Workload Identity vs. Workforce Identity in GCP: A Guide for Beginners

Introduction

Google Cloud Platform (GCP) offers a suite of tools to help organizations manage and secure their cloud resources. Among these tools are Workload Identity and Workforce Identity. Both play crucial roles in securing your cloud infrastructure, but they serve different purposes. This blog post will help you understand what Workload Identity and Workforce Identity are, how they can be used in real-life scenarios, and provide step-by-step instructions on how to implement them.

Photo by Jamie Street on Unsplash

This blog is a collaboration of Rahul Kumar Singh (Staff Cloud Infrastructure Engineer and Google Cloud Champion Innovator) and Alok Singh (Manager-Infrastructure Modernization • ProServ — Infra Mod) at SADA Systems — An Insight Company.

What is Workload Identity?

Workload Identity is a feature in GCP that allows Kubernetes workloads to authenticate with Google Cloud services using service accounts. Instead of managing service account keys manually, Workload Identity enables Kubernetes pods to use GCP’s identity and access management (IAM) directly. This approach enhances security by eliminating the need for long-lived service account keys and simplifying credential management.

Key Features:

• Eliminates the need to manage service account keys
• Provides a more secure way for applications to access GCP resources
• Works with both GKE and workloads outside GCP (through Workload Identity Federation)

Real-Life Use Case

Scenario: Secure Integration with Azure Pipelines

Consider a scenario where you have a Kubernetes application running on Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) that needs to be deployed through Azure Pipelines. Using Workload Identity, you can securely authenticate your GKE workloads with Azure DevOps services without managing service account keys.

1. Enable Workload Identity on Your GKE Cluster:

• Open the Google Cloud Console.
• Navigate to the Kubernetes Engine section.
• Select your cluster and click “Edit”.
• In the “Security” section, enable “Workload Identity”.

2. Create a GCP Service Account:

• Go to the IAM & Admin section.
• Click on “Service Accounts”.
• Click “Create Service Account” and fill in the required details.

3. Grant IAM Permissions to the Service Account:

• Assign the necessary roles to the service account, such as permissions to read/write to Google Cloud Storage or other resources required by your pipeline.

4. Annotate the Kubernetes Service Account:

• Edit your Kubernetes service account to include the GCP service account email.

apiVersion: v1
kind: ServiceAccount
metadata:
name: my-k8s-service-account
namespace: default
annotations:
iam.gke.io/gcp-service-account: my-gcp-service-account@my-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com

5. Update Your Kubernetes Deployment:

• Ensure your pods use the annotated Kubernetes service account.

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
name: my-deployment
spec:
template:
spec:
serviceAccountName: my-k8s-service-account

6. Configure Azure Pipelines:

• Set up Azure Pipelines to trigger deployments to your GKE cluster.
• Use the Google Cloud SDK in your pipeline scripts to authenticate using the Workload Identity, ensuring that your Kubernetes workloads can securely access necessary GCP services.

By following these steps, your Kubernetes workloads can securely integrate with Azure Pipelines using Workload Identity, ensuring secure and streamlined CI/CD processes.

When to Use Workload Identity:

• When you have applications running in GKE that need to access GCP resources.
• When you want to grant access to GCP resources for applications running outside GCP without managing service account keys.
• When you need to simplify credential management for Kubernetes workloads.
• When you want to enhance security by eliminating the need for long-lived service account keys.

What is Workforce Identity?

Workforce Identity allows you to manage user identities to access Google Cloud resources. It provides a way to use your existing identity provider (like Google Workspace, Active Directory, etc.) to manage and authenticate users. This integration helps streamline user access management and enhances security by leveraging existing identity systems.

Key Features:

• Integrates with your existing identity provider (IdP)
• Provides single sign-on (SSO) capabilities
• Enables fine-grained access control for users

Real-Life Use Case

Scenario: Integration with an External Identity Provider (IDP)

A company uses Okta as its identity provider to manage user access to various applications. By integrating Okta with Workforce Identity, employees can use their Okta credentials to access Google Cloud resources seamlessly.

