How to download the latest file in a S3 bucket using AWS CLI

Question

I have an S3 bucket that contains database backups. I am creating a script that I would like to download the latest backup, but I'm not sure how to go about only grabbing the most recent file from a bucket.

Is it possible to copy only the most recent file from a s3 bucket to a local directory using AWS CLI tools?

Answer 1

You can use the below command

$ aws s3 ls $BUCKET --recursive | sort | tail -n 1 | awk '{print $4}' some/other/object

Command explained

$ aws s3 ls $BUCKET --recursive  -- Lists all the objects in bucket

$ aws s3 ls $BUCKET --recursive | sort  -- Lists all the objects based on date

$ aws s3 ls $BUCKET --recursive | sort | tail -n 1 -- Selects the last line of the output ie most recent object

$ aws s3 ls $BUCKET --recursive | sort | tail -n 1 | awk '{print $4}' -- prints the name of most recent object

To learn more about Migrating to AWS, join our AWS Certification. Also, If you wish to master the principles of AWS and work on step-by-step tasks that have significant relevance for the world of business, industry professionals developed the AWS syllabus.