Export AWS Security Group Rules: Step-by-Step Guide

Steven Jul 09, 2026

Exporting AWS security group rules can be a crucial step in managing and understanding your network's security. Whether you're looking to migrate resources, comply with regulations, or simply want to have a backup of your rules, this process can be achieved through the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or infrastructure as code (IaC) tools like AWS CloudFormation. Let's delve into each method.

GitHub - aws-solutions/aws-waf-security-automations: This solution automatically deploys a single web access control list (web ACL) with a set of AWS WAF rules designed to filter common web-based attacks.
GitHub - aws-solutions/aws-waf-security-automations: This solution automatically deploys a single web access control list (web ACL) with a set of AWS WAF rules designed to filter common web-based attacks.

Before we proceed, ensure you have the necessary permissions to export security group rules. You can use the AmazonEC2FullAccess or AmazonEC2ReadOnlyAccess policies, depending on whether you need to modify rules or just view them.

AWS Security Services What Are the 5 Core AWS Services
AWS Security Services What Are the 5 Core AWS Services

Exporting Security Group Rules via AWS Management Console

The AWS Management Console provides a user-friendly interface to export security group rules. Here's a step-by-step guide:

Client Challenge
Client Challenge

1. Open the Amazon EC2 console and navigate to the "Security Groups" section.

Exporting Rules for a Single Security Group

How to: AWS Service Endpoints via Terraform for fun and profit
How to: AWS Service Endpoints via Terraform for fun and profit

2. Select the security group for which you want to export rules and click on "Actions" > "Export".

3. Choose the rule format (JSON or CSV) and click "Export". The rules will be downloaded to your local machine.

Exporting Rules for Multiple Security Groups

GoDaddy
GoDaddy

4. To export rules for multiple security groups, select the groups and click on "Actions" > "Export".

5. Follow the same steps as above to choose the rule format and download the rules.

Exporting Security Group Rules via AWS CLI

the aws iam best practices for 2055 info graphic on how to use it
the aws iam best practices for 2055 info graphic on how to use it

The AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) offers a more automated way to export security group rules. Here's how you can do it:

1. Open your terminal or command prompt and ensure you're logged in to your AWS account using the AWS CLI.

the different types of security infos on this page are shown in red, white and blue
the different types of security infos on this page are shown in red, white and blue
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Exporting Rules for a Single Security Group

2. Use the following command to export rules for a specific security group:

aws ec2 describe-security-groups --group-ids --query 'SecurityGroups[*].IpPermissions' --output text

Replace with the ID of your security group.

Exporting Rules for Multiple Security Groups

3. To export rules for multiple security groups, you can use a script or a tool like jq to parse the output. Here's an example using jq:

aws ec2 describe-security-groups --group-ids --query 'SecurityGroups[*].IpPermissions' --output json | jq -r '.[] | .[] | .IpProtocol + " " + .FromPort + " " + .ToPort + " " + .IpRanges[].CidrIp + " " + .UserIdGroupPairs[].UserId' | sed 's/^/\t/g' | column -t

Replace and with the IDs of your security groups.

Exporting Security Group Rules via Infrastructure as Code (IaC)

IaC tools like AWS CloudFormation allow you to define and provision AWS resources using code. Here's how you can export security group rules using CloudFormation:

1. Create a new CloudFormation stack with the AWS::EC2::SecurityGroup resource. Set the Export property to true.

2. After the stack creation is complete, you can retrieve the exported rules using the aws cloudformation describe-stack-resource --stack-name --logical-resource-id --query 'StackResourceDetail.Outputs[?OutputKey==`ExportedRules`].OutputValue' --output text command. Replace and with the name and ID of your stack and resource, respectively.

In conclusion, exporting AWS security group rules can be achieved through various methods, depending on your preference and use case. Whether you choose the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or IaC tools, each method offers a straightforward way to access and manage your security group rules. Regularly reviewing and updating these rules is essential to maintain a robust security posture for your AWS environment.