Introduction to AWS IAM

Introduction to AWS IAM

• AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a web service that helps you securely control access to AWS resources.
• It allows you to manage users, groups, and permissions to grant or deny access to various AWS services and resources.

Why is AWS IAM important?

• IAM plays a crucial role in ensuring the security of your AWS infrastructure. By using IAM, you can:
  • Create and manage AWS users and groups
  • Assign granular permissions to control access to AWS resources
  • Enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) for added security
  • Integrate with other AWS services for fine-grained access control
  • Monitor and audit user activity using AWS CloudTrail

Key Concepts in AWS IAM

1. Users
   • Users are entities that you create in IAM to represent the people or services that interact with your AWS resources.
   • Each user has a unique name and security credentials, such as a password or access keys.
2. Groups
   • Groups are collections of IAM users. You can assign permissions to a group, and all users in that group inherit those permissions.
3. Roles
   • Roles are similar to users, but they are not associated with a specific person.
   • Instead, roles are meant to be assumed by entities such as AWS services or applications.
   • Roles have policies attached to them, which define the permissions that the role has.
4. Policies
   • Policies are JSON documents that define the permissions for users, groups, and roles.
   • They specify what actions are allowed or denied on which resources.

Getting Started with AWS IAM

• To start using AWS IAM, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console.
2. Open the IAM console.
3. Create IAM users and groups.
4. Assign permissions to users and groups using policies.
5. Enable MFA for added security.
6. Monitor user activity using AWS CloudTrail.