{"id":48533,"date":"2025-02-18T07:53:11","date_gmt":"2025-02-18T07:53:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/?p=48533"},"modified":"2025-02-18T07:53:11","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T07:53:11","slug":"what-are-the-different-kinds-of-account-at-aws","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devopsschool.com\/blog\/what-are-the-different-kinds-of-account-at-aws\/","title":{"rendered":"What are the different kinds of Account at AWS?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\ud83d\udd39 Types of Accounts in AWS<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

AWS has different types of accounts<\/strong> that serve various purposes in managing access, security, and resources. Below is a detailed breakdown of each type:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n\n\n\n

1\ufe0f\u20e3 AWS Root Account<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

\u2705 What is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • The Root Account<\/strong> is the primary AWS account<\/strong> created when signing up for AWS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • It has unlimited access<\/strong> to all AWS resources and billing settings<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Uses:<\/strong> Managing AWS Organizations, enabling\/disabling services, account-level settings.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    \u2705 Key Characteristics:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Full administrative control<\/strong> over AWS services and accounts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Cannot be restricted<\/strong> by IAM policies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Required for:<\/strong> Changing billing settings, closing the AWS account, enabling MFA.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      \u2705 Security Best Practices:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

        \n
      • \u274c Do NOT use the root account for daily operations<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • \u2705 Enable MFA (Multi-Factor Authentication)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • \u2705 Create IAM users\/roles for regular tasks<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
        \n\n\n\n

        2\ufe0f\u20e3 AWS IAM Account (IAM User)<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

        \u2705 What is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

          \n
        • IAM (Identity and Access Management) accounts<\/strong> are used to manage user access and permissions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • IAM users are NOT AWS accounts<\/strong>, but rather identities within an AWS account.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          \u2705 Key Characteristics:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

            \n
          • IAM users log in using IAM credentials<\/strong>, not root credentials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Permissions are defined using IAM Policies<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • IAM users can have limited or full access<\/strong> to AWS resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            \u2705 Example Use Case:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

              \n
            • Developers, DevOps Engineers, and Admins use IAM accounts to access AWS securely.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              \u2705 Security Best Practices:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              • Use IAM Roles instead of long-term IAM user credentials<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Enable MFA for IAM users<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Use IAM groups to manage permissions efficiently<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                \n\n\n\n

                3\ufe0f\u20e3 AWS IAM Role<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                \u2705 What is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                  \n
                • An IAM Role is an identity that AWS services, users, or applications assume to get temporary permissions.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Unlike IAM users, IAM roles do not have a username\/password<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  \u2705 Key Characteristics:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                    \n
                  • Can be assumed by AWS services (EC2, Lambda, ECS, etc.)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • Used for cross-account access<\/strong> (e.g., allowing one AWS account to access another).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                  • IAM Roles use temporary security credentials<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                    \u2705 Example Use Case:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                      \n
                    • An EC2 instance<\/strong> needs to access S3<\/strong> \u2192 Attach an IAM Role to the EC2 instance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                    • Developers switch roles<\/strong> instead of using IAM user credentials.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                      \u2705 Security Best Practices:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                        \n
                      • Use IAM roles instead of IAM users<\/strong> wherever possible.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                      • Restrict role assumptions<\/strong> using sts:AssumeRole<\/code>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                        \n\n\n\n

                        4\ufe0f\u20e3 AWS Organizations Account<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                        \u2705 What is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                          \n
                        • AWS Organizations groups multiple AWS accounts under a single management account<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                        • It allows centralized billing, security, and policy enforcement<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                          \u2705 Key Characteristics:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                            \n
                          • Root Account<\/strong> manages the AWS Organization<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Member Accounts<\/strong> are individual AWS accounts under the organization.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                          • Delegated Administrators<\/strong> can manage AWS services across multiple accounts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                            \u2705 Example Use Case:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                              \n
                            • Large enterprises with multiple AWS accounts (Prod, Dev, UAT, Staging)<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                            • Centralized billing and access control.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                              \u2705 Security Best Practices:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                \n
                              • Use Service Control Policies (SCPs)<\/strong> to restrict permissions across accounts.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                              • Enable AWS CloudTrail and AWS Config<\/strong> for centralized logging.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                \n\n\n\n

                                5\ufe0f\u20e3 AWS Billing Account<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                \u2705 What is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                  \n
                                • AWS Billing Account<\/strong> is the account that manages consolidated billing<\/strong> in an AWS Organization.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                • It can view, pay, and manage AWS bills<\/strong> for linked accounts.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                  \u2705 Key Characteristics:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                    \n
                                  • The management (payer) account<\/strong> in AWS Organizations controls billing.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                  • Linked accounts<\/strong> share the same billing but have separate resources.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                    \u2705 Example Use Case:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                      \n
                                    • A company has 5 AWS accounts<\/strong> (Prod, Dev, Staging, Security, Logging) under a single Billing Account<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                    • The Finance team manages AWS spending<\/strong> through AWS Cost Explorer.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                      \u2705 Security Best Practices:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                        \n
                                      • Restrict IAM access to billing settings<\/strong> (aws-portal:*<\/code>).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                      • Enable Cost & Usage Reports<\/strong> to track spending.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                        \n\n\n\n

                                        6\ufe0f\u20e3 AWS IAM Identity Center (AWS SSO) Account<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                        \u2705 What is it?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                          \n
                                        • AWS IAM Identity Center (formerly AWS SSO) provides centralized user authentication across multiple AWS accounts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                          \u2705 Key Characteristics:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                            \n
                                          • Users log in using a single set of credentials<\/strong> (like Okta, Azure AD, or Google Workspace).<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          • Provides federated access<\/strong> to AWS.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                          • Eliminates the need for creating IAM users.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                            \u2705 Example Use Case:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                              \n
                                            • A developer logs in once<\/strong> and switches between Prod, UAT, and Dev accounts<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                            • Integrates with corporate identity providers<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                                              \u2705 Security Best Practices:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                \n
                                              • Use AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO) instead of IAM users<\/strong> for enterprise authentication.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                                              • Enable MFA for SSO logins<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
                                                \n\n\n\n

                                                \ud83d\udd39 Summary: Different AWS Accounts and Their Uses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                                                Type of AWS Account<\/strong><\/th>Purpose<\/strong><\/th>Who Uses It?<\/strong><\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
                                                AWS Root Account<\/strong><\/td>Full AWS control, billing, security<\/td>Only for emergency tasks<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
                                                IAM User Account<\/strong><\/td>Limited AWS access based on policies<\/td>Developers, Admins, DevOps<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
                                                