The Kion CLI is a powerful command-line utility that enables users to efficiently interact with Kion for cloud access. It supports generating short-term access keys (STAK) and federating into cloud service provider consoles, enabling secure and fast access to cloud environments. Whether you're managing cloud access in scripts or prefer headless workflows, the Kion CLI has you covered.
Key Capabilities
- Short-Term Access Keys (STAK): Easily generate temporary credentials for AWS accounts, either printed directly, saved to AWS profiles, or used to launch authenticated sub-shells.
- Federated Console Access: Open a web console session into your cloud provider with or without browser containers, including alias-based access.
- Favorites for Quick Access: Define favorites with aliases for both web and CLI access. Launch access sessions using easy-to-remember names.
- Interactive Wizard: Not sure what account or role to use? Use the built-in wizard to interactively select them from your available options.
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Credential Process Support: Seamlessly integrate with AWS CLI using credential_process, allowing STAK credentials to be pulled dynamically on demand.
Multiple Profiles: Configure separate environments (e.g., dev, test, prod) within the same CLI config file. -
SAML Integration: Authenticate using your Identity Provider (e.g., Okta, Entra ID) with no credentials stored locally.
Firefox Container Support: Isolate web sessions per favorite using browser containers (requires plugin). - Headless & Scriptable: Ideal for automation and scripting with flags for suppressing prompts, enabling headless operation.
- Drop-in Replacement for ctkey: Designed as a modern replacement for the legacy ctkey tool. Most old commands are still supported with updated syntax.
Cloud Access
With version 3.13, cloud access favorites set in Kion can now support aliases for both web and STAK access. When accessing favorites set in Kion via the CLI:
- If a favorite for the same account and role exists in both the CLI config and in Kion, the CLI version will take precedence.
- Users are encouraged to push local favorites into Kion and manage them centrally, treating Kion as the source of truth.
Getting Started
You can install the CLI via Homebrew or by building from source. Setup includes optional autocomplete, profiles, and a flexible configuration file (~/.kion.yml).
Visit the GitHub repository for:
- Detailed installation instructions
- Example configuration files
- Advanced usage like SAML setup and browser container integration
Contribution guidelines and changelog