Amazon IAM VS AWS Directory Service: Which One To Choose?

When working with AWS, knowing which service to choose for the right workload is the real challenge. Today, let’s talk about AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) and AWS Directory Service.

AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)

Think of AWS IAM as the gatekeeper of your AWS resources. It lets you define who can access what in your AWS environment by managing permissions for users, groups, and roles.

AWS Directory Service

AWS Directory Service is more like your corporate phone directory. It provides centralized identity management and authentication for enterprise applications, with options to integrate with your existing Active Directory (AD).

How to Decide Which One to Choose:

Choose AWS IAM if:

• You need fine-grained access control for AWS resources (like S3, Lambda, or EC2).

• You're managing cloud-native applications where directory services aren't necessary.

• You require federated access for external identity providers like Okta or Google Workspace.

Choose AWS Directory Service if:

• You're running enterprise applications that require LDAP or Kerberos authentication.

• You already use Microsoft Active Directory and want to extend it to the AWS cloud.

• You need centralized user and group management for hybrid cloud environments.

Best of Both Worlds:

You can use both AWS IAM and Directory Service together:

• AWS IAM for resource permissions and service-to-service communication.

• AWS Directory Service for centralized authentication and enterprise directory integration.

So, what about you? Have you used IAM, Directory Service, or both in your cloud journey?

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