What is IAM?

IAM (Identity and Access Management) is an AWS service used to control who can access AWS and what they are allowed to do.

• Authentication - Verifies who you are
• Authorization - Decides what you can do

IAM is a global service — not region-specific.

Core Components

1. IAM Users

An IAM User represents an individual person or application that needs access to AWS.

Each user gets:

• A username
• A password (for Console login)
• Access Keys (for CLI / API access)

Example:

• Ram → Developer
• Shyam → Tester
• Admin → Cloud Admin

IAM Users represent real people or applications accessing AWS with long-term credentials.

2. IAM Groups