This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Josh Lee
Managing access to your AWS resources can feel like a maze at first. But once you get the hang of AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM), things get a whole lot easier.
AWS IAM basically lets you decide who gets into your
AWS environment and what they’re allowed to do once they’re in. That means you get to keep your data and services safe without losing your mind.
Whether you’re just a few friends running a side project or you’re wrangling a big team, IAM is the gatekeeper you want on your side.
This guide walks you through the basics—how to make users, set up permissions, and organize everything with groups and roles.
You’ll get some hands-on examples too, so you can actually try this stuff out and not just read about it.
Getting Started with AWS IAM
Before you do anything wild, it helps to know the lingo: users, groups, and policies. These are the core pieces you’ll use to control access.
You’ll see how to create users and groups, and how to hand out permissions in a way that actually makes sense.
Understanding IAM Concepts
IAM (that’s Identity and Access Management) is all about deciding who can do what in your AWS world. The main things you’ll work with are users, groups, roles, and policies.
Users: One person or one service. Think of it as a digital ID badge.
Groups: Bundles of users, so you don’t have to set permissions one by one.
Roles: Temporary permission sets. Kind of like a guest pass or a temp job badge.
Policies: These are permission recipes written in JSON. They spell out exactly what’s allowed and what’s not.
Policies really are the backbone here. They’re what decides if someone can, say, read an S3 bucket or spin up a new EC2 instance.
Creating IAM Users
Users are your starting point. Each one represents a person or an app that needs to get into AWS.
When you make a user, you’ll pick a username and decide if they need programmatic access (like using the AWS CLI or API) or just web console access.
Here’s how you do it in the AWS Console:
- Go to IAM.
- Click "Users" and then "Create User."
- Enter user details and select access type.
On this screen, you’ll define the new user’s basic login details and how they’ll access AWS services.
Here’s what to do:
Enter a unique username for the user (e.g., dev_john, marketing_bot, etc.)
Enable AWS Management Console access if the user needs to log in through the AWS website. Under User type, choose I want to create an IAM user
Set a console password. Choose between Autogenerated or Custom password
(Recommended) Keep the “Users must create a new password at next sign-in” box checked for security. Then click Next.
- Set permissions for the new user, you’ll assign permissions by adding the user to an existing group.
Here’s what to do:
Under Permissions options, choose Add user to group
This is the recommended approach to manage user permissions by job role.In the User groups list, check the box next to the group called admin
This will automatically grant the user all permissions associated with the admin group.
(Optional) You can create a new group if one doesn’t exist by clicking Create group
Skip the Set permissions boundary section unless you need advanced restrictions and then click “Next”
- Review everything and hit "Create user."
If you’re giving them programmatic access, AWS gives you access keys. Make sure you save those somewhere safe—losing them is a pain.
Managing IAM Groups
Groups make life easier. Instead of setting permissions for every single user, you just create a group and drop users into it.
When you set up a group:
Pick a name that actually means something (like "Developers" or "Admins").
Attach the policies that group needs.
Add users, and they get those permissions automatically.
For example, if you’ve got a bunch of devs, just make a "Developers" group and give it the permissions they need. Done.
Configuring IAM Policies
Policies are just JSON files that lay out what someone can or can’t do.
Some quick points about policies:
They either Allow or Deny stuff.
They’re made up of statements that say what actions are allowed, and on which resources.
You can get fancy and add conditions, like time of day or IP address.
AWS has a bunch of pre-made (managed) policies you can use. Or, if you like being in control, you can write your own custom ones.
Here’s a super basic example that lets someone read from an S3 bucket:
{
"Version": "2012–10–17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": ["s3:GetObject", "s3:ListBucket"],
"Resource": ["arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket", "arn:aws:s3:::example-bucket/*"]
}
]
}
And yeah, always stick to the “least privilege” rule. Only give people what they actually need. No more, no less.
Securing and Managing Access
You want to know who’s getting into your AWS stuff, and how. That means adding some extra security, keeping your permissions organized, and watching for anything weird going on.
Enabling Multi-Factor Authentication
Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) is just a fancy way of saying, “prove it’s really you.” After your password, you have to enter a code from your phone or a hardware device.
You can set up MFA for each user, or just for your main (root) account. It’s a lifesaver if someone steals a password. AWS works with apps like Google Authenticator, or you can use a physical thing like a YubiKey.
Honestly, turn on MFA for any account you care about. It’s quick to set up in the IAM console and you won’t have to mess with it much after that.
Implementing Role-Based Access Control
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) means you give permissions to a role, not to every single user. Then you just assign the role as needed.
For example, you might have roles for admins, devs, or even billing folks. That way, nobody gets more access than they need, and it’s easy to see who can do what.
Roles can be temporary too—someone can “assume” a role for a specific task. Pair up your roles with policies that lay out the allowed actions and resources. It keeps things tidy and secure.
Monitoring IAM Activities
Keeping an eye on IAM activities is honestly one of those things you can't skip if you care about security. It's like checking your bank account every so often—better safe than sorry.
Fire up AWS CloudTrail to log every IAM move, whether that's someone signing in, tweaking a policy, or jumping into a new role. It's basically your security camera for AWS actions.
Take some time to look through those logs. And yeah, set up alerts for weird stuff, like logins from a country you’ve never visited or sudden changes in permissions.
If you want to level up, try mixing CloudTrail with AWS Config or Amazon GuardDuty. These tools work together to catch threats automatically, so you can jump on anything suspicious right away.
This content originally appeared on DEV Community and was authored by Josh Lee
Josh Lee | Sciencx (2025-08-26T17:34:03+00:00) AWS IAM Tutorial for Beginners: Easy Steps to Manage Access. Retrieved from https://www.scien.cx/2025/08/26/aws-iam-tutorial-for-beginners-easy-steps-to-manage-access/
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