AWS CLI Aliases I Actually Use

I kept catching myself re‑typing the same long AWS CLI incantations—describe a stack, pick out outputs, map an instance Name tag to a private IP, allow my current public IP in a security group, etc. Instead of letting muscle memory waste more time, I collected the patterns into a single alias file. If you’ve never seen AWS CLI aliases before, the official docs give a quick primer: AWS CLI alias documentation.

What you see below is the alias file I personally use. It lives in my public project aws-toolbox, which also contains other small scripts/utilities to automate routine AWS Cloud tasks (think: convenience wrappers, safety helpers, formatting queries). This post is just a convenient way to browse the aliases inline—go to the repo if you want the canonical version or the rest of the tooling.

Core philosophy: type intent, not ceremony. aws whoami, aws cfn-outputs mystack, aws name-ip bastion, aws allow-my-ip bastion-sg tcp 22 — instant answers without recreating verbose filters each time.

Why Aliases for the AWS CLI?

The AWS CLI is powerful but often:

Commands are long (lots of flags and filtering options)
Output defaults are noisy / unstructured
You repeatedly perform the same describe → filter → extract flow

This alias file solves that by:

Wrapping high‑signal queries with readable names
Providing filtered, concise table output
Standardizing patterns for CloudFormation introspection
Speeding up day‑to‑day troubleshooting (identity, instance mapping, networking)
Making ephemeral security access (allow-my-ip) a one‑liner

Install

Fastest path (AWS CLI v2): copy the alias file locally.

mkdir -p ~/.aws/cli
# Create/overwrite the alias file and paste the contents from this post (or curl it):
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/towardsthecloud/aws-toolbox/main/cli/alias -o ~/.aws/cli/alias

That’s it. Invoke via the normal aws cli binary:

aws whoami
aws cfn-outputs myapp-prod
aws running-instances

The Alias File

Full file (kept in the repo). I keep the whole thing visible here so you can scan it or grab pieces selectively:

#  https://github.com/towardsthecloud/aws-toolbox
#  License: MIT
#
# This file allows you to run complex cli commands with easy to remember aliases.
#
# See https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/cli-usage-alias.html for more information about cli aliases.
#
# To install: copy this file to ~/.aws/cli/alias
# Alternatively create a symlink from this repository: ln -sf ~/aws-toolbox/cli/alias ~/.aws/cli/alias
# Usage: Use an alias in combination with the aws cli e.g. `aws whoami` to invoke the full command `aws sts get-caller-identity`
 
[toplevel]
 
whoami = sts get-caller-identity
 
#----------------#
# Cloudformation #
#----------------#
 
cfn = cloudformation
 
cfnls =
    !f() {
        aws cloudformation list-stacks
    }; f
 
cfn-list =
    !f() {
        aws cloudformation list-stacks \
            --query "StackSummaries[?StackStatus != 'DELETE_COMPLETE' && starts_with(StackName, '${1}')].{StackName: StackName, StackStatus: StackStatus, UpdateTime: LastUpdatedTime}" \
            --output table
    }; f
 
cfn-describe =
    !f() {
        if [ -z "$1" ]; then
            echo "usage: aws describe <stack_name>"
        else
            aws cloudformation describe-stacks --stack-name $1 \
            --output table
        fi
    }; f
 
cfn-outputs =
    !f() {
        if [ -z "$1" ]; then
            echo "usage: aws outputs <stack_name>"
        else
            aws cloudformation describe-stacks \
                --stack-name $1 \
                --query "Stacks[].Outputs[].{OutputKey: OutputKey, OutputValue: OutputValue}" \
                --output table
        fi
    }; f
 
cfn-resources =
    !f() {
        if [ -z "$1" ]; then
            echo "usage: aws resources <stack_name>"
        else
            aws cloudformation describe-stack-resources \
                --stack-name $1 \
                --query "StackResources[].{ResourceStatus: ResourceStatus, LogicalResourceId: LogicalResourceId, PhysicalResourceId: PhysicalResourceId}" \
                --output table
        fi
    }; f
 
cfn-events =
    !f() {
        if [ -z "$1" ]; then
            echo "usage: aws events <stack_name>"
        else
            aws cloudformation describe-stack-events \
                --stack-name $1 \
                --query "StackEvents[].[Timestamp,ResourceStatus,LogicalResourceId,ResourceStatusReason]" \
                --output table
        fi
    }; f
 
cfn-errors =
    !f() {
        if [ -z "$1" ]; then
            echo "usage: aws errors <stack_name>"
        else
            aws cloudformation describe-stack-events \
                --stack-name $1 \
                --query "StackEvents[?ResourceStatus=='CREATE_FAILED' || ResourceStatus=='UPDATE_FAILED'].[Timestamp,ResourceStatus,LogicalResourceId,ResourceStatusReason]" \
                --output table
        fi
    }; f
 
