Describes the specified security groups or all of your security groups.
A security group is for use with instances either in the EC2-Classic platform or in a specific VPC. For more information, see Amazon EC2 Security Groups in the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud User Guide and Security Groups for Your VPC in the Amazon Virtual Private Cloud User Guide .
See also: AWS API Documentation
See ‘aws help’ for descriptions of global parameters.
describe-security-groups
is a paginated operation. Multiple API calls may be issued in order to retrieve the entire data set of results. You can disable pagination by providing the --no-paginate
argument.
When using --output text
and the --query
argument on a paginated response, the --query
argument must extract data from the results of the following query expressions: SecurityGroups
describe-security-groups
[--filters <value>]
[--group-ids <value>]
[--group-names <value>]
[--dry-run | --no-dry-run]
[--cli-input-json | --cli-input-yaml]
[--starting-token <value>]
[--page-size <value>]
[--max-items <value>]
[--generate-cli-skeleton <value>]
[--cli-auto-prompt <value>]
--filters
(list)
The filters. If using multiple filters for rules, the results include security groups for which any combination of rules - not necessarily a single rule - match all filters.
description
- The description of the security group.
egress.ip-permission.cidr
- An IPv4 CIDR block for an outbound security group rule.
egress.ip-permission.from-port
- For an outbound rule, the start of port range for the TCP and UDP protocols, or an ICMP type number.
egress.ip-permission.group-id
- The ID of a security group that has been referenced in an outbound security group rule.
egress.ip-permission.group-name
- The name of a security group that has been referenced in an outbound security group rule.
egress.ip-permission.ipv6-cidr
- An IPv6 CIDR block for an outbound security group rule.
egress.ip-permission.prefix-list-id
- The ID of a prefix list to which a security group rule allows outbound access.
egress.ip-permission.protocol
- The IP protocol for an outbound security group rule (tcp
|udp
|icmp
or a protocol number).
egress.ip-permission.to-port
- For an outbound rule, the end of port range for the TCP and UDP protocols, or an ICMP code.
egress.ip-permission.user-id
- The ID of an AWS account that has been referenced in an outbound security group rule.
group-id
- The ID of the security group.
group-name
- The name of the security group.
ip-permission.cidr
- An IPv4 CIDR block for an inbound security group rule.
ip-permission.from-port
- For an inbound rule, the start of port range for the TCP and UDP protocols, or an ICMP type number.
ip-permission.group-id
- The ID of a security group that has been referenced in an inbound security group rule.
ip-permission.group-name
- The name of a security group that has been referenced in an inbound security group rule.
ip-permission.ipv6-cidr
- An IPv6 CIDR block for an inbound security group rule.
ip-permission.prefix-list-id
- The ID of a prefix list from which a security group rule allows inbound access.
ip-permission.protocol
- The IP protocol for an inbound security group rule (tcp
|udp
|icmp
or a protocol number).
ip-permission.to-port
- For an inbound rule, the end of port range for the TCP and UDP protocols, or an ICMP code.
ip-permission.user-id
- The ID of an AWS account that has been referenced in an inbound security group rule.
owner-id
- The AWS account ID of the owner of the security group.
tag
:<key> - The key/value combination of a tag assigned to the resource. Use the tag key in the filter name and the tag value as the filter value. For example, to find all resources that have a tag with the keyOwner
and the valueTeamA
, specifytag:Owner
for the filter name andTeamA
for the filter value.
tag-key
- The key of a tag assigned to the resource. Use this filter to find all resources assigned a tag with a specific key, regardless of the tag value.
vpc-id
- The ID of the VPC specified when the security group was created.(structure)
A filter name and value pair that is used to return a more specific list of results from a describe operation. Filters can be used to match a set of resources by specific criteria, such as tags, attributes, or IDs. The filters supported by a describe operation are documented with the describe operation. For example:
DescribeAvailabilityZones
DescribeImages
DescribeInstances
DescribeKeyPairs
DescribeSecurityGroups
DescribeSnapshots
DescribeSubnets
DescribeTags
DescribeVolumes
DescribeVpcs
Name -> (string)
The name of the filter. Filter names are case-sensitive.
Values -> (list)
The filter values. Filter values are case-sensitive.
(string)
Shorthand Syntax:
Name=string,Values=string,string ...
JSON Syntax:
[
{
"Name": "string",
"Values": ["string", ...]
}
...
]
--group-ids
(list)
The IDs of the security groups. Required for security groups in a nondefault VPC.
