AWS provides multiple types of security credentials depending on how you wish to access the cloud account. A username and password are required to use the AWS Management Console, as are access credentials to perform programmatic calls to AWS.
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There are mainly two types of access through which you can access your AWS account:
- Console access
- Programmatic access
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Let’s see the difference between both these accesses.
Console Access
There are 2 ways in which a user can access the AWS console. You can either log in through a root user or an IAM user.
When you first create an AWS account, you will be prompted to enter an email address and a password for the root user. You must use the same email address and password to sign in to your AWS account as the root user. The root user can update the account name, email address, and password by logging into the AWS Management Console. A root user has complete access to all resources and permissions.
IAM users are created within the AWS account by the root user or an IAM administrator. To log in using the IAM user, you must have the account alias or 12-digit AWS account ID, the IAM user name, and the IAM user password. If you have forgotten your IAM user’s password, contact your IAM administrator or the account owner. If your IAM administrator granted you authority to manage your own AWS credentials, you can use the Security Credentials page to change your password on a regular basis, which is a security best practice.
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Programmatic Access
You must create and provide AWS access keys to make programmatic calls to AWS or to use the AWS Command Line Interface or AWS Tools for PowerShell. Access keys are made up of two parts: an access key ID (such as AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE) and a secret access key (such as wJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY). To authenticate your requests, you must use both the access key ID and the secret access key. When you create an access key pair, keep the access key ID and secret access key safe. The secret access key is only available when you create it. If you misplace your secret access key, you must erase it and create a new one.
Note: The secret access key is available for download only when you create it. If you don’t download your secret access key or if you lose it, you must create a new one.
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Steps to Create Access Keys
1) Go to the AWS management console, click on your Profile name, and then click on My Security Credentials.
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2) Go to Access Keys and select Create New Access Key.
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3) Click on Show Access Key and save/download the access key and secret access key.
Note: Make sure you save these as once you close this window, you won’t be able to view them.
Once you have the access and secret keys you can use these to create resources using Terraform. To check how you can create a VM in AWS using Terraform, visit our blog on Automate AWS Virtual Machine using Terraform.
Best Practices For Managing AWS Access Keys
Here are some of the best practices that you must follow while managing AWS access keys:
- Never generate an account access key.: One of the best ways to protect your account is to not create access keys for your AWS account root user unless required. Instead, the recommended best practice is to create one or more AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) users and grant those IAM users the necessary permissions and use them for everyday interaction with AWS.
- Use temporary security credentials instead of long-term access keys: Long-term access keys that never expire are not often required. Instead, you can create IAM roles and generate temporary security credentials. Temporary security credentials consist of an access key ID and a secret access key, but they also include a security token that indicates when the credentials expire.
- Manage IAM user access keys properly: If you must create access keys for programmatic access to AWS, create them for IAM users, granting the users only the permissions they require.
- Access keys should not be directly embedded in the code: Put access keys in either the AWS Credentials file or Environment Variables.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is an illustration of an AWS secret key?
When you use AWS programmatically, you submit your AWS access keys so that AWS can validate your identity in programmatic requests. Your access keys are made up of an access key ID (for example, AKIAIOSFODNN7EXAMPLE) and a secret access key (for example, WJalrXUtnFEMI/K7MDENG/bPxRfiCYEXAMPLEKEY).
How do I generate an AWS access key and a secret key for the root user?
In the navigation bar, select your account name, followed by My Security Credentials. If you receive a warning about accessing your AWS account's security credentials, select Continue to Security Credentials. Expand the section Access keys (access key ID and secret access key). Select Create New Access Key. If you select Show Access Key, you can copy and paste the access key ID and secret key from your browser window. If you select Download Key File, you will receive a file named rootkey.csv containing the access key ID and the secret key. Save the file to a secure location.
How to differentiate between an access key and a secret key?
AWS access key ID is a type of one-of-a-kind user/account identifier. AWS secret key is similar to a private key. When the AWS CLI submits an API request, the payload is signed using the secret key as the key in an HMAC. The AWS service receives the HMAC, AccessKeyID, and payload
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Related Links/References
- AWS Certified Solutions Architect Associate SAA-CO3
- Overview of Amazon Web Services & Concepts
- AWS Identity And Access Management (IAM)
- AWS Management Console Walkthrough
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