Chapter 6.4 - Using Roles

Question 1

What is an IAM Role?

Answer 1

A role is an identity you can create in IAM (Identity and Access Management) that has specific permissions.

A role is similar to a user, as it is an AWS identity with permission policies that determine what the identity can and cannot do in AWS.

However, instead of being uniquely associated with one person, a role is intended to be assumable by anyone who needs it.

Question 2

Are Roles Temporary?

Answer 2

Yes. A role does not have the standard long-term credentials the same way passwords or access keys do. Instead, when you assume a role, it provides you with temporary security credentials for your role session.

Question 3

What Else Can Roles Do?

Answer 3

Roles can be assumed by people, AWS architecture, or other system-level accounts.

Roles can allow cross-account access. This allows one AWS account the ability to interact with resources in other AWS accounts.