Amazon Simple Storage Service (Amazon S3)
AWS S3 Core Concepts
Demo Create Bucket using AWS CLI
In this guide, you’ll master using the AWS CLI to manage Amazon S3 buckets and objects. We’ll walk through listing buckets, creating buckets, copying and moving files, syncing directories, and cleaning up objects and buckets—all with practical examples.
Prerequisites
- AWS CLI v2 installed and configured with appropriate IAM permissions.
- Basic familiarity with your command-line interface (Windows, macOS, or Linux).
Note
If you haven’t installed the AWS CLI, follow the official AWS CLI installation guide.
Quick Reference: Common S3 Commands
| Operation | Command | Description |
|---|---|---|
| List all buckets | aws s3 ls | Show every S3 bucket in your AWS account |
| List bucket contents | aws s3 ls s3://BUCKET_NAME | Display objects in a specific bucket |
| Create a new bucket | aws s3 mb s3://BUCKET_NAME | Make a new bucket (region optional with --region) |
| Copy files | aws s3 cp SOURCE DESTINATION | Copy files between local and S3 or between buckets |
| Move files | aws s3 mv SOURCE DESTINATION | Move files (source deleted after successful copy) |
| Sync directories | aws s3 sync SOURCE DESTINATION | Mirror a directory (uploads only new or changed files) |
| Delete objects | aws s3 rm s3://BUCKET_NAME/OBJECT | Remove a single object |
| Delete a bucket | aws s3 rb s3://BUCKET_NAME | Remove a bucket (use --force to delete all objects first) |
1. Listing Buckets and Contents
1.1 List All Buckets
aws s3 ls
Example output:
2023-04-05 19:01:36 kk-demo-117
2023-04-05 19:02:15 kk-demo-files
2023-04-05 18:51:39 kk-static-demo
1.2 List Objects in a Bucket
aws s3 ls s3://kk-static-demo
Sample:
2023-04-05 18:52:06 458 404.html
2023-04-05 18:52:07 414 index.css
2023-04-05 18:52:07 1136 index.html
1.3 Recursive Listing
aws s3 ls s3://kk-static-demo --recursive
This shows all objects, including those in nested “folders.”
2. Creating a Bucket
Use mb (make bucket) and specify a region if needed:
aws s3 mb s3://kk-cli-demo1 --region us-east-1
Output:
make_bucket: kk-cli-demo1
Verify by listing buckets again:
aws s3 ls
3. Copying Files with cp
3.1 Local → S3
Upload a single file:
aws s3 cp file1 s3://kk-cli-demo1
Rename while uploading:
aws s3 cp file2 s3://kk-cli-demo1/secondfile.txt
3.2 S3 → Local
Download an object to your current directory:
aws s3 cp s3://kk-cli-demo1/secondfile.txt .
3.3 Bucket-to-Bucket Copy
aws s3 cp s3://kk-cli-demo1/file1 s3://kk-static-demo/file1
4. Moving Files with mv
The mv command copies then deletes the source.
4.1 Local → S3
aws s3 mv file3 s3://kk-cli-demo1
4.2 S3 → Local
aws s3 mv s3://kk-cli-demo1/file3 .
5. Copying Directories Recursively
To upload an entire folder:
aws s3 cp media/ s3://kk-cli-demo1 --recursive
Verify the structure:
aws s3 ls s3://kk-cli-demo1 --recursive
6. Deleting Objects
Remove a single file:
aws s3 rm s3://kk-static-demo/file1
Warning
Deleting objects is irreversible. Double-check the object key before running aws s3 rm.
7. Syncing Directories
Make the destination mirror your source directory:
aws s3 sync . s3://kk-cli-demo1
Only new or updated files are transferred.
8. Deleting a Bucket
Attempt to delete an empty bucket:
aws s3 rb s3://kk-cli-demo1
If the bucket isn’t empty, use:
aws s3 rb s3://kk-cli-demo1 --force
Links and References
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Practice Lab
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