Starting an AWS Instance with API, AUTHPARAMS

Question

I am trying to start an AMI using

https://ec2.amazonaws.com/
?Action=StartInstances
&InstanceId.1=i-10a64379
&AUTHPARAMS

Like documentadion says here but I am unable to find what AUTHPARAMS refers to.
Thanks

Answer 1

As Steffen notes, the API is much easier to use than the direct REST calls (especially the reasonably new Command Line Interface -- which is much more lightweight, and arguably easier to use as a result of the JSON integration, than the original by-product Command Line Tools)

...but if you are determined:

It's somewhat buried in the documentation, but the following links seem to lead us toward an answer:

1) the high level description of the "AUTHPARAMS" (as referenced frequently in the API documentation.)

AuthParams

The parameters that are required to authenticate a Conditional request. Contains:

AWSAccessKeyID

SignatureVersion

Timestamp

Signature

Default: None

Required: Conditional

2) a step by step outline of the parameters needed for a REST request:

3) the detailed outline of the method to derive the "signature" for the "AUTHPARAMS"

This is the example in the documentation (I've added newlines to make it easier to read)

https://elasticmapreduce.amazonaws.com?
AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE&
Action=DescribeJobFlows&
SignatureMethod=HmacSHA256&
SignatureVersion=2&
Timestamp=2011-10-03T15%3A19%3A30&
Version=2009-03-31&
Signature=i91nKc4PWAt0JJIdXwz9HxZCJDdiy6cf%2FMj6vPxyYIs%3D

4) Additionally there is some general information here about signatures