boto

Boto is a Python library for interacting with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Formerly known as Boto, the project provides an interface to several AWS services, enabling developers to script and automate AWS tasks from Python.

Origin and evolution: Boto was created by Mitch Garnaat and became a de facto standard for AWS automation in Python during the 2000s. The original library, often referred to as boto or boto2, is largely unmaintained as of the late 2010s. Amazon released Boto3 as the official, successor SDK for Python, introducing a revamped API, a resource layer, and improved service coverage. Boto3 is actively maintained and recommended for new projects.

Services and usage: Boto/boto3 provide interfaces to a wide range of AWS services, including Simple Storage Service (S3), Elastic Compute Cloud (EC2), Simple Queue Service (SQS), Simple Notification Service (SNS), DynamoDB, RDS, IAM, and more. Clients and resources can be created with credentials from environment variables, configuration files, or AWS IAM roles. Boto3 uses a session-based API with both high-level resources and low-level clients, whereas the older boto2 library used a more procedural connection approach.

Impact and status: Boto remains present in many legacy deployments and scripts. For new development, AWS recommends boto3 due to its active maintenance, better service coverage, and modern interface.