Default: Describes all your security groups.
(string)
Syntax:
"string" "string" ...
--group-names
(list)
[EC2-Classic and default VPC only] The names of the security groups. You can specify either the security group name or the security group ID. For security groups in a nondefault VPC, use the
group-name
filter to describe security groups by name.Default: Describes all your security groups.
(string)
Syntax:
"string" "string" ...
--dry-run
| --no-dry-run
(boolean)
Checks whether you have the required permissions for the action, without actually making the request, and provides an error response. If you have the required permissions, the error response is
DryRunOperation
. Otherwise, it isUnauthorizedOperation
.
--cli-input-json
| --cli-input-yaml
(string)
Reads arguments from the JSON string provided. The JSON string follows the format provided by --generate-cli-skeleton
. If other arguments are provided on the command line, those values will override the JSON-provided values. It is not possible to pass arbitrary binary values using a JSON-provided value as the string will be taken literally. This may not be specified along with --cli-input-yaml
.
--starting-token
(string)
A token to specify where to start paginating. This is the
NextToken
from a previously truncated response.For usage examples, see Pagination in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide .
--page-size
(integer)
The size of each page to get in the AWS service call. This does not affect the number of items returned in the command’s output. Setting a smaller page size results in more calls to the AWS service, retrieving fewer items in each call. This can help prevent the AWS service calls from timing out.
For usage examples, see Pagination in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide .
--max-items
(integer)
The total number of items to return in the command’s output. If the total number of items available is more than the value specified, a
NextToken
is provided in the command’s output. To resume pagination, provide theNextToken
value in thestarting-token
argument of a subsequent command. Do not use theNextToken
response element directly outside of the AWS CLI.For usage examples, see Pagination in the AWS Command Line Interface User Guide .
--generate-cli-skeleton
(string)
Prints a JSON skeleton to standard output without sending an API request. If provided with no value or the value input
, prints a sample input JSON that can be used as an argument for --cli-input-json
. Similarly, if provided yaml-input
it will print a sample input YAML that can be used with --cli-input-yaml
. If provided with the value output
, it validates the command inputs and returns a sample output JSON for that command.
--cli-auto-prompt
(boolean)
Automatically prompt for CLI input parameters.
See ‘aws help’ for descriptions of global parameters.
Example 1: To describe a security group
The following describe-security-groups
example describes the specified security group.
aws ec2 describe-security-groups \
--group-ids sg-903004f8
Output:
{
"SecurityGroups": [
{
"IpPermissionsEgress": [
{
"IpProtocol": "-1",
"IpRanges": [
{
"CidrIp": "0.0.0.0/0"
}
],
"UserIdGroupPairs": [],
"PrefixListIds": []
}
],
"Description": "My security group",
"Tags": [
{
"Value": "SG1",
"Key": "Name"
}
],
"IpPermissions": [
{
"IpProtocol": "-1",
"IpRanges": [],
"UserIdGroupPairs": [
{
"UserId": "123456789012",
"GroupId": "sg-903004f8"
}
],
"PrefixListIds": []
},
{
"PrefixListIds": [],
"FromPort": 22,
"IpRanges": [
{
"Description": "Access from NY office",
"CidrIp": "203.0.113.0/24"
}
],
"ToPort": 22,
"IpProtocol": "tcp",
"UserIdGroupPairs": []
}
],
"GroupName": "MySecurityGroup",
"VpcId": "vpc-1a2b3c4d",
"OwnerId": "123456789012",
"GroupId": "sg-903004f8",
}
]
}
Example 2: To describe security groups that have specific rules
The following describe-security-groups``example uses filters to scope the results to security groups that have a rule that allows SSH traffic (port 22) and a rule that allows traffic from all addresses (``0.0.0.0/0
). The example uses the --query
parameter to display only the names of the security groups. Security groups must match all filters to be returned in the results; however, a single rule does not have to match all filters. For example, the output returns a security group with a rule that allows SSH traffic from a specific IP address and another rule that allows HTTP traffic from all addresses.
aws ec2 describe-security-groups \
--filters Name=ip-permission.from-port,Values=22 Name=ip-permission.to-port,Values=22 Name=ip-permission.cidr,Values='0.0.0.0/0' \
--query "SecurityGroups[*].[GroupName]" \
--output text
Output:
default
my-security-group
web-servers
launch-wizard-1
Example 3: To describe security groups based on tags
The following describe-security-groups
example uses filters to scope the results to security groups that include test
in the security group name, and that have the tag Test=To-delete
. The example uses the --query
parameter to display only the names and IDs of the security groups.
aws ec2 describe-security-groups \
--filters Name=group-name,Values=*test* Name=tag:Test,Values=To-delete \
--query "SecurityGroups[*].{Name:GroupName,ID:GroupId}"
Output:
[
{
"Name": "testfornewinstance",
"ID": "sg-33bb22aa"
},
{
"Name": "newgrouptest",
"ID": "sg-1a2b3c4d"
}
]
For additional examples using tag filters, see Working with tags in the Amazon EC2 User Guide.
