AWS Identities

AWS Identities provide a way to manage and control access to AWS resources. Identity and Access Management (IAM) is used to manage AWS identities, including users, groups, and roles.

Steps/Explanation

1. Create an IAM user: An IAM user represents an individual who has secure access to your AWS account. Configure the user's permissions and grant necessary access to AWS resources.

2. Create an IAM group: An IAM group is a collection of IAM users. Manage group-level permissions, which will automatically apply to all users within the group.

3. Create an IAM role: An IAM role is a set of permissions that grant access to AWS resources. Assign the role to trusted entities such as IAM users or AWS services.

4. Grant permissions: Use IAM policies to define permissions for resources. IAM policies are JSON documents that specify the actions that are allowed or denied on resources.

5. Use multi-factor authentication (MFA): MFA adds another layer of security to your AWS account by requiring a second form of authentication, such as a code sent to a mobile app or a physical token.

6. Rotate credentials: Regularly rotate and update IAM user credentials such as access keys and secret access keys to mitigate security risks.

Examples and Use Cases

• Example: A company has ten AWS users and wants to manage their access to AWS resources. Create an IAM group and add all ten users to the group. Assign permissions to the group, which will apply to all users added to the group.

• Use case: A developer needs access to an S3 bucket but should not have access to other AWS services. Create an IAM role that has the necessary permissions to access the S3 bucket and assign this role to the developer.

Important Points

• Create IAM users to represent individuals who need secure access to your AWS account.
• Organize users using IAM groups and manage permissions at the group level.
• IAM roles grant permissions to trusted entities such as IAM users or AWS services.
• Use IAM policies to define permissions for AWS resources.
• Add an extra layer of security to your account by enabling MFA.
• Rotate IAM user credentials regularly to prevent security breaches.

Summary

AWS Identities allow you to manage and control access to AWS resources securely. IAM enables you to create, manage and control users, groups, and IAM roles that grant specific permissions for accessing AWS resources. IAM policies provide a granular level of control to define permissions on resources. Enabling MFA and credential rotation are best practices for maintaining security.