Another way to access the AWS environment is through the AWS Command-Line Interface (CLI). This is a powerful open source tool based on the AWS SDK for Python, which allows us to manage features of the AWS cloud straight from the Linux shell or Windows command line. The ability to use the CLI allows us to integrate the management of our AWS services with shell scripting such as Bash and PowerShell. This means that we can manage and automate our AWS infrastructure straight out of our instance operating systems with a standard shell script approach.

For instance, the AWS CLI can be used to provide existing configuration management or a continuous integration server so that you can access and manage the creation, deployment, scaling, and deletion of AWS instances and services from an on-premise location or from within the AWS environment. The AWS CLI can also be a powerful tool to use when doing proof of concept or development, since the ability to provision and configure AWS resources straight from the command line can make the process much faster. Saving CLI commands can make the process repeatable and immutable.