What Is The Difference Between The AWS Boto And Boto3 ?

AWS offers vast services from compute power to storage, machine learning and easier deployment of applications, interacting with these services programmatically is essential for automating tasks, managing resources, and configuring infrastructure. For this purpose, AWS introduced boto and boto3 two Python libraries. Boto and Boto3 libraries help developers do these tasks programmatically and use the full potential of AWS services.

Difference Between The AWS boto And boto3

The following is the difference between AWS boto and boto3 software.

AWS boto	AWS boto3
Released in 2006 as the first AWS SDK for Python.	Introduced in 2015, it is the next-generation AWS SDK for Python.
It has an operation-based API design and it is less consistent.	Boto3 has an object-oriented API design also called a resources-oriented API design.
It is typically used for limited interaction with AWS services through client objects.	Boto3 can be used to interact with AWS services like resource objects, EC2 instances, S3 buckets, and DynamoDB tables.
Boto provides basic error-handling capabilities but the error messages are less actionable	Boto3 improves error handling features with more informative error messages and exceptions.
Boto has an active community of users and contributors and very few community-driven projects.	Boto3 has gained more popularity over time and has a larger community
Boto is still in use and may be suitable for certain use cases.	Boto3 is recommended for interacting with AWS services for its community support, ongoing updates and support from AWS.
Boto3 offers broader coverage of AWS services.	Boto may have limitations in service coverage.
Boto documentation may lack certain details or examples.	Boto3 documentation may be more comprehensive and up-to-date.
Middleware integration in Boto is more limited or less flexible.	Boto3 offers better support for middleware or request/response processing.
Parameter validation in Boto is less rigorous.	Boto3 has strict parameter validation.

What Is AWS boto/boto3?

AWS boto /bot3 are Python libraries created and developed by AWS to interact with AWS services programmatically. These libraries can be used to automate tasks, and manage resources. By using these libraries AWS infrastructure can be managed by Python code. Boto was initially released in 2006 as the first AWS SDK. Boto provides a Python interface and uses low-level API calls for accessing AWS services.

In 2015 AWS introduced Boto3 as the next-generation AWS SDK for Python. Boto3 provides a user-friendly experience. It has improved API design, resource management, error handling, and support for new AWS services.

Installing Of AWS boto/boto3 On Windows

The following are steps for the installation of AWS boto and boto3 on top of windows operating system:

Step 1: To install Boto, Execute the following command in the terminal:

pip install boto

Step 2: To install Boto3, type the following command in the terminal:

pip install boto3

Step 3: After installation, you can verify that the Boto and Boto3 libraries are installed by running the following commands in the terminal.

• To check boto is installed type:

python -c "import boto; print(boto.__version__)"

Step 4: To check that boto3 is installed type:

python -c "import boto3; print(boto3.__version__)"

It prints the versions of Boto and Boto3 installed on the system, ensuring the installation was successful.

Installation Of AWS boto/boto3 On Ubuntu

The following are the steps for the installation of AWS boto/boto3 on Ubuntu:

• Step 1: Before installing AWS boto/boto3 on Ubuntu machine it’s a good practice to update package list. To update package list type this command on terminal:

sudo apt update

• Step 2: Make sure that python version 3 and pip version 9 installed.If you haven’t already installed them, you can do so by running the following command:

sudo apt install python3 python3-pip

• Step 3: Once Python3 and pip3 are installed, you can proceed to install Boto and Boto3 using pip3. To install boto type the following command on the terminal:

sudo pip install boto

• Step 4: To install boto3 type the following command on the terminal:

sudo pip install  boto3

• Step 5: To verify the installation is successful , for boto type:

pip show boto

• Step 6: To verify that boto3 is installed type :

pip show boto3

Installation Of AWS boto/boto3 On Redhat

The following are the steps for the installation of AWS boto/boto3 on Redhat:

Step 1: Open the terminal similar to Ubuntu, it’s important to update the package list on Red-Hat based system , to do so run the following command on the system:

sudo yum -y update

Step 2: Make sure that python version 3 and pip version 3 installed on your Red-Hat based system.If you haven’t already installed them, you can do so by running the following command:

sudo yum install python3
sudo yum install python3-pip

Step 3: Once Python3 and pip3 are installed, you can install Boto and Boto3 using pip3. To install boto type the following command:

sudo pip3 install boto 

Step 4: To install boto3 type the following command:

sudo pip3 install  boto3

Step 5: To verify the installation is successful , for boto type:

pip3 show boto

Step 6: To verify that boto3 is installed type :

pip3 show boto3

AWS boto And boto3 – FAQ’s

Are Boto And Boto3 Open Source Projects?

Yes, both Boto and Boto3 are open-source projects. Follow the link below for the official repository of AWS boto/boto3 available on Github.

Is There Any Security Vulnerabilities In Boto And Boto3?

AWS regularly monitors security vulnerabilities in Boto and Boto3. Users should always update to the latest versions to ensure they have the latest security patches.

Which Version Of Python Is Required To Use Boto And Boto3?

Both Boto and Boto3 support Python 2.7 and Python 3 above versions.

Are Boto And Boto3 Officially Supported By AWS?

Yes, Boto and Boto3 are officially supported by AWS. They are recommended SDKs for working with AWS services.