AWS CLI — Lambda & Serverless Cheat Sheet 2026

AWS CLI Lambda & Serverless Cheat Sheet is the complete quick-reference of AWS CLI Lambda & Serverless commands grouped by function. Copy any command with one click and find what you need with Ctrl+F in under 3 seconds.

Lambda & Serverless

Action	Command	Useful flags
Lambda	`aws lambda`
Lambda list-functions	`aws lambda list-functions`	`-functions`
Lambda invoke	`aws lambda invoke --function-name my-function output.json`	`--function-name -function`
Lambda update-function-code	`aws lambda update-function-code --function-name my-function --zip-file fileb://function.zip`	`--function-name --zip-file -function -function-code`
Cli cheat	`AWS CLI Cheat Sheet for Lambda`
Lambda invoke	`aws lambda invoke`
Lambda create-function	`aws lambda create-function`	`-function`

⚠️ Dangerous / Destructive Commands

These commands are irreversible. Verify your environment (dev/staging vs prod) before running them.

Action	Command	Warning
⚠️ Destroy ⚠️	`terraform destroy -auto-approve`	Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Delete	`kubectl delete namespace production`	Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Prune ⚠️	`docker system prune -af --volumes`	Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Delete	`pvesh delete /nodes/{node}/qemu/{vmid}`	Irreversible — verify the target before running
⚠️ Delete	`az group delete --name MyResourceGroup --yes`	Irreversible — verify the target before running

FAQ — Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Lambda & Serverless and the other groups?

Each group in this AWS CLI cheat sheet covers a distinct area. Lambda & Serverless focuses on its specific scope, while the other groups and the remaining groups cover networking, storage, security and diagnostics respectively.

How do I check the installed AWS CLI version?

Run the version command (usually aws version or aws --version). The output shows the client and, when applicable, the server version.

Why does AWS CLI return ‘permission denied’?

A ‘permission denied’ error in AWS CLI usually means the current user lacks sufficient privileges or credentials are not configured. Check: (1) assigned IAM/RBAC roles, (2) an active authentication context via the corresponding login command.

How do I filter AWS CLI output by status or name?

Use flags such as --filter, --selector or --query depending on the tool. You can also pipe into grep or jq to process JSON:

aws list | grep RUNNING

What is the fastest way to debug a AWS CLI error?

Add the verbose flag (--verbose, -v or --debug) to the failing command. This reveals the underlying HTTP/API calls and the full error response body.

Official sources & references

Commands cross-checked against vendor documentation and high-authority repositories: