Build and install the AWS CLI from source

If Autotools is not already installed in your environment or you need to update them, then follow the installation instructions found in How do I install the Autotools (as user)? or Basic Installation in the GNU documentation .

Since Windows does not come with a POSIX-compliant shell, you need to install additional software to install the AWS CLI from source. MSYS2 provides a collection of tools and libraries to help build and install Windows software, especially for the POSIX-based scripting that Autotools uses.

Install MSYS2. For information on installing and using MSYS2, see the install and usage instructions in the MSYS2 Documentation .

Open the MSYS2 terminal and install autotools using the following command.

$ pacman -S autotools

PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash  -lc "command example" 

PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash  -lc "./configure" 

A Python 3.8 or later interpreter is installed. The minimum Python version required follows the same timelines as the official Python support policy for AWS SDKs and Tools . An interpreter is only supported 6 months after its end-of-support date.

(Optional) Install all build and runtime Python library dependencies of the AWS CLI. The ./configure command informs you if you are missing any dependencies and how to install them.

You can automatically install and use these dependencies through configuration, see Downloading dependencies for more information.

Step 2: Configuring the AWS CLI source installation

Configuration for building and installing the AWS CLI is specified using the configure script. For the documentation of all configuration options, run the configure script with the --help option:

$ ./configure --help

PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash -lc "./configure --help" 

Install location

The source installation of the AWS CLI uses two configurable directories to install the AWS CLI:

libdir - Parent directory where the AWS CLI will be installed. The path to the AWS CLI installation is <libdir-value> /aws-cli . The default libdir value for Linux and macOS is /usr/local/lib making the default installation directory /usr/local/lib /aws-cli

bindir - Directory where the AWS CLI executables are installed. The default location is /usr/local/bin .

The following configure options control the directories used:

--prefix - Sets the directory prefix to use for the installation. The default value for Linux and macOS is /usr/local .

--libdir - Sets the libdir to use for installing the AWS CLI. The default value is <prefix-value>/lib . If both --libdir and --prefix are not specified, the default for Linux and macOS is /usr/local/lib/ .

--bindir - Sets the bindir to use for installing the AWS CLI aws and aws_completer executables. The default value is <prefix-value>/bin . If both bindir and --prefix are not specified, the default for Linux and macOS is /usr/local/bin/ .

The following command example uses the --prefix option to do a local user install of the AWS CLI. This command installs the AWS CLI in $HOME/.local/lib/aws-cli and the executables in $HOME/.local/bin :

$ ./configure --prefix=$HOME/.local

The following command example uses the --libdir option to install the AWS CLI as an add-on application in the /opt directory. This command installs the AWS CLI at /opt/aws-cli and the executables at their default location of /usr/local/bin .

$ ./configure --libdir=/opt

The following command example uses the --prefix option to do a local user install of the AWS CLI. This command installs the AWS CLI in $HOME/.local/lib/aws-cli and the executables in $HOME/.local/bin :

$ C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash -lc "./configure --prefix='C:\Program Files\AWSCLI'" 

The following command example uses the --libdir option to install the AWS CLI as an add-on application in the /opt directory. This command installs the AWS CLI at C:\Program Files\AWSCLI\opt\aws-cli .

Python interpreter

The ./configure script automatically selects an installed Python 3.8 or later interpreter to use in building and running the AWS CLI using the AM_PATH_PYTHON Autoconf macro.

The Python interpreter to use can be explicitly set using the PYTHON environment variable when running the configure script:

$ PYTHON=/path/to/python ./configure

PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash -lc "PYTHON='C:\path\to\python' ./configure"

Downloading dependencies

By default, it is required that all build and runtime dependencies of the AWS CLI are already installed on the system. This includes any Python library dependencies. All dependencies are checked when the configure script is run, and if the system is missing any Python dependencies, the configure script errors out.

The following code example errors out when your system is missing dependencies:

