Table of Contents
Introduction
Learning access control, particularly IAM Role vs Policy, is necessary for a safe and effective cloud computing experience in the complex world of AWS (Amazon Web Services). If you want to manage user permissions efficiently, you need to know the difference between IAM roles and policies. The management of user permissions is mostly dependent on two important elements Policies and IAM Roles. With the help of our industry expertise and real-world experiences, we simplify clear the complexity of IAM Role vs Policy in this tutorial.
What is IAM Roles ?
IAM (Identity and Access Management) Roles are really important in cloud computing, especially in services like Amazon Web Services (AWS). These roles decide what users, applications, or services are allowed to do in specific cloud resources. Unlike traditional access methods that use permanent credentials, IAM Roles aren’t directly linked to a specific user but can be used by different entities when needed.
When an entity uses an IAM Role, it gets temporary security credentials with set permissions. These temporary credentials let entities do what they need to do without using long-term credentials. IAM Roles are a big part of making sure that entities only have the permissions they need for their specific tasks, which makes cloud environments more secure overall.
Types of IAM Roles
AWS Service Roles
Given to AWS services to allow them to access other AWS resources. For example, an AWS Lambda function taking on a role to read and write to an S3 bucket.
Cross-Account Roles
Used to delegate access across AWS accounts, enabling entities in one AWS account to take on a role in another account. For instance, allowing an external account to access resources in your AWS account.
Federated Roles
Enable temporary access to AWS resources for users authenticated by an external identity provider (IdP) through federated login, often used for Single Sign-On (SSO) scenarios. For example, allowing users from an on-premises Active Directory to take on roles in AWS.
AssumeRole Roles
Created for specific entities to take on a role and get temporary security credentials, commonly used by applications or scripts running on an EC2 instance or Lambda function. For instance, an EC2 instance taking on a role to securely access other AWS services.
Resource-Based Roles
Associated with AWS resources, allowing entities that need to access the resource to take on the role. Commonly used with services like AWS Lambda, which takes on a role to execute functions. For example, a Lambda function taking on a role to access an Amazon DynamoDB table.
Service-Linked Roles
Predefined by AWS and include all the permissions that a service requires to call other AWS services on your behalf. They cannot be modified to ensure that AWS services work seamlessly.
What is IAM Policies ?
IAM (Identity and Access Management) Policies are really important in cloud computing, especially in services like Amazon Web Services (AWS). These policies decide what users, groups, or roles are allowed to do in a cloud computing environment. They specify which actions are allowed or denied on specific resources.
IAM Policies are made up of statements that describe the permissions and conditions for those permissions. They can control access to lots of different resources, like compute instances, storage, and databases. The policies are attached to IAM identities (users, groups, or roles) and decide how much access they have in the cloud infrastructure.
Policies are written in a format called JSON (JavaScript Object Notation), which can be read by people and understood by computers. They’re really important for making sure that security and access controls are followed, and they help organizations stick to the rule of least privilege by only giving the necessary permissions for specific tasks. Managing IAM Policies well is crucial for keeping a cloud environment safe and well-regulated.
Types of IAM Roles
Identity-Based Policies
These policies are linked to IAM identities, like users, groups, or roles. They specify what actions an identity can take on which resources. For example, allowing a user to read objects in a specific Amazon S3 bucket.
Resource-Based Policies
These policies are connected to resources, such as an S3 bucket or an Amazon SNS topic. They determine which identities (users, groups, or roles) can access the resource and what actions they can perform. For instance, granting another AWS account access to read objects in an S3 bucket.
Permission Boundaries
These are used to set the maximum permissions an IAM entity (user or role) can have. They act as a limit for the IAM entity’s permissions and help prevent unintended privilege escalation. For example, restricting a user’s permissions to specific AWS services or actions.
AWS Organizations Policies
These are applied at the root level of an AWS Organization to control the actions that can be performed across member accounts. They govern actions like creating accounts, attaching policies, or moving accounts within the organization.
Session Policies
These are used for temporary security credentials obtained through IAM roles. They define what actions and resources can be accessed during a session.
Inline Policies
These are directly embedded within a user, group, or role definition, offering more granular control over permissions tied to a specific IAM entity.
Comparison - IAM Role vs Policy in AWS
Conclusion
In conclusion, understanding the differences between IAM roles and policies, commonly referred to as IAM Role vs Policy, is crucial for effectively managing user permissions in AWS. IAM roles provide temporary security credentials, ensuring entities have only the necessary permissions for specific tasks, enhancing overall security. Similarly, IAM policies, structured in JSON format to specify permissions and conditions for access, play a vital role in controlling access to resources. By comprehensively understanding IAM roles and policies, organizations can implement robust access control mechanisms, adhere to the principle of least privilege, and maintain a secure and well-regulated cloud infrastructure in AWS, making IAM Role vs Policy a critical aspect of AWS security and access management.