Which of the following is used as a security credential for AWS CLI requests?

Access keys are a core component used as security credentials for AWS Command Line Interface (CLI) requests. They consist of an access key ID and a secret access key, which are essential for authenticating and authorizing API requests made through the AWS CLI. When a user runs a command using the AWS CLI, the tool needs to verify the identity of the user or the application making the request to ensure that the actions being taken are permitted. The access keys serve this purpose by allowing AWS to validate who is making the request and whether they have permission to execute specific operations.

Other options listed serve different purposes within AWS:

Session tokens, while used in temporary security credentials issued by AWS, are typically part of a larger mechanism (e.g., used with temporary credentials that include an access key and a secret access key). Instance profiles are a way to associate IAM roles with EC2 instances, providing permissions for the applications running on those instances, rather than a direct method of authentication for the AWS CLI. SSH keys are primarily used for secure shell access to EC2 instances and are not utilized for AWS API authentication in the context of CLI requests.