Solve - Unable to Parse Config File Error in AWS CLI

Solving Unable to Parse Config File Credentials Error #

The reason the "Unable to parse config file" error occurs is because there is an error in the AWS configuration file on that machine.

In order to solve the "Unable to parse config file" error we have to locate the credentials file and make it conform to the format the AWS CLI expects.

On linux and macOS, the credentials file is located at ~/.aws/credentials.

On windows the file is located at C:\Users\USERNAME\.aws\credentials.

The correct syntax for the credentials file is as follows:

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[default]
aws_access_key_id=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID
aws_secret_access_key=YOUR_SECRET_KEY

[admin]
aws_access_key_id=YOUR_ACCESS_KEY_ID
aws_secret_access_key=YOUR_SECRET_KEY

The snippet above sets the access key and secret access key IDs for the default profile and for a profile named admin.

To view all of the supported settings for the credentials file check out the docs at Supported config file settings.

The region and output format of the AWS CLI are configured in a file named config located in the same directory.

On linux and macOS, the config file is located at ~/.aws/config.

On windows the config file is located at C:\Users\USERNAME\.aws\config.

The correct syntax for the config file looks like:

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[default]
region=us-east-1
output=json

[profile admin]
region=us-east-1
output=json

Further Reading #

• How to Get your Default Profile with AWS CLI
• Manage Multiple Accounts with the AWS CLI
• Set your Default Profile's Name in AWS CLI
• How to Clear your AWS CLI Credentials
• How to Get your Account Id with AWS CLI
• View your AWS CLI logs in Real Time (tail)
• How to turn off the Pager in AWS CLI
• Create a Role with AWS CLI - Complete Guide
• Create a Lambda Function with AWS CLI - Complete Guide
• Invoke Lambda Functions with AWS CLI - Complete Guide
• Tag an S3 Bucket with AWS CLI
• AWS CDK Tutorial for Beginners - Step-by-Step Guide
• How to use Parameters in AWS CDK