Amazon Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a web service offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that enables you to securely control access to AWS services and resources. IAM allows you to manage users, groups, roles, and their permissions within your AWS environment.
Key Concepts and Features
- Users: Represent individuals or entities that interact with AWS services. Each user has a unique set of security credentials.
- Groups: Collections of users. You can attach policies to groups to grant permissions to multiple users at once.
- Roles: IAM roles define a set of permissions for making AWS service requests. Roles are not associated with a specific user or group but can be assumed by users, applications, or AWS services.
- Permissions: Permissions in IAM are granted using policies. Policies are JSON documents that define what actions are allowed or denied on what resources.
- Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): Adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to present two or more forms of authentication before they can access AWS resources.
- Identity Federation: Allows you to grant temporary access to AWS resources to users authenticated by an external identity provider (e.g., Active Directory, SAML).
- Auditing and Logging: IAM provides features to monitor and log IAM events, helping you track changes and access to resources.
- Access Keys: Used for programmatic access to AWS resources. IAM users can have access keys associated with their accounts.
- IAM Policies: JSON documents that define permissions. Policies can be attached to users, groups, or roles.
IAM plays a crucial role in securing your AWS environment by providing fine-grained control over who can access your resources and what actions they can perform.