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aws s3 lsNotes
Uses the high-level S3 command set for quick interactive workflows.
AWS CLI S3 Cheat Sheet
High-level and low-level AWS CLI S3 commands for buckets, objects, sync, versioning, encryption, and presigned URLs.
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High-Level S3 Commands
Fast object and bucket workflows using `aws s3`.
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aws s3 ls s3://my-bucket/Notes
Useful for quick manual inspection of bucket contents.
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aws s3 cp ./app.log s3://my-bucket/logs/app.logNotes
The high-level `cp` command is convenient for common transfers.
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aws s3 cp s3://my-bucket/backups/db.dump ./db.dumpNotes
Downloads a single object to a local path.
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aws s3 cp ./dist s3://my-bucket/site/ --recursiveNotes
Frequently used for static site and artifact uploads.
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aws s3 sync ./public s3://my-bucket/public/Notes
Sync compares source and destination to transfer only needed changes.
Mirror local directory to S3 with deletes
Delete extra destination objects during sync.
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aws s3 sync ./public s3://my-bucket/public/ --deleteNotes
Be careful: removes destination objects that do not exist locally.
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aws s3 rm s3://my-bucket/tmp/data.csvNotes
Deletes the specified object key.
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aws s3 rm s3://my-bucket/tmp/ --recursiveNotes
Useful for cleanup tasks and invalidating temp output.
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aws s3 mv s3://my-bucket/tmp/file.txt s3://my-bucket/archive/file.txtNotes
Under the hood this is effectively copy plus delete.
S3API Bucket Commands
Low-level bucket management with `aws s3api`.
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aws s3api create-bucket --bucket my-bucket --region us-west-2 --create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=us-west-2Notes
Use `s3api` when you need explicit API-level control.
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aws s3api head-bucket --bucket my-bucketNotes
Common in scripts that verify access or existence.
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aws s3api get-bucket-location --bucket my-bucketNotes
Useful when troubleshooting region mismatch issues.
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aws s3api put-bucket-versioning --bucket my-bucket --versioning-configuration Status=EnabledNotes
Versioning protects against accidental overwrites and deletes.
Get bucket versioning state
Inspect the versioning configuration on a bucket.
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aws s3api get-bucket-versioning --bucket my-bucketNotes
Use this to confirm whether versioning is enabled or suspended.
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aws s3api put-bucket-encryption --bucket my-bucket --server-side-encryption-configuration '{"Rules":[{"ApplyServerSideEncryptionByDefault":{"SSEAlgorithm":"AES256"}}]}'Notes
Sets default encryption so new uploads inherit the policy automatically.
Get bucket encryption config
Read the default encryption settings on a bucket.
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aws s3api get-bucket-encryption --bucket my-bucketNotes
Useful in compliance and audit scripts.
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aws s3api put-public-access-block --bucket my-bucket --public-access-block-configuration BlockPublicAcls=true,IgnorePublicAcls=true,BlockPublicPolicy=true,RestrictPublicBuckets=trueNotes
Common baseline security setting for private buckets.
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aws s3api put-bucket-policy --bucket my-bucket --policy file://bucket-policy.jsonNotes
Use policy files for maintainable, reviewable access control.
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aws s3api delete-bucket --bucket my-bucketNotes
The bucket must be empty before deletion succeeds.
S3API Object Commands
Low-level object inspection and manipulation.
Upload an object with s3api
Put a single object using low-level API options.
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aws s3api put-object --bucket my-bucket --key docs/readme.txt --body ./README.mdNotes
Useful when you need API-level options not exposed in high-level `aws s3` commands.
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aws s3api get-object --bucket my-bucket --key backups/db.dump ./db.dumpNotes
Can expose metadata and range options in low-level workflows.
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aws s3api head-object --bucket my-bucket --key backups/db.dumpNotes
A very common way to confirm size, etag, storage class, and metadata.
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aws s3api copy-object --bucket my-bucket --copy-source source-bucket/path/file.txt --key copies/file.txtNotes
Useful when you need metadata directives or encryption options.
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aws s3api delete-object --bucket my-bucket --key tmp/file.txtNotes
Useful in scripts that already use low-level S3 API commands.
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aws s3api list-object-versions --bucket my-bucket --prefix app/Notes
Useful when recovering or auditing previous object states.
Delete a specific object version
Remove one version from a versioned bucket.
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aws s3api delete-object --bucket my-bucket --key app/config.json --version-id 3Lg..exampleNotes
Targets one specific version instead of the current latest version only.
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aws s3 presign s3://my-bucket/reports/monthly.pdf --expires-in 3600Notes
Useful for secure, time-limited sharing without changing bucket policies.
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