AWS IAM
Securely manage access to AWS services and resources
Overview
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a web service that helps you securely control access to AWS resources. You use IAM to control who is authenticated (signed in) and authorized (has permissions) to use resources. IAM allows you to manage users, security credentials such as access keys, and permissions that control which AWS resources users and applications can access.
✨ Key Features
- Centralized control of your AWS account
- Shared access to your AWS account
- Granular permissions
- Identity federation with corporate directories
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
🎯 Key Differentiators
- The fundamental mechanism for controlling access to all AWS services
- Extremely granular permission policies
- No additional cost
Unique Value: Provides the fundamental security controls to manage who can access what in your AWS environment, enabling the principle of least privilege.
🎯 Use Cases (4)
✅ Best For
- Creating an IAM user for a developer with limited access to production resources
- Creating an IAM role for an EC2 instance to access an S3 bucket
💡 Check With Vendor
Verify these considerations match your specific requirements:
- Managing application-level users (use Amazon Cognito instead)
🏆 Alternatives
While other identity providers manage user identities, IAM is the ultimate authority for what those identities are allowed to do within AWS.
💻 Platforms
🔌 Integrations
🛟 Support Options
- ✓ Email Support
- ✓ Live Chat
- ✓ Phone Support
- ✓ Dedicated Support (Business, Enterprise tier)
🔒 Compliance & Security
💰 Pricing
Free tier: IAM is a feature of your AWS account offered at no additional charge.
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