IAM Group
A collection of IAM users that can be managed as a single entity.
Description
In the context of AWS (Amazon Web Services), an IAM (Identity and Access Management) Group is a feature that allows administrators to manage permissions for multiple users simultaneously. Instead of assigning permissions to individual IAM users, which can be cumbersome and error-prone, administrators can create groups and assign permissions to these groups. This streamlines the management of user permissions and ensures consistent access controls across users with similar roles or responsibilities. For example, an organization may create an 'Admin' group that has full access to AWS resources, while also creating a 'Developers' group with more limited access tailored to development tasks. By associating users with these groups, administrators can easily manage and audit access without needing to modify each user's permissions individually. IAM Groups help enhance security practices by adhering to the principle of least privilege and simplifying user management in AWS environments.
Examples
- An 'Admin' IAM Group that grants full access to EC2, S3, and IAM services for system administrators.
- A 'Developers' IAM Group that allows access to specific S3 buckets and EC2 instances required for development work.
Additional Information
- IAM Groups do not have any permissions by themselves; they inherit permissions from policies attached to the group.
- Users can belong to multiple IAM Groups, allowing for flexible permission management based on varying roles.