AWS IAM - Identity Access Management
Kathiresan Natarajan
?? Aspiring Cybersecurity Professional | Cloud & Risk Management | Graphic & Logo Design Specialist | Passionate about Innovation, Learning, and Knowledge Sharing | Committed to Securing Digital Assets & Data
Security is a critical aspect of cloud computing, and AWS IAM (Identity and Access Management) helps you control who can access your AWS resources and what actions they can perform. If you're new to AWS, let’s break it down in simple terms.
AWS IAM is a secure access management system that helps you define who can access your AWS resources and what they can do. It’s like having different keys and permissions for different users in an organization.
? Example: Imagine you run a company.
Key Components of IAM
1?? Users – Individual AWS accounts (e.g., developers, admins).
2?? Groups – A collection of users with common permissions (e.g., Dev Team).
3?? Roles – Temporary access granted to AWS services (e.g., EC2 accessing S3).
4?? Policies – JSON-based rules that define permissions.
Why Use AWS IAM?
? Enhanced Security – Restrict access based on user roles.
? Granular Control – Define specific permissions for different users.
? Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) – Adds an extra layer of protection.
? AWS Service Access – Allows services like Lambda and EC2 to interact securely.
IAM Basics
This is the foundation of security in AWS IAM, applications, and networks.
Identities
Each type serves a different need but follows Identification, Authentication, and Authorization principles.
Analogy
Identity Provider (IdP)
It's like a security guard for websites and apps. Imagine you have a VIP pass (your login details) to get into a special club (a website or app). Instead of showing your pass at every club you visit, you just show it once to the security guard (the IdP). After that, the guard gives you a wristband (an authentication token) that lets you enter all the other clubs (websites/apps) without showing your pass again.
The IdP helps by:
So, when you log into services using your Google or Facebook account, those are examples of Identity Providers doing this job for you.
Some common examples IdPs include: Okta, Google Identity Platform, Auth0, Microsoft Azure Active Directory, Ping Identity
SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language)
Think of SAML as an old-school ticketing system for the web. It’s used to let a user log into one service (like a website) and then automatically access other services without needing to log in again.
OIDC (OpenID Connect)
OIDC is like SAML, but it's a bit newer and simpler, and it works well with modern apps, especially mobile and web-based ones.
Key Differences:
In short: