Resources

• AWS CLI Installation Guide
• EB CLI Installation Guide
• AWS CLI Configuration