1. Set Up Identity Federation:

• Go to the IAM & Admin section in the Google Cloud Console.
• Select “Identity Federation”.
• Click “Add Identity Provider” and choose “OIDC” or “SAML” based on Okta’s supported protocols.
• Configure the identity provider with your Okta details, such as the issuer URL and client ID.

2. Create and Configure Workforce Pools:

• In the Identity Federation section, create a new Workforce Pool.
• Configure the pool to define how identities from Okta maps to Google Cloud IAM roles.

3. Assign IAM Roles to Workforce Users:

• Go to the IAM section and select “Add” to assign roles.
• Add the identities from your Workforce Pool and assign the necessary IAM roles.

4. Enable Workforce Identity Federation for Your Resources:

• Update your resources (like projects or services) to allow access from the Workforce Pool identities.

5. Configure Okta for Google Cloud Access:

• In Okta, set up a new application for Google Cloud.
• Configure the application with the necessary settings to issue tokens that Google Cloud can accept.
• Ensure users are correctly mapped between Okta and Google Cloud.

Following these steps, employees can use their Okta credentials to access Google Cloud resources, enabling centralized access management and improving security.

When to Use Workforce Identity:

• When you want to manage access for human users in your organization.
• When you need to implement SSO for GCP resources.
• When you want to apply fine-grained access controls based on user attributes or context.
• When you need to leverage existing identity providers (e.g., Okta, Google Workspace, Active Directory) for unified access management.
• When you want to centralize user identity management across cloud and on-premises resources.

Differences Between Workload Identity and Workforce Identity

Understanding the differences between Workload Identity and Workforce Identity is crucial for effectively managing access to Google Cloud resources. Below are the key differences between the two:

Purpose

Workload Identity: Designed for managing the authentication of applications or services (workloads) running on Kubernetes clusters (specifically Google Kubernetes Engine — GKE) to Google Cloud services. It focuses on secure and simplified credential management for machine-to-machine interactions.

Workforce Identity: Aimed at managing access for human users within an organization. It allows integration with existing identity providers to facilitate single sign-on (SSO) and centralized user management. Workforce Identity focuses on user-to-resource interactions.

Use Cases

Workload Identity:

• Used when Kubernetes workloads need access to GCP services.
• Ideal for scenarios requiring automated or programmatic access to resources without human intervention.
• Example: A GKE application accessing Google Cloud Storage or BigQuery.

Workforce Identity:

• Used for managing user access to GCP resources.
• Suitable for organizations needing to implement SSO and centralized identity management.
• Example: Employees accessing Google Cloud resources using their corporate Okta or Active Directory credentials.

Integration

Workload Identity:

• Integrates with Kubernetes clusters to provide secure access to Google Cloud services.
• Eliminates the need for long-lived service account keys by using IAM roles and policies.

Workforce Identity:

• Integrates with external identity providers such as Okta, Google Workspace, or Active Directory.
• Supports SAML and OIDC protocols for federation.
• Allows for the application of fine-grained access controls based on user attributes or context.

Security and Management

Workload Identity:

• Enhances security by removing the need to manage service account keys manually.
• Credentials are managed by GCP IAM, reducing the risk of key leakage.
• Ensures that only authorized Kubernetes pods can access GCP resources.

Workforce Identity:

• Enhances security by enabling SSO, reducing password fatigue, and minimizing the risk of credential compromise.
• Centralizes user identity management, making it easier to apply consistent security policies.
• Supports multi-factor authentication (MFA) and conditional access policies based on user and device context.

Setup and Configuration

Workload Identity:

• Requires configuration of Kubernetes service accounts and GCP IAM roles.
• Involves annotating Kubernetes service accounts to link them with GCP service accounts.

Workforce Identity:

• Involves setting up identity federation with external identity providers.
• Requires configuration of workforce pools and mapping of user identities to IAM roles.
• Includes setting up SAML or OIDC providers and managing user roles and permissions in GCP.

Comparision Table:

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