$ ./configure 
checking for a Python interpreter with version >= 3.8... python
checking for python... /Users/username/.envs/env3.11/bin/python
checking for python version... 3.11
checking for python platform... darwin
checking for GNU default python prefix... ${prefix}
checking for GNU default python exec_prefix... ${exec_prefix}
checking for python script directory (pythondir)... ${PYTHON_PREFIX}/lib/python3.11/site-packages
checking for python extension module directory (pyexecdir)... ${PYTHON_EXEC_PREFIX}/lib/python3.11/site-packages
checking for --with-install-type... system-sandbox
checking for --with-download-deps... Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<frozen runpy>", line 198, in _run_module_as_main
  File "<frozen runpy>", line 88, in _run_code
  File "/Users/username/aws-code/aws-cli/./backends/build_system/__main__.py", line 125, in <module>
    main()
  File "/Users/username/aws-code/aws-cli/./backends/build_system/__main__.py", line 121, in main
    parsed_args.func(parsed_args)
  File "/Users/username/aws-code/aws-cli/./backends/build_system/__main__.py", line 49, in validate
    validate_env(parsed_args.artifact)
  File "/Users/username/aws-code/aws-cli/./backends/build_system/validate_env.py", line 68, in validate_env
    raise UnmetDependenciesException(unmet_deps, in_venv)
validate_env.UnmetDependenciesException: Environment requires following Python dependencies:
awscrt (required: ('>=0.12.4', '<0.17.0')) (version installed: None)
We recommend using --with-download-deps flag to automatically create a virtualenv and download the dependencies.
If you want to manage the dependencies yourself instead, run the following pip command:
/Users/username/.envs/env3.11/bin/python -m pip install --prefer-binary 'awscrt>=0.12.4,<0.17.0'
configure: error: "Python dependencies not met."

    
PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash -lc "./configure" 
checking for a Python interpreter with version >= 3.8... python
checking for python... /Users/username/.envs/env3.11/bin/python
checking for python version... 3.11
checking for python platform... darwin
checking for GNU default python prefix... ${prefix}
checking for GNU default python exec_prefix... ${exec_prefix}
checking for python script directory (pythondir)... ${PYTHON_PREFIX}/lib/python3.11/site-packages
checking for python extension module directory (pyexecdir)... ${PYTHON_EXEC_PREFIX}/lib/python3.11/site-packages
checking for --with-install-type... system-sandbox
checking for --with-download-deps... Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "<frozen runpy>", line 198, in _run_module_as_main
  File "<frozen runpy>", line 88, in _run_code
  File "/Users/username/aws-code/aws-cli/./backends/build_system/__main__.py", line 125, in <module>
    main()
  File "/Users/username/aws-code/aws-cli/./backends/build_system/__main__.py", line 121, in main
    parsed_args.func(parsed_args)
  File "/Users/username/aws-code/aws-cli/./backends/build_system/__main__.py", line 49, in validate
    validate_env(parsed_args.artifact)
  File "/Users/username/aws-code/aws-cli/./backends/build_system/validate_env.py", line 68, in validate_env
    raise UnmetDependenciesException(unmet_deps, in_venv)
validate_env.UnmetDependenciesException: Environment requires following Python dependencies:
awscrt (required: ('>=0.12.4', '<0.17.0')) (version installed: None)
We recommend using --with-download-deps flag to automatically create a virtualenv and download the dependencies.
If you want to manage the dependencies yourself instead, run the following pip command:
/Users/username/.envs/env3.11/bin/python -m pip install --prefer-binary 'awscrt>=0.12.4,<0.17.0'
configure: error: "Python dependencies not met."

To automatically install the required Python dependencies, use the --with-download-deps option. When using this flag, the build process does the following:

Skips the Python library dependencies check.

Configures the settings to download all required Python dependencies and use only the downloaded dependencies to build the AWS CLI during the make build.

The following configure command example uses the --with-download-deps option to download and use the Python dependencies:

$ ./configure --with-download-deps

PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash -lc "./configure --with-download-deps"

system-sandbox - (Default) Creates an isolated Python virtual environment, installs the AWS CLI into the virtual environment, and symlinks to the aws and aws_completer executable in the virtual environment. This install of the AWS CLI depends directly on the selected Python interpreter for its runtime.

This is a lightweight install mechanism to get the AWS CLI installed on a system and follows best Python practices by sandboxing the installation in a virtual environment. This installation is intended for customers that want to install the AWS CLI from source in the most frictionless way possible with the installation coupled to your installation of Python.

portable-exe - Freezes the AWS CLI into a standalone executable that can be distributed to environments of similar architectures. This is the same process used to generate the official pre-built executables of the AWS CLI. The portable-exe freezes in a copy of the Python interpreter chosen in the configure step to use for the runtime of the AWS CLI. This allows it to be moved to other machines that may not have a Python interpreter.

This type of builds is useful because you can ensure your AWS CLI installation isn't coupled to the environment's installed Python version and you can distribute a build to other system that may not already have Python installed. This enables you to control the dependencies and security on the AWS CLI executables you

To configure the installation type, use the --with-install-type option and specify a value of portable-exe or system-sandbox .

