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 #

• AWS CDK Tutorial for Beginners - Step-by-Step Guide
• How does AWS CDK work
• What is a Token in AWS CDK
• CDK Constructs - Complete Guide
• What is an identifier (id) in AWS CDK
• How to use Context in AWS CDK
• How to use Parameters in AWS CDK