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AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the cornerstone of security and access control in the AWS Cloud. With IAM, you can centrally manage permissions, enforce the principle of least privilege, and govern how your users and applications authenticate and authorize with AWS services.

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What You’ll Learn

  • IAM Users: Create dedicated accounts for individuals to access AWS via Management Console, CLI, or SDKs.
  • AWS CLI & SDKs: Automate IAM operations and integrate AWS services into your applications.
  • IAM Groups: Simplify permission management by grouping users and attaching policies.
  • IAM Roles: Grant short-term permissions to AWS resources without storing long-term credentials.
  • Identity Policies: Define JSON-based permissions and attach them to users, groups, or roles.
  • Resource-Based Policies: Attach permissions directly to AWS resources (e.g., S3 buckets, SQS queues).
  • Session Policies: Scope down permissions for a single session to enforce tighter control.
  • Permission Boundaries: Limit the maximum permissions an IAM entity can acquire, enforcing least-privilege.
The image is a slide titled "IAM Overview" with a list of topics related to Identity and Access Management, including IAM Users, AWS CLI and SDK, IAM Groups, IAM Roles, Identity Policy, Resource Based Policy, Session Policy, and Permission Boundary.

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Key IAM Components

ComponentDescriptionCommon Use Case
IAM UsersLong-term credentials for individual identityTeam members accessing the AWS Console or CLI
IAM GroupsCollections of users for bulk permission managementGranting developers access to specific AWS services
IAM RolesTemporary credentials assumed by AWS services or federated usersEC2 instances needing S3 read/write access
Identity PoliciesJSON documents specifying “Allow” or “Deny” actionsAttaching S3-read policy to a developer group
Resource PoliciesPermissions attached directly to AWS resources (bucket, queue, etc)S3 bucket policy to allow CloudFront distribution
Session PoliciesInline policies passed in a role or user sessionLimiting an API call to only a particular DynamoDB table
Permission BoundariesMaximum permissions an IAM entity can obtainEnsuring contractors cannot escalate privileges
Use permission boundaries to enforce least-privilege at scale. They act as an upper-limit guardrail, even if an identity has broader permissions via attached policies.

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Meet Sara: A Real-World Example

To illustrate how IAM works in practice, follow Sara, an AWS Solutions Architect, as she:
  • Creates and manages AWS accounts
  • Defines IAM users, groups, and roles
  • Configures fine-grained access control
  • Implements authentication and authorization flows
  • Applies the principle of least privilege in every step
  • Audits and monitors user access and policy changes
The image outlines Sara's responsibilities, including managing AWS accounts, creating users and groups, access control management, authentication and authorization, and following the principle of least privilege.

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Next Steps: AWS Account Setup

Now that you understand the IAM landscape, proceed with:
  1. Configuring your AWS root user for MFA
  2. Creating your first IAM user and group
  3. Attaching managed policies to your group
  4. Verifying permissions via AWS CLI
For detailed instructions, see Managing IAM Users and Groups and AWS CLI Configuration.

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References

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