How Do I Clear The Credentials In AWS Configure ?

Last Updated : 21 Feb, 2024

AWS Configure is a command-line tool provided by Amazon Web Services’s command line interface (CLI) that allows users to configure their AWS CLI credentials, such as access keys, secret keys, default region, output format, etc. You can interact with numerous AWS services directly from your terminal with the help of AWS Configure. use the CLI by setting up the AWS configuration so that users can automate repetitive tasks by using scripting.

Features of AWS Configuration

Credentials Management: AWS Configure can securely store credentials like AWS access key ID and secret key required to use the CLI
Flexibility in Regions: It defines the default region for your AWS resources, however, user can override this region as per their need. in which region they want to use their resources.
Options in Output Format: Offers options for JSON, text, and table output formats, customizing information display to your preferences. the default output format is text.
Cost Monitoring: Enabling configuration helps users track resource usage and optimize spending. It can help identify anomalies in cost where unnecessary charges are being applied.

Basic Examples of AWS Configuration

Initiating the AWS Configuration

aws configure --profile profile_name

If you don’t specify the –profile option, it will configure the default profile. Otherwise, it will configure the profile specified by the profile name.

Setting up keys in AWS Configure

aws configure set aws_access_key_id YOUR_ACCESS_KEY
aws configure set aws_secret_access_key YOUR_SECRET_KEY

Replace YOUR_ACCESS_KEY, YOUR_SECRET_KEY with your actual AWS access key, AWS secret key

Note: These commands are used when you want to modify your AWS access key and secret key

Setting the Default output Format

use the below command to set the default output format for CLI commands

aws configure --default output format json

Change the default output format using

aws configure set default_output_format table

Selecting the Output as per command

Below command will override your selected default output format

aws ec2 describe-instances --output table

Configuring a profile:

This will create a new profile named myprofile with its own credentials and default region.

aws configure set profile demoprofile


AWS Access Key ID for profile demoprofile [REQUIRED]: YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID_FOR_MYPROFILE
AWS Secret Access Key for profile demoprofile [REQUIRED]: YOUR_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY_FOR_MYPROFILE
Default region name for profile demoprofile: YOUR_REGION_NAME

Step By Step Procedure to Clear the credentials in aws configure?

Step 1: Open the terminal of your linux machine

Note: Here in these article we have using ec2 instance to demonstrate the practical

Step 2: Make sure that you have installed the aws cli

Step 3: Now use the following command to view your aws configure credentials

command1

sudo cat /root/.aws/credentials

Step 4: Now to open these file into editor use following command

edit

sudo vi /root/.aws/credentials

click i keyboard button to go into insert mode to edit this file

Step 5: Then clear these aws_access_key_id and aws_secret_access_key

save

click esc button and type :wq! to save the file

Step 6: To verify whether credentials cleared or not use following command

we can see that credentials are empty in aws configure

verify

  /usr/local/bin/aws configure list

you can use “aws configure” command to set the credentials again.

Advantages

Easy of Use: AWS configure provides a simple and user-friendly way to set up AWS credentials and configurations.
Flexibility: It allows you to set up multiple profiles with different configurations, making it easy to work with multiple AWS accounts or IAM roles.
Automation: Enables integration with scripting tools for automating tasks and managing infrastructure efficiently.
Security: AWS Configure securely stores your AWS access key and secret access key. It encrypts these credentials and stores them in a configuration file named as /.aws/credentials with restricted permissions, enhancing security.
Remote Access: AWS Configure helps to access AWS resources from anywhere with internet access, even without the web console.

Disadvantages

Limited Configurations: Only sets basic options like credentials, region, and output format.
Credential Risk: Misconfiguration or accidental exposure of credentials can lead to security breaches.
Limited Control: AWS Configure may not offer complete control over certain settings or configurations, requiring users to manual editing of configuration files for advanced customization.
Version Control Challenge: Configuration changes made through aws configure are stored locally on the user’s machine. This makes it difficult to track changes, maintain version control, and enforce configuration standards across teams or environments.

Applications of AWS Configure

Infrastructure Management: Automate resource creation and configuration using scripts that uses AWS configure for authentication and setting up region settings.
Profile Management: AWS configure allows users to set up multiple profiles with different configurations. this particularly useful for users who work with multiple AWS accounts, regions etc.
Integration with other AWS Tools: AWS Configure integrates with other AWS CLI tools and services, such as AWS S3, AWS Lambda, AWS EC2 etc.
Hybrid Cloud Environments: AWS configure can be used in hybrid cloud environments where AWS services are integrated with on-premises infrastructure or other cloud providers By configuring AWS CLI settings through AWS configure, users can easily multiple workflows across different cloud provider environments.

Conclusion

In this way, we have gone through of what exactly AWS Configure is and in easy step by step explanation of how we can clear the credentials in AWS configure.