AWS Key Management Service (KMS) is a fully managed service that makes it easy to create and control cryptographic keys used to encrypt your data. KMS is integrated with various AWS services and offers a secure and scalable solution for managing encryption keys.
Key Features
- Key Creation and Management: Create, rotate, and manage cryptographic keys used for encryption in a secure and compliant manner.
- Integration with AWS Services: KMS integrates seamlessly with various AWS services, allowing you to encrypt data stored in S3, EBS volumes, and more.
- Granular Access Control: Define and manage access policies for your keys using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) to control who can use your keys.
- Key Rotation: Automate the process of rotating encryption keys to enhance security and compliance with best practices.
- Centralized Key Management: Use KMS to centrally manage keys across multiple AWS accounts and regions.
- Hardware Security Modules (HSMs): KMS allows you to use AWS CloudHSM to provide dedicated HSMs for additional hardware security.
Use Cases
AWS Key Management Service is commonly used for the following purposes:
- Data Encryption: Encrypt sensitive data at rest and in transit using KMS keys to protect against unauthorized access.
- Compliance Requirements: Meet compliance requirements by using KMS to manage encryption keys securely and demonstrate key management best practices.
- Secure Multi-Tenancy: Manage encryption keys centrally when dealing with multiple AWS accounts and applications.
- Application Security: Integrate KMS with your applications to ensure secure and compliant handling of encryption keys.
AWS Key Management Service is a fundamental component in securing and managing encryption keys for a wide range of AWS resources and applications.