Getting familiar with the AWS CLI

The AWS CLI is a tool that allows you to interact with AWS services by issuing commands from your Terminal shell. Earlier in this chapter, we interacted with a few AWS services through the web-based AWS Management Console. While the web console is the easiest interface for new users to get familiar with AWS, it can be cumbersome to use during the software development process. With the AWS CLI tool, you get all of the same functionalities as the web console but at your fingertips in the Terminal shell, where most of your development tools reside. This way, your development process is more fluid without the context switching to and from the browser.

The AWS CLI is primarily distributed via the Python package manager; therefore, you need to install Python on your development machine first. Note that we will be using Python for the development of the projects as well. It is important that you install Python by following the instructions in order to ensure the compatibility of your development environment later.