Description

AWS IAM is a web service that securely controls access to AWS resources. It allows you to centrally manage permissions, determining who is authenticated and authorized to use resources.

How It Works

• User Management: IAM lets you create and manage users, groups, and roles, assigning specific permissions.
• Fine-Grained Permissions: Specify precise actions for each user on specific resources using IAM policies.
• Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Enhance security by requiring an additional authentication factor.
• Temporary Security Credentials: Grant time-limited access to AWS resources.
• Identity Federation: Connect identities across multiple AWS accounts.

Benefits

• Least Privilege Access: Enforce granular permissions, restricting actions down to individual API calls and resource ARNs.
• Centralized Identity Management: Manage identities within a single AWS account or across multiple accounts.
• Free to Use: IAM doesn’t incur additional costs.

Limitations

• Resource Scope: IAM applies only to resources that support it (e.g., tagged resources).
• Complexity: Managing multiple policies can become intricate as resources grow.

Use Cases

• Attribute-Based Access Control: Create granular permissions based on user attributes (e.g., department, role).
• Multi-Account Access: Manage identities across AWS accounts.
• Least-Privilege Journey: Continuously refine permissions for optimal security.