The following ./configure command example specifies a value of portable-exe :

$ ./configure --with-install-type=portable-exe

PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash -lc "./configure --with-install-type=portable-exe"

Step 3: Building the AWS CLI

Use the make command to build the AWS CLI using your configuration settings:

$ make

PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash -lc "make"

The following command example installs the AWS CLI using your configuration and build settings:

$ make install

The following command example installs the AWS CLI using your configuration and build settings, then adds an environment variable with the path for the AWS CLI:

PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash -lc " make install "
PS C:\> $Env: PATH +=";C:\Program Files\AWSCLI\bin\"

The make install rule supports the DESTDIR variable. When specified, this variable prefixes the specified path to the already configured installation path when installing the AWS CLI. By default, no value is set for this variable.

The following code example uses a --prefix=/usr/local flag for configuring an install location, and then alters that destination using DESTDIR= /tmp/stage for the make install command. These commands result in the AWS CLI being installed at /tmp/stage/ usr/local/lib/aws-cli and its executables located in /tmp/stage/ usr/local/bin .

$ ./configure --prefix=/usr/local
$ make
$ make DESTDIR=/tmp/stage install

The following code example uses a --prefix=\awscli flag for configuring an install location, and then alters that destination using DESTDIR= C:\Program Files for the make install command. These commands result in the AWS CLI being installed at C:\Program Files \awscli .

$ ./configure --prefix=\awscli
$ make
$ make DESTDIR='C:\Program Files' install

$ aws --version
aws-cli/2.15.30 Python/3.11.6 Windows/10 exe/AMD64 prompt/off

$ cd path/to/cli/respository/
$ ./configure
$ make
$ make install

Download the awscli.tar.gz file, extract, and install the AWS CLI. When using the following commands, replace the following paths:

The following code example automates building and installing the AWS CLI from PowerShell using MSYS2, and specifies which local install of Python to use:

PS C:\> curl -o awscli.tar.gz https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli.tar.gz  #  Download the awscli.tar.gz file in the current working directory
PS C:\> tar -xvzf .\awscli.tar.gz #  Extract awscli.tar.gz file
PS C:\> cd .\awscli-2.x.x\ #  Navigate to the root of the extracted files
PS C:\> $env:CHERE_INVOKING = 'yes' #  Preserve the current working directory
PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash  -lc " PYTHON='C:\path\to\python.exe' ./configure --prefix='C:\Program Files\AWSCLI' --with-download-deps " 
PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash  -lc "make"
PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash  -lc "make install"
PS C:\> $Env:PATH +=";C:\Program Files\AWSCLI\bin\"
PS C:\> aws --version
aws-cli/2.15.30 Python/3.11.6 Windows/10 source-sandbox/AMD64 prompt/off

Download the awscli.tar.gz file, extract, and install the AWS CLI. When using the following commands, replace the following paths:

C:path\to\cli\repository\ with the path to your cloned AWS CLI repository from GitHub . For more information, see Fork a repo in the GitHub

PYTHON='C:\path\to\python.exe' with your local Python path.

PS C:\> cd C:path\to\cli\repository\
PS C:\> $env:CHERE_INVOKING = 'yes' #  Preserve the current working directory
PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash  -lc " PYTHON='C:\path\to\python.exe' ./configure --prefix='C:\Program Files\AWSCLI' --with-download-deps " 
PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash  -lc "make"
PS C:\> C:\msys64\usr\bin\bash  -lc "make install"
PS C:\> $Env:PATH +=";C:\Program Files\AWSCLI\bin\"
PS C:\> aws --version

FROM python:3.8-alpine AS builder
ENV AWSCLI_VERSION=2.10.1
RUN apk add --no-cache \
    curl \
    make \
    cmake \
    gcc \
    g++ \
    libc-dev \
    libffi-dev \
    openssl-dev \
    && curl https://awscli.amazonaws.com/awscli-${AWSCLI_VERSION}.tar.gz | tar -xz \
    && cd awscli-${AWSCLI_VERSION} \
    && ./configure --prefix=/opt/aws-cli/ --with-download-deps \
    && make \
    && make install
FROM python:3.8-alpine
RUN apk --no-cache add groff
COPY --from=builder /opt/aws-cli/ /opt/aws-cli/
ENTRYPOINT ["/opt/aws-cli/bin/aws"]

$ docker build --tag awscli-alpine .
$ docker run --rm -it awscli-alpine --version
aws-cli/2.2.1 Python/3.8.11 Linux/5.10.25-linuxkit source-sandbox/x86_64.alpine.3 prompt/off