#-----------------------#
# Cloudformation deploy #
#-----------------------#
 
cfn-package =
    !f() {
        if [ -z "$2" ]; then
            template="template.yml"
        else
            template=$2
        fi
        if [ -z "$3" ]; then
            packaged="packaged.yml"
        else
            packaged=$3
        fi
 
        if [ -z "$1" ]; then
            echo "usage: aws package <s3bucket> [<source_template>] [<target_template>]"
        else
            aws cloudformation package \
                --template $template \
                --s3-bucket $1 \
                --output-template-file $packaged
        fi
    }; f
 
cfn-deploy =
    !f() {
        if [ -z "$2" ]; then
            template="template.yml"
        else
            template=$2
        fi
 
        if [ -z "$1" ]; then
            echo "usage: aws package <stack_name> [<template>]"
        else
            aws cloudformation deploy \
                --capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM \
                --stack-name $1 \
                --template $template
        fi
    }; f
 
cfn-delete =
    !f() {
        if [ -z "$1" ]; then
            echo "usage: aws delete <stack_name>"
        else
            aws cloudformation delete-stack \
                --stack-name $1
        fi
    }; f
 
cfn-launch =
    !f() {
        if [ -z "$3" ]; then
            template="template.yml"
        else
            template=$3
        fi
 
        if [ "$template" == "packaged.yml" ]; then
            echo "template should not be packaged.yml"
            exit 1
        fi
 
        if [ -z "$1" ]; then
            echo "usage: aws delete <s3bucket> <stack_name> [<template>]"
        else
            aws cloudformation package \
                --template $template \
                --s3-bucket $1 \
                --output-template-file packaged.yml
 
            aws cloudformation deploy \
                --stack-name $2 \
                --capabilities CAPABILITY_IAM CAPABILITY_NAMED_IAM \
                --template packaged.yml
        fi
    }; f
 
#-----------------------#
# VPC / EC2 / Networking #
#-----------------------#
 
ami-owner = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=image-id,Values=ami-a6a7c1c6 --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].{Owner: Tags[?Key==`owner`].Value | [0],ID:InstanceId}' --output table; }; f
de-auth = !f() { aws sts decode-authorization-message --encoded-message ${1} --output text > ~/Downloads/output.json && \
                        atom ~/Downloads/output.json; }; f
name-id = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].InstanceId' --filters Name=instance-state-name,Values=running Name=tag:Name,Values=${1} --output text; }; f
id-dns = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids ${1} --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].NetworkInterfaces[].PrivateIpAddresses[].PrivateDnsName' --output text; }; f
id-eni = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids ${1} --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].NetworkInterfaces[].NetworkInterfaceId' --output text; }; f
id-name = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids ${1} --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].Tags[?Key==`Name`].Value' --output text; }; f
id-key = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids ${1} --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].KeyName' --output text; }; f
dns-id = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=private-dns-name,Values=${1} --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].InstanceId' --output text; }; f
sg-id = !f() { aws ec2 describe-security-groups --filters Name=group-name,Values=${1} --query 'SecurityGroups[].GroupId' --output text; }; f
sg-rules = !f() { aws ec2 describe-security-groups --group-ids ${1} --query 'SecurityGroups[].IpPermissions'; }; f
name-dns = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=tag:Name,Values=${1} Name=instance-state-name,Values=running --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].PrivateDnsName' --output text; }; f
name-ip = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=tag:Name,Values=${1} Name=instance-state-name,Values=running --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].NetworkInterfaces[].PrivateIpAddresses[].PrivateIpAddress' --output text; }; f
name-key = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=tag:Name,Values=${1} Name=instance-state-name,Values=running --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].KeyName' --output text; }; f
name-list = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=tag:Name,Values=${1} Name=instance-state-name,Values=running --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].Tags[?Key==`Name`].Value' --output text; }; f
ip-id = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=network-interface.addresses.private-ip-address,Values=${1} --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].InstanceId' --output text; }; f
ip-name = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=network-interface.addresses.private-ip-address,Values=${1} --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].Tags[?Key==`Name`].Value' --output text; }; f
ip-dns = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].NetworkInterfaces[].PrivateIpAddresses[].PrivateDnsName' --filters Name=network-interface.addresses.private-ip-address,Values=${1} --output text; }; f
ip-sgid = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].SecurityGroups[].GroupId' --filters Name=network-interface.addresses.private-ip-address,Values=${1} --output text; }; f
ip-key = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --filters Name=network-interface.addresses.private-ip-address,Values=${1} --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].KeyName' --output text; }; f
image-id = !f() { aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids ${1} --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].ImageId' --output text; }; f
region = !f() { [[ $# -eq 1 ]] && aws configure set region "$1" || aws configure get region; }; f
net-acls = !f() { aws ec2 describe-network-acls --network-acl-ids ${1} --query 'NetworkAcls[].Entries'; }; f
iam-keys = !f() { for user in $(aws iam list-users --output text | awk '{print $NF}'); do aws iam list-access-keys --user $user --output text; done; }; f
list-azs = !f() { aws ec2 describe-availability-zones $1 --query AvailabilityZones[].ZoneName --output text; }; f
 
