Skip to main content

Key Pair

The best way to learn AWS CLI commands is to keep the official docs open while doing labs.

AWS CLI EC2 Key Pair Commands​

describe-key-pairs​

Lists key pairs.

describe-key-pairs documentation

Example:

aws ec2 describe-key-pairs \
  --region us-east-1

create-key-pair​

Creates a new key pair.

create-key-pair documentation

Example:

aws ec2 create-key-pair \
  --key-name datacenter-kp \
  --key-type rsa \
  --region us-east-1

Save the private key:

aws ec2 create-key-pair \
  --key-name datacenter-kp \
  --key-type rsa \
  --query 'KeyMaterial' \
  --output text \
  > datacenter-kp.pem

delete-key-pair​

Deletes a key pair.

delete-key-pair documentation

Example:

aws ec2 delete-key-pair \
  --key-name datacenter-kp \
  --region us-east-1

EC2 Key Pair Concepts​

AWS EC2 User Guide:

Amazon EC2 key pairs documentation

This explains:

  • RSA vs ED25519
  • Public/private key cryptography
  • How SSH authentication works
  • Importing existing keys
  • Creating keys through Console and CLI

AWS CLI Fundamentals​

If you're serious about learning AWS through the terminal, this guide is worth reading once from start to finish:

AWS CLI User Guide

Focus on:

  • Configuration (aws configure)
  • Profiles
  • Regions
  • Output formats (json, table, text)
  • JMESPath queries (--query)

A Useful Habit​

For any AWS resource in your labs:

  1. Create it in the Console once.
  2. Find the equivalent CLI command in the docs.
  3. Recreate it with the CLI.
  4. Later, learn the Terraform resource for it.

That progression (Console → CLI → Terraform) is how many DevOps engineers become comfortable with AWS.