AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a web service provided by Amazon Web Services (AWS) that enables you to manage access to AWS services and resources securely. IAM allows you to control who can perform actions on your AWS account, making it a fundamental component of AWS security.

Key Features

  • User and Group Management: IAM allows you to create and manage users and groups with fine-grained permissions.

  • Role-Based Access: You can define roles and grant permissions to AWS services, applications, and users.

  • Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA): IAM supports MFA for added account security.

  • Policy Management: You can create and attach policies to control access to AWS resources.

  • Access Control for AWS Services: IAM provides access control for various AWS services.

  • Identity Federation: It supports integration with identity providers for single sign-on (SSO).

Use Cases

  • Security: IAM is used to enforce security best practices by controlling access to AWS resources.

  • Access Management: Organizations use IAM to manage access for employees, partners, and applications.

  • Compliance: It helps meet compliance requirements by enforcing access controls and audit logging.

Pricing

AWS IAM is a free service. You only pay for the AWS resources and services that you access using IAM.

Getting Started

To get started with AWS IAM, you can visit the official AWS IAM documentation for comprehensive guides and tutorials.

AWS IAM is a critical component of AWS security, allowing you to manage and secure access to your AWS environment effectively.