Important Note: This Installation is specifically for Windows OS.

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What is Chocolatey?

Chocolatey is a robust Windows package manager that makes program administration, updates, and installation easier with the command line. With just one command, it streamlines the download, installation, and configuration of software, making packages like Docker, Node.js, and Git simple to manage. Like apt for Linux or Homebrew for macOS, Chocolatey is popular in development and IT environments. It is particularly helpful for automating software installations, managing updates, and guaranteeing consistency across computers. Because users may script and automate their program setup, it saves time and effort.

In this article, I will show you how to use PowerShell to install Chocolatey, the powerful Windows package manager. After setting up Chocolatey, we’ll walk you through the quick installation of the most important developer tools: the ECS CLI (ecsctl) for dealing with ECS clusters, the Docker Desktop for managing docker images, Terraform for creating ECS Cluster and the AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) for controlling AWS services.

By the time you finish reading this article, you’ll have these tools installed and be prepared to use Chocolatey to automate your cloud and DevOps workflows with just a few quick commands.

Now let’s get going!

1. Installing Chocolatey using PowerShell

Software installations are effortless with Chocolatey, especially for developers. Here’s how to use PowerShell to install Chocolatey.

Step 1: Open PowerShell as Administrator

Before proceeding, ensure you’re running PowerShell with Administrator privileges. To do this:

• Search for “PowerShell” in the Start menu, right-click it, and select Run as Administrator.

Step 2: Install Chocolatey

Once PowerShell is running as Administrator, run the following command to install Chocolatey:

Set-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Scope Process -Force;
[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol =
[System.Net.ServicePointManager]::SecurityProtocol -bor 3072;
iex ((New-Object System.Net.WebClient).DownloadString('https://community.chocolatey.org/install.ps1'))

This command temporarily bypasses the PowerShell execution policy and runs the installation script for Chocolatey.

Step 3: Verify Chocolatey Installation

Once the installation completes, you can verify that Chocolatey was installed successfully by running:

choco -v

This command should return the version of Chocolatey, indicating that the installation was successful, as shown below.

2. Installing AWS CLI, ecsctl, Docker, and Terraform Using Chocolatey

Now that Chocolatey is installed, we can easily install the AWS CLI, kubectl, and eksctl. These tools are essential for managing AWS resources and Kubernetes clusters.

Step 2.1 Installing AWS CLI

The AWS CLI (Command Line Interface) allows you to interact with AWS services directly from the command line.

To install the AWS CLI using Chocolatey, run:

choco install awscli -y

In PowerShell, run this command to import the Chocolatey helper module:

Import-Module "$env:ChocolateyInstallhelperschocolateyProfile.psm1"

After importing the module, you can then run:

refreshenv

This should refresh the environment variables without needing to restart PowerShell. Once the installation is complete, you can verify it by running:

aws --version

This should return the AWS CLI version installed on your system as shown below.

Optional: If you want to remove awscli, use the following command:

choco uninstall awscli -y

Step 2.2 Installing ECS CLI (ecs-cli)

ecs-cli is a command-line tool used to manage Amazon ECS clusters, deploy tasks, and services, and configure resources efficiently.

To install the ECS CLI using Chocolatey, run:

choco install ecs-cli -y

Verify the Installation:
Open a new terminal (PowerShell or Command Prompt) and run:

   ecs-cli --version

This should display the installed ECS CLI version, confirming the installation.

Optional: If you want to remove ecs-cli, use the following command:

choco uninstall ecs-cli -y

If you want to upgrade ecs-cli to latest version, use the following command:

choco upgrade ecs-cli

Step 2.3 Installing Docker

Docker is a platform that allows you to build, ship, and run containers efficiently.

Install Docker Desktop using Chocolatey with the following command:

choco install docker-desktop -y

After the installation finishes, you will see the docker desktop in start menu.

This command will output the Docker version, confirming a successful installation.

Optional: If you want to remove Docker Desktop, use the following command:

choco uninstall docker-desktop -y

Step 2.4 Installing Terraform

Terraform is an Infrastructure as Code (IaC) tool used to provision and manage resources across multiple cloud providers.

Install Terraform using Chocolatey with the following command:

choco install terraform -y

After the installation finishes, verify it by running:

terraform --version

This command will output the Terraform version, confirming a successful installation.

Optional: If you want to remove Terraform, use the following command:

choco uninstall terraform -y

Conclusion: For developers, IT specialists, and everyone else wishing to simplify Windows program management, Chocolatey is an essential tool. By converting difficult tasks like manually installing software into short, recurring activities, it makes it easier for you to automate and script your workflows. Try Chocolatey if you haven’t already it’s a great way to manage your software if you use Windows!

Here is the End!

✨ Thank you for reading! ✨ I hope this article helped simplify the process and gave you valuable insights. As I continue to explore the ever-evolving world of technology, I’m excited to share more guides, tips, and updates with you. 🚀 Stay tuned for more content that breaks down complex concepts and makes them easier to grasp. Let’s keep learning and growing together! 💡