Step-by-Step Guide to Generate AWS Security Credentials

AWS authenticates and authorizes your requests using the security credentials. There are different types of users in AWS. All AWS users have security credentials. In this blog, you will a detailed steps to generate AWS Credentials and IAM user account creation.

If you are new to AWS and want to know how to create your own AWS account, please refer to my blog post on a detailed walkthrough on AWS account creation.

Then, generate an Access Key ID and Secret Access Key via the AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) console. Set environment variables or configure the AWS CLI with these credentials so Terraform may interact with AWS on your behalf.

Generating AWS credentials involves creating an IAM (Identity and Access Management) user and obtaining access keys. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you on creating IAM user account:

Step 1: Sign into the AWS Management Console:

• Go to AWS Management Console.
• Sign in using your AWS account credentials.

Step 2: Access the IAM Dashboard:

• Navigate to the “Services” menu and select “IAM” under the “Security, Identity, & Compliance” section.

Step 3: Create a New IAM User:

• In the IAM dashboard, select “Users” from the left-hand menu.
• Click on the “Add user” button to create a new user.

Step 4: Set User Details:

• Enter a username for the new IAM user.
• Choose the type of access for the user (e.g., programmatic access, AWS Management Console access, or both).

Step 5: Attach Policies:

• Attach the policies that define the permissions for this user. You can choose existing policies or create custom ones based on your requirements.

Step 6: Review and Create:

• Review the configuration to ensure it’s correct.
• Click “Create user” to create the IAM user.

After creating the user, you’ll receive a success message with the user’s access key and secret access key. Now let's see the steps to generate AWS security credentials.

Steps to generate Security credentials:

Step 1: In the AWS management console, Search for the services IAM.

Step 2: Choose IAM Services to create an access ID and Security Key. On the right side under ‘Quick Links’ click on “My security credentials”

Step 3: Click on Create Access Key to generate the access ID and Security Key. Always best practice to create security credentials from the IAM user account.

Step 4: Download the .csv file and save it for future login, if you lose or forget the secret access key, we can’t retrieve it. Instead, you have to create a new access key and inactive the old keys.

Generated access key ID details will be reflected under the Access keys section in an active status.

Make sure to save these credentials securely, as the secret access key is only shown once.

Now you have the access key and secret access key, which are essential for programmatic access to AWS services. Always ensure you securely manage and store these credentials, following best security practices.

Stay tuned for more blogs on Amazon Web Service (AWS) !!

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