SecurityGroups -> (list)
Information about the security groups.
(structure)
Describes a security group
Description -> (string)
A description of the security group.
GroupName -> (string)
The name of the security group.
IpPermissions -> (list)
The inbound rules associated with the security group.
(structure)
Describes a set of permissions for a security group rule.
FromPort -> (integer)
The start of port range for the TCP and UDP protocols, or an ICMP/ICMPv6 type number. A value of
-1
indicates all ICMP/ICMPv6 types. If you specify all ICMP/ICMPv6 types, you must specify all codes.IpProtocol -> (string)
The IP protocol name (
tcp
,udp
,icmp
,icmpv6
) or number (see Protocol Numbers ).[VPC only] Use
-1
to specify all protocols. When authorizing security group rules, specifying-1
or a protocol number other thantcp
,udp
,icmp
, oricmpv6
allows traffic on all ports, regardless of any port range you specify. Fortcp
,udp
, andicmp
, you must specify a port range. Foricmpv6
, the port range is optional; if you omit the port range, traffic for all types and codes is allowed.IpRanges -> (list)
The IPv4 ranges.
(structure)
Describes an IPv4 range.
CidrIp -> (string)
The IPv4 CIDR range. You can either specify a CIDR range or a source security group, not both. To specify a single IPv4 address, use the /32 prefix length.
Description -> (string)
A description for the security group rule that references this IPv4 address range.
Constraints: Up to 255 characters in length. Allowed characters are a-z, A-Z, 0-9, spaces, and ._-:/()#,@[]+=&;{}!$*
Ipv6Ranges -> (list)
[VPC only] The IPv6 ranges.
(structure)
[EC2-VPC only] Describes an IPv6 range.
CidrIpv6 -> (string)
The IPv6 CIDR range. You can either specify a CIDR range or a source security group, not both. To specify a single IPv6 address, use the /128 prefix length.
Description -> (string)
A description for the security group rule that references this IPv6 address range.
Constraints: Up to 255 characters in length. Allowed characters are a-z, A-Z, 0-9, spaces, and ._-:/()#,@[]+=&;{}!$*
PrefixListIds -> (list)
[VPC only] The prefix list IDs.
(structure)
Describes a prefix list ID.
Description -> (string)
A description for the security group rule that references this prefix list ID.
Constraints: Up to 255 characters in length. Allowed characters are a-z, A-Z, 0-9, spaces, and ._-:/()#,@[]+=;{}!$*
PrefixListId -> (string)
The ID of the prefix.
ToPort -> (integer)
The end of port range for the TCP and UDP protocols, or an ICMP/ICMPv6 code. A value of
-1
indicates all ICMP/ICMPv6 codes. If you specify all ICMP/ICMPv6 types, you must specify all codes.UserIdGroupPairs -> (list)
The security group and AWS account ID pairs.
(structure)
Describes a security group and AWS account ID pair.
Description -> (string)
A description for the security group rule that references this user ID group pair.
Constraints: Up to 255 characters in length. Allowed characters are a-z, A-Z, 0-9, spaces, and ._-:/()#,@[]+=;{}!$*
GroupId -> (string)
The ID of the security group.
GroupName -> (string)
The name of the security group. In a request, use this parameter for a security group in EC2-Classic or a default VPC only. For a security group in a nondefault VPC, use the security group ID.
For a referenced security group in another VPC, this value is not returned if the referenced security group is deleted.
PeeringStatus -> (string)
The status of a VPC peering connection, if applicable.
UserId -> (string)
The ID of an AWS account.
For a referenced security group in another VPC, the account ID of the referenced security group is returned in the response. If the referenced security group is deleted, this value is not returned.
[EC2-Classic] Required when adding or removing rules that reference a security group in another AWS account.
VpcId -> (string)
The ID of the VPC for the referenced security group, if applicable.
VpcPeeringConnectionId -> (string)
The ID of the VPC peering connection, if applicable.
