How to Fix AWS CLI Credentials Not Found Error

In this tutorial, you'll learn about How to Fix AWS CLI Credentials Not Found Error. We cover key concepts, practical examples, and best practices to help you understand and apply this topic effectively.

You run an AWS CLI command and get Unable to locate credentials — the CLI cannot find valid access keys.

Step-by-Step Fix

1. Configure credentials via aws configure

aws configure

Enter the prompted values:

AWS Access Key ID [None]: AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
AWS Secret Access Key [None]: wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY
Default region name [None]: us-east-1
Default output format [None]: json

2. Verify the configuration

aws sts get-caller-identity

Expected output:

{
    "UserId": "AIDAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE",
    "Account": "123456789012",
    "Arn": "arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/myuser"
}

3. Use environment variables (alternative)

export AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE
export AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY
export AWS_DEFAULT_REGION=us-east-1

4. Use a named profile

aws configure --profile production
aws s3 ls --profile production

5. Use an IAM role on EC2

Attach an IAM role to the EC2 instance instead of configuring keys:

aws s3 ls

No credential configuration needed — the CLI uses the instance metadata service.

Common Mistakes

Prevention

• Store credentials in ~/.aws/credentials for persistence.
• Use IAM roles on EC2 instead of long-lived keys.
• Rotate access keys every 90 days.
• Never commit credentials to version control.

Common Mistakes with cli credentials

1. Using head and tail instead of pattern matching, causing runtime errors on empty lists
2. Forgetting that lazy evaluation defers computation until the value is forced, causing space leaks with unevaluated thunks
3. Using return to exit a function early instead of wrapping a pure value in the monad

These mistakes appear frequently in real-world AWS code. DodaTech's contributors have identified these patterns through analysis of open-source projects and production systems.

Practice Exercise

Write a pure function that safely divides two integers using Maybe, then test it with edge cases like division by zero and negative numbers.

This exercise reinforces the concepts covered in this guide. Try implementing it before checking online solutions.

FAQ