👤 AWS 116: Who Goes There? - Creating Your First IAM User

🔑 IAM Basics: Securing Your Cloud Identity

Hey Cloud Gatekeepers! 👋

Welcome to Day 16 of the #100DaysOfCloud Challenge: Create IAM User! Today we are stepping away from the "infrastructure" side and moving into the "identity" side with KodeKloud Engineer.

When you first create an AWS account, you use a "Root User." But in a professional DevOps team, we never use the Root User for daily tasks. Instead, we create specific IAM users.

Our mission today: Create an IAM user named iamuser_javed.

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1. Introduction: What is IAM? 💡

Identity and Access Management (IAM) is the service that lets you securely control access to AWS resources.

• IAM User: A person or service within your organization that needs to interact with AWS.
• The Golden Rule: Always follow the Principle of Least Privilege. Only give a user the exact permissions they need to do their job nothing more.
• Why it Matters: If everyone uses the Root User, a single compromised password can destroy your entire company. IAM users allow you to monitor activity, rotate keys, and set individual permissions.

Let's set up a seat at the table for our team member, Javed! 👤

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2. Step-by-Step Guide: Creating iamuser_javed

We will use the AWS Management Console to provision this new user.

Step 2.1: Navigate to the IAM Dashboard

1. Log in to the AWS Console.

1. In the search bar, type IAM and select the first result.

1. In the left sidebar, click on "Users".

Step 2.2: Initiate User Creation

1. Click the orange "Create user" button.

Step 2.3: Provide User Details

1. User name: Enter iamuser_javed.
2. Console access: For this task, we are just creating the user. If this was a real person, you would check "Provide user access to the AWS Management Console."

1. Click "Next".

Step 2.4: Set Permissions

1. On the Set permissions page, you have three options: Add user to group, Copy permissions, or Attach policies directly.
2. Note: For this specific task, if no permissions were required, you can simply click *"Next"*. In a real scenario, you would usually add them to a group like "Developers" or "Admins".

Step 2.5: Review and Create

1. Review the user name to ensure there are no typos.
2. Scroll to the bottom and click "Create user".

Success! iamuser_javed is now a part of your AWS environment. 🎉

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3. Key Takeaways 📝

• Identity First: IAM is a global service. You don't create users in "us-east-1" or "eu-west-1" they exist across your entire AWS account.
• Avoid Root: Use IAM users for everything. Lock away your Root User credentials and use them only for account-level changes.
• Human vs. Machine: IAM users can have passwords (for console login) or Access Keys (for the CLI and API).

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4. Common Mistakes to Avoid 🚫

1. Sharing Accounts: Never share a single IAM user between two people. Every person needs their own unique identity for auditing.
2. No MFA: Always enable Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) for any IAM user that has console access.
3. Permissions Bloat: Don't give every user "AdministratorAccess" just to make things easier. It’s a huge security risk!

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5. Conclusion + Call to Action! 🌟

You've successfully taken the first step in cloud governance! By creating IAM users, you're building a secure, professional environment that can scale with a growing team.

How are you finding the 100 Days of Cloud Challenge? 🛡️

• 💬 Let’s connect on LinkedIn: What's your top tip for keeping IAM policies clean? 👉 Hritik Raj
• ⭐ Support my journey on GitHub: Follow my progress as I dive deeper into AWS security. 👉 GitHub – 100 Days of Cloud