ecr-login =
    !f() {
        endpoint=$(aws ecr get-authorization-token --output text --query 'authorizationData[].proxyEndpoint')
        passwd=$(aws ecr get-authorization-token --output text --query 'authorizationData[].authorizationToken' | base64 --decode | cut -d: -f2)
        echo $passwd| docker login -u AWS --password-stdin $endpoint
    }; f
 
instance-size =
    !f() {
        instances=$(aws ec2 describe-instances --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].InstanceId' --filters "Name=tag:Name,Values='${1}'" --output text)
        aws ec2 describe-instances --instance-ids $instances --filters 'Name=instance-state-name,Values=running' \
        --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].{Name: Tags[?Key==`Name`].Value | [0],Size:InstanceType,ID:InstanceId}' \
        --output table
    }; f
 
vpc-peers =
    !f() {
        aws ec2 describe-vpc-peering-connections \
        --query 'VpcPeeringConnections[].Tags[?Key==`Name`].Value' --output text | xargs -n1 | sort -d
    }; f
 
running-instances = ec2 describe-instances \
        --filter Name=instance-state-name,Values=running \
        --output table \
        --query 'Reservations[].Instances[].{ID: InstanceId,Hostname: PublicDnsName,Name: Tags[?Key==`Name`].Value | [0],Type: InstanceType, Platform: Platform || `Linux`}'
 
ebs-volumes = ec2 describe-volumes \
        --query 'Volumes[].{VolumeId: VolumeId,State: State,Size: Size,Name: Tags[0].Value,AZ: AvailabilityZone}' \
        --output table
 
amazon-linux-amis = ec2 describe-images \
        --filter \
            Name=owner-alias,Values=amazon \
            Name=name,Values="amzn-ami-hvm-*" \
            Name=architecture,Values=x86_64 \
            Name=virtualization-type,Values=hvm \
            Name=root-device-type,Values=ebs \
            Name=block-device-mapping.volume-type,Values=gp2 \
        --query "reverse(sort_by(Images, &CreationDate))[*].[ImageId,Name,Description]" \
        --output text
 
open-security-groups = ec2 describe-security-groups \
        --filters "Name=ip-permission.to-port,Values=22"  \
        --query 'SecurityGroups[?length(IpPermissions[?ToPort==`22` && contains(IpRanges[].CidrIp, `0.0.0.0/0`)]) > `0`].{GroupName: GroupName, TagName: Tags[?Key==`Name`].Value | [0]}' \
        --output table
 
myip =
    !f() {
        dig +short myip.opendns.com @resolver1.opendns.com
    }; f
 
allow-my-ip =
    !f() {
        my_ip=$(aws myip)
        aws ec2 authorize-security-group-ingress --group-name ${1} --protocol ${2} --port ${3} --cidr $my_ip/32
    }; f
 
revoke-my-ip =
    !f() {
        my_ip=$(aws myip)
        aws ec2 revoke-security-group-ingress --group-name ${1} --protocol ${2} --port ${3} --cidr $my_ip/32
    }; f
 
allow-my-ip-all =
    !f() {
        aws allow-my-ip ${1} all all
    }; f
 
revoke-my-ip-all =
    !f() {
        aws revoke-my-ip ${1} all all
    }; f

Usage Patterns

Some quick examples you’ll likely adopt immediately:

# Who am I (identity troubleshooting)
aws whoami
 
# List active CloudFormation stacks with prefix
aws cfn-list myapp-
 
# Get stack outputs (great for piping into jq)
aws cfn-outputs platform-network
 
# Discover instance private IP by tag Name
aws name-ip bastion-east
 
# Show instances + instance types quickly
aws running-instances
 
# Temporarily allow your public IP for SSH (port 22)
aws allow-my-ip my-sg tcp 22

When Not to Use Aliases

Skip aliases when:

Writing shared/team scripts (clarity beats brevity)
One‑off exploration you won’t repeat
Anything security‑sensitive where explicit flags improve auditability