# Install aws-rotate-key with Homebrew, Nix

Easily rotate your AWS access key. Version 1.2.0 via Homebrew; verified 2026-07-25. Also installable with nix: nix profile install nixpkgs#aws-rotate-key.

## Install

```sh
sudo av install brew:aws-rotate-key
```

Additional install commands:

### macOS

- Homebrew (100%):

```sh
brew install aws-rotate-key
```

  Evidence: local Homebrew formula metadata

### Linux

- Nix (92%):

```sh
nix profile install nixpkgs#aws-rotate-key
```

  Evidence: nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/aw/aws-rotate-key/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1

## Package facts

- **Package key:** brew:aws-rotate-key
- **Package manager:** Homebrew
- **Version:** 1.2.0
- **Source summary:** Easily rotate your AWS access key
- **Homepage:** <https://github.com/stefansundin/aws-rotate-key>
- **Repository:** <https://github.com/stefansundin/aws-rotate-key>
- **Last updated:** 2026-07-25T14:18:27-04:00
- **Generated:** 2026-08-03T19:37:03+00:00

## Executables

- aws-rotate-key (alias)

## Install behavior

- Bottle: not available

## Freshness

- Page generated: 2026-08-03
- Package-manager version: 1.2.0
## Project history and usage

aws-rotate-key is a small Go CLI for rotating AWS IAM access keys stored in the shared AWS credentials file.

### Project history

The public repository begins in September 2016 with commits that create a new key, replace the old key in the credentials file, inspect last-used metadata, and add the README. Its purpose has remained narrow: automate a security best-practice task that is easy to perform incorrectly by hand.

### Adoption history

The README documents binaries from GitHub Releases, Homebrew installation on macOS, a PPA for Ubuntu, and go install. That packaging mix reflects a utility meant for individual operators and small automation scripts rather than a larger platform.

### How it is used

The tool reads AWS credentials from the credentials file, lists the IAM user's access keys, explains the planned rotation steps, waits for confirmation unless told otherwise, writes the new key pair back to the credentials file, and deactivates or deletes the old key.

It supports profile selection, an alternate authentication profile, MFA, automatic yes-to-prompts, and deleting rather than deactivating the old key.

### Why package nerds care

Its package-manager appeal is that it turns a fussy IAM/API sequence into one binary with few moving parts. The downside for maintainers is that it edits credentials directly, so provenance and version trust matter more than the code size suggests.

### Timeline

- 2016: Initial public commits implement key creation and credentials-file replacement.
- 2016: v1.0.0 tag appears.
- 2024: Current code uses AWS SDK for Go v2 modules in go.mod.

### Related projects

- AWS IAM access-key rotation guidance and AWS CLI shared credentials files are the upstream AWS surfaces the tool automates.

### Sources

- <https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_access-keys.html#Using_RotateAccessKey>
- <https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/cli-configure-files.html>
- <https://github.com/stefansundin/aws-rotate-key#readme>
- official git history and tags from https://github.com/stefansundin/aws-rotate-key


## Security Notes

narrow executable package without higher-risk signals.

- **Geiger risk:** green / low
- narrow executable package without higher-risk signals


## Configuration and credential file locations

These source-backed paths show where this package keeps local settings or durable credentials. Automic Vault can use them as review targets for secret scanning, migration, and command approval.


## Credential files

- Unix: ~/.aws/credentials
- Windows: C:\Users\USERNAME\.aws\credentials
## Other Package-Manager Records

- Nix - aws-rotate-key: normalized package name match | nixpkgs package indexes: pkgs/by-name/aw/aws-rotate-key/package.nix from https://api.github.com/repos/NixOS/nixpkgs/git/trees/master?recursive=1


## Combined YAML source

View the package source record on GitHub. [combined/aws-rotate-key.yml](https://github.com/mxcl/pkgdb/blob/main/combined/aws-rotate-key.yml)


## Sources

- pkg.so package database
- Geiger risk classifier
- curated configuration and credential file locations
- curated package history
- pkgdb category and tag curation
- external package-manager database matches
- cross-ecosystem install command graph