OwnerId -> (string)
The AWS account ID of the owner of the security group.
GroupId -> (string)
The ID of the security group.
IpPermissionsEgress -> (list)
[VPC only] The outbound rules associated with the security group.
(structure)
Describes a set of permissions for a security group rule.
FromPort -> (integer)
The start of port range for the TCP and UDP protocols, or an ICMP/ICMPv6 type number. A value of
-1
indicates all ICMP/ICMPv6 types. If you specify all ICMP/ICMPv6 types, you must specify all codes.IpProtocol -> (string)
The IP protocol name (
tcp
,udp
,icmp
,icmpv6
) or number (see Protocol Numbers ).[VPC only] Use
-1
to specify all protocols. When authorizing security group rules, specifying-1
or a protocol number other thantcp
,udp
,icmp
, oricmpv6
allows traffic on all ports, regardless of any port range you specify. Fortcp
,udp
, andicmp
, you must specify a port range. Foricmpv6
, the port range is optional; if you omit the port range, traffic for all types and codes is allowed.IpRanges -> (list)
The IPv4 ranges.
(structure)
Describes an IPv4 range.
CidrIp -> (string)
The IPv4 CIDR range. You can either specify a CIDR range or a source security group, not both. To specify a single IPv4 address, use the /32 prefix length.
Description -> (string)
A description for the security group rule that references this IPv4 address range.
Constraints: Up to 255 characters in length. Allowed characters are a-z, A-Z, 0-9, spaces, and ._-:/()#,@[]+=&;{}!$*
Ipv6Ranges -> (list)
[VPC only] The IPv6 ranges.
(structure)
[EC2-VPC only] Describes an IPv6 range.
CidrIpv6 -> (string)
The IPv6 CIDR range. You can either specify a CIDR range or a source security group, not both. To specify a single IPv6 address, use the /128 prefix length.
Description -> (string)
A description for the security group rule that references this IPv6 address range.
Constraints: Up to 255 characters in length. Allowed characters are a-z, A-Z, 0-9, spaces, and ._-:/()#,@[]+=&;{}!$*
PrefixListIds -> (list)
[VPC only] The prefix list IDs.
(structure)
Describes a prefix list ID.
Description -> (string)
A description for the security group rule that references this prefix list ID.
Constraints: Up to 255 characters in length. Allowed characters are a-z, A-Z, 0-9, spaces, and ._-:/()#,@[]+=;{}!$*
PrefixListId -> (string)
The ID of the prefix.
ToPort -> (integer)
The end of port range for the TCP and UDP protocols, or an ICMP/ICMPv6 code. A value of
-1
indicates all ICMP/ICMPv6 codes. If you specify all ICMP/ICMPv6 types, you must specify all codes.UserIdGroupPairs -> (list)
The security group and AWS account ID pairs.
(structure)
Describes a security group and AWS account ID pair.
Description -> (string)
A description for the security group rule that references this user ID group pair.
Constraints: Up to 255 characters in length. Allowed characters are a-z, A-Z, 0-9, spaces, and ._-:/()#,@[]+=;{}!$*
GroupId -> (string)
The ID of the security group.
GroupName -> (string)
The name of the security group. In a request, use this parameter for a security group in EC2-Classic or a default VPC only. For a security group in a nondefault VPC, use the security group ID.
For a referenced security group in another VPC, this value is not returned if the referenced security group is deleted.
PeeringStatus -> (string)
The status of a VPC peering connection, if applicable.
UserId -> (string)
The ID of an AWS account.
For a referenced security group in another VPC, the account ID of the referenced security group is returned in the response. If the referenced security group is deleted, this value is not returned.
[EC2-Classic] Required when adding or removing rules that reference a security group in another AWS account.
VpcId -> (string)
The ID of the VPC for the referenced security group, if applicable.
VpcPeeringConnectionId -> (string)
The ID of the VPC peering connection, if applicable.
Tags -> (list)
Any tags assigned to the security group.
(structure)
Describes a tag.
Key -> (string)
The key of the tag.
Constraints: Tag keys are case-sensitive and accept a maximum of 127 Unicode characters. May not begin with
aws:
.Value -> (string)
The value of the tag.
Constraints: Tag values are case-sensitive and accept a maximum of 255 Unicode characters.
VpcId -> (string)
[VPC only] The ID of the VPC for the security group.
NextToken -> (string)
The token to use to retrieve the next page of results. This value is
null
when there are no more results to return.