AWS Free Tier Signup & CLI Setup (PowerShell Edition)

A concise, battle-tested checklist with the exact PowerShell commands and the same hurdles we hit (Lightsail access, credits, Notepad for secret keys).

Reusable Prompt

Prompt: Make me a step-by-step guide for signing up for an AWS Free Tier account, checking credits, and setting up AWS CLI access in PowerShell. Include common hurdles like Lightsail requiring a paid plan and needing to use Notepad to copy access keys. Add the exact PowerShell commands for CLI setup.

Quick TOC

1) Create an AWS Free Account

  1. Go to aws.amazon.com/free.
  2. Click Create a Free Account and complete email, account name, and password.
  3. Provide contact details (name, phone, address).
  4. Add a payment method (card is required for verification even with free credits).
  5. Verify identity via phone/SMS code.
  6. Select the Free Tier to start.
Heads‑up If you don’t see services like Lightsail, upgrade from the basic free account plan to a paid plan. Your credits stay on the account; upgrading doesn’t erase them.
Note Credits only vanish if they expire or are service‑scoped and you’re on a service they don’t cover.

2) Confirm Your Credits

  1. Open the Billing Dashboard.
  2. In the left menu, click Credits.
  3. Check your remaining balance, expiration date, and eligible services.
How it pays When you launch Lightsail, charges are deducted from your credit first. Your card is only used after credits are exhausted or if a service isn’t covered.

3) Set Up AWS CLI in PowerShell

Install the AWS CLI

Download AWS CLI v2 for Windows from the official docs, then verify:

aws --version

Create Access Keys

  1. In the AWS Console, open IAM (Identity and Access Management).
  2. Create a new User (for initial setup you can attach AdministratorAccess, then tighten later).
  3. Under Security credentials, generate an Access Key ID and Secret Access Key.
  4. Important: AWS only shows the Secret once — paste it into Notepad immediately and store it safely.

Configure the CLI

aws configure
# Enter the following when prompted:
# AWS Access Key ID: <your key id>
# AWS Secret Access Key: <your secret>
# Default region name: us-east-1
# Default output format: json

Smoke Test

aws s3 ls

If you have no buckets yet, it may return nothing — that’s fine. This confirms your credentials and region are valid.

Useful Follow‑ups

# Show current CLI config values
aws configure list

# Verify that PowerShell can find the CLI binary
Get-Command aws | Format-List *
Security Tip Don’t commit keys to Git. Prefer a password manager. Rotate keys periodically, and use least‑privilege IAM policies for real projects.

Summary