AWS SSH Directory Access Script

A Python script to connect to AWS instances via SSH and perform directory operations using the uv package manager.

Setup Instructions

1. Install uv package manager (if not already installed)

# On macOS/Linux
curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

# On Windows
powershell -c "irm https://astral.sh/uv/install.ps1 | iex"

# Or using pip
pip install uv

2. Install dependencies using uv

# Create virtual environment and install dependencies
uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
uv pip install -e .

3. Update .env configuration file

Create a .env file in your project directory:

# Copy the .env template and edit it
cp .env.example .env

6. Run the script

# Simple - uses .env file configuration
python aws_ssh_client.py

# Override specific values from .env
python aws_ssh_client.py --key ~/.ssh/different-key

# Enable verbose logging
python aws_ssh_client.py --verbose

Usage Examples

Basic Usage

# Use .env file configuration (recommended)
python aws_ssh_client.py

# Override specific values from .env file
python aws_ssh_client.py --key ~/.ssh/different-key
python aws_ssh_client.py --host different-server.com

# Enable verbose logging
python aws_ssh_client.py --verbose

# If .env values are missing, script will prompt interactively
python aws_ssh_client.py
# AWS_SSH_HOST not found in .env file
# Enter AWS hostname/IP address: 34.229.96.55

Configuration Priority

The script uses this priority order:

1. Command line arguments (highest priority)
2. .env file variables
3. Interactive prompts (only if values are missing)

Environment Configuration

Missing Configuration Handling

• Script alerts you: If required values are missing from .env, you'll see warnings
• Interactive prompts: Only appears for missing required values
• Auto-detection: Automatically finds common SSH keys if not specified
• Clean fallback: No hardcoded values in the script

Security Best Practices

1. Add .env to .gitignore:

   echo ".env" >> .gitignore

2. Set proper SSH key permissions:

   chmod 600 ~/.ssh/aws-key-2025

3. Use SSH agent (optional):

   ssh-add ~/.ssh/aws-key-2025

Security Notes

1. SSH Key Protection: Ensure your SSH private key has proper permissions (600)

   chmod 600 ~/.ssh/aws-key-2025

2. Key Management: Consider using SSH agent for better key management

   ssh-add ~/.ssh/aws-key-2025

3. Connection Security: The script uses paramiko with proper host key checking

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Permission Denied: Check SSH key permissions and username
2. Connection Timeout: Verify AWS security groups allow SSH access
3. Host Key Verification: The script automatically adds unknown host keys
4. Module Import Error: Ensure you're in the activated virtual environment

Debugging

Enable debug logging by modifying the logging level:

logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)

This will show detailed SSH connection information and command execution details.