AWS
InvalidArgument - Invalid Argument
Hitting an **InvalidArgument** error means one or more parameters in your AWS API request have invalid values, types, or formats—the argument might be out of range, wrong type, or unsupported. This client-side error (4xx) happens when AWS validates request parameters. Most common when parameter values are invalid, but also appears when parameter types don't match requirements, arguments are out of valid range, parameter formats are incorrect, or unsupported argument values are used.
#Common Causes
- →Identity: IAM policy allows request but argument invalid. Service Control Policy (SCP) enforces argument validation.
- →Network: VPC endpoint argument restrictions. API Gateway parameter validation.
- →Limits: Invalid parameter value. Parameter type mismatch. Argument out of valid range. Invalid parameter format. Unsupported argument value.
✓Solutions
- 1Step 1: Diagnose - Check exact error message: AWS usually specifies which argument is invalid. Review error message for parameter name. Check parameter value.
- 2Step 2: Diagnose - Verify parameter types: Check if parameter type matches requirement (string, number, boolean). Verify array/object structure if applicable. Check enum values if restricted.
- 3Step 3: Diagnose - Review valid ranges: Check parameter value is within valid range. Verify minimum/maximum values. Check if value is in allowed list.
- 4Step 4: Fix - Use AWS CLI help: aws SERVICE OPERATION help. Review parameter requirements. Check valid values. Verify parameter format.
- 5Step 5: Fix - Correct invalid arguments: Update parameter value to valid range. Fix parameter type if wrong. Use correct format. Replace unsupported values with supported ones.
</>Code Examples
Use AWS CLI Help to Check Valid Arguments
1#!/bin/bash
2# Get help for EC2 run-instances to see valid arguments
3echo "=== EC2 Run Instances Help ==="
4aws ec2 run-instances help | grep -A 30 "SYNOPSIS"
5
6# Check specific parameter requirements
7echo "\n=== Parameter Requirements ==="
8aws ec2 run-instances help | grep -i "image-id|instance-type|count" | head -10
9
10# Example: Validate arguments before running
11AMI_ID="ami-xxxxx" # Replace with valid AMI
12INSTANCE_TYPE="t2.micro"
13
14echo "\n=== Validating Arguments ==="
15# Check AMI ID format
16if [[ ! "${AMI_ID}" =~ ^ami-[0-9a-f]{8,17}$ ]]; then
17 echo "✗ Invalid AMI ID format: ${AMI_ID}"
18 echo "Must be: ami-xxxxxxxx"
19 exit 1
20fi
21
22# Check instance type
23VALID_TYPES=("t2.micro" "t2.small" "t3.micro" "m5.large" "c5.xlarge")
24if [[ ! " ${VALID_TYPES[@]} " =~ " ${INSTANCE_TYPE} " ]]; then
25 echo "✗ Invalid instance type: ${INSTANCE_TYPE}"
26 echo "Valid types: ${VALID_TYPES[*]}"
27 exit 1
28fi
29
30echo "✓ Arguments validated"
31echo "\n=== Running with Valid Arguments ==="
32aws ec2 run-instances \
33 --image-id ${AMI_ID} \
34 --instance-type ${INSTANCE_TYPE} \
35 --count 1 \
36 --dry-run 2>&1 | head -5Check Parameter Ranges and Types
1#!/bin/bash
2# Example: Validate EC2 parameters
3MIN_COUNT=1
4MAX_COUNT=1
5
6echo "=== Validating Parameter Ranges ==="
7
8# Check MinCount range (1-20)
9if [ ${MIN_COUNT} -lt 1 ] || [ ${MIN_COUNT} -gt 20 ]; then
10 echo "✗ Invalid MinCount: ${MIN_COUNT} (must be 1-20)"
11 exit 1
12fi
13
14# Check MaxCount range (1-20)
15if [ ${MAX_COUNT} -lt 1 ] || [ ${MAX_COUNT} -gt 20 ]; then
16 echo "✗ Invalid MaxCount: ${MAX_COUNT} (must be 1-20)"
17 exit 1
18fi
19
20# Check MinCount <= MaxCount
21if [ ${MIN_COUNT} -gt ${MAX_COUNT} ]; then
22 echo "✗ MinCount (${MIN_COUNT}) cannot be greater than MaxCount (${MAX_COUNT})"
23 exit 1
24fi
25
26echo "✓ Parameter ranges valid"
27echo "MinCount: ${MIN_COUNT}, MaxCount: ${MAX_COUNT}"↗Related Errors
Provider Information
This error code is specific to AWS services. For more information, refer to the official AWS documentation.