I recently completed a lab on AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) - Lab 1: Introduction to IAM. 🚀 The lab was designed to help me understand how to manage IAM users, groups, and policies effectively. Here's a recap of what I learned and my overall thoughts on the lab. ✨
Exploring IAM Users and Groups 👥
The first part of the lab involved exploring the IAM dashboard. I got to see how users and groups are organized within AWS. Specifically, I examined three users—user-1, user-2, and user-3—and noted that initially, they had no permissions or group memberships assigned. This was a great way to understand the baseline setup before permissions are applied. ✅
Then, I moved on to exploring the existing groups: EC2-Admin, EC2-Support, and S3-Support. Each group had different policies attached. 🚓 For example, the EC2-Support group had a managed policy that granted read-only access to EC2, while the S3-Support group had a policy for read-only access to S3. The EC2-Admin group had an inline policy, which was a bit different and allowed more control over EC2 instances.
Managing Users and Groups 📇
The next task was more hands-on and involved assigning users to groups based on a business scenario. The idea was to grant specific permissions to new staff members according to their roles. I added user-1 to the S3-Support group for S3 access, user-2 to the EC2-Support group for EC2 access, and user-3 to the EC2-Admin group for admin-level EC2 access.
Using the IAM Sign-In URL 🔗
The final part of the lab was about testing the permissions by logging in as each user. I located the IAM sign-in URL and used it to access the AWS Management Console in a private browsing window. 🕵🏻♀️ This step was particularly interesting because it allowed me to see firsthand how the permissions I assigned worked in practice. 😎
For user-1, I confirmed access to S3 but no access to EC2, which was as expected. User-2 had read-only access to EC2 and no access to S3. Finally, user-3 had full control over EC2 instances. Logging in as each user and testing their access was a very effective way to understand the practical implications of IAM policies. ✅
Overall Thoughts 💁🏻♀️
This lab was helpful in understanding IAM in AWS. It provided a clear and structured way to learn about user and group management, policy application, and the practical effects of those policies. The step-by-step tasks made the learning process smooth and easy. ✨
Stay Tuned for More! 🚀
As I continue my journey through the AWS Cloud Solutions Architect Professional Certificate specialization on Coursera, I’ll be sharing more insights and tips. Follow along to learn more about AWS!