aws s3api create-bucket: Create an S3 Bucket in CI

Create a new S3 bucket, with the region quirk that trips up every first-timer.

aws s3api create-bucket provisions a bucket. Outside us-east-1 you must pass --create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=<region> matching --region, or the call fails. In CI, prefer Terraform for durable buckets; this command suits one-off or test buckets.

Common flags

--bucket - the globally unique bucket name (required)
--region - target region
--create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=<region> - required outside us-east-1
--acl - canned ACL (often rejected when ACLs are disabled by default)

Example in CI

Create a regional bucket for ephemeral test data.

shell

aws s3api create-bucket --bucket ${TEST_BUCKET} --region eu-west-1 --create-bucket-configuration LocationConstraint=eu-west-1

Common errors in CI

An error occurred (BucketAlreadyExists) - the name is taken globally
An error occurred (BucketAlreadyOwnedByYou) - you already created it (often safe to ignore)
IllegalLocationConstraintException - LocationConstraint does not match --region
An error occurred (InvalidLocationConstraint) - LocationConstraint passed for us-east-1

Key takeaways

create-bucket needs LocationConstraint matching --region outside us-east-1.
BucketAlreadyOwnedByYou is often idempotent-safe in CI scripts.
For durable infrastructure, manage buckets with Terraform, not the CLI.