Downloading Entire Folders from AWS S3 using the AWS CLI
The AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) is a powerful tool for interacting with AWS services, including Amazon S3. One common task is downloading entire folders of data from S3. However, the AWS CLI doesn't offer a direct "download folder" command. This article will explain how to achieve this efficiently using the AWS CLI.
Problem Scenario:
Let's imagine you have a folder named 'my-data' in your S3 bucket 'my-bucket'. You want to download the entire folder, including all its subfolders and files, to your local machine.
Original Code (Incorrect):
aws s3 cp s3://my-bucket/my-data/ .
The Problem: The above code only downloads the direct contents of the 'my-data' folder, not any subfolders.
Solution:
The solution involves using the --recursive flag to download all files and folders within the specified path. Here's how:
aws s3 cp s3://my-bucket/my-data/ --recursive .
Explanation:
aws s3 cp: This command copies data between your local machine and S3.s3://my-bucket/my-data/: This specifies the S3 path of the folder you want to download.--recursive: This flag tells the CLI to download all files and folders recursively within the specified path..: This specifies the local directory where you want to save the downloaded files.
Additional Considerations:
- Download to Specific Location: You can specify a specific local folder using the
--recursiveflag followed by the local path. For example:aws s3 cp s3://my-bucket/my-data/ --recursive /path/to/local/folder - Large Datasets: If you have a large dataset, downloading it recursively might take a long time. Consider using the
--excludeflag to filter specific files or folders you don't need. For example:aws s3 cp s3://my-bucket/my-data/ --recursive --exclude "*.log" . - Parallel Downloads: For faster download speeds, use the
--concurrencyflag to increase the number of parallel connections. For example:aws s3 cp s3://my-bucket/my-data/ --recursive --concurrency 10 . - AWS CLI Configuration: Ensure your AWS CLI is correctly configured with your AWS credentials to access your S3 bucket.
Example:
Let's say you want to download a folder named 'images' from the S3 bucket 'my-photos' and save it to the 'downloads' folder on your local machine. You would use the following command:
aws s3 cp s3://my-photos/images/ --recursive /path/to/downloads/
Key Takeaways:
- Use the
--recursiveflag to download entire folders from S3 using the AWS CLI. - Explore options like
--exclude,--concurrency, and specific local paths to customize your downloads. - Make sure your AWS CLI is properly configured with your AWS credentials.
Resources:
- AWS CLI Documentation: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/getting-started.html
- Amazon S3 Documentation: https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/UsingTheCommandInterface.html
By understanding the --recursive flag and exploring the additional features of the AWS CLI, you can efficiently download complete folders from your Amazon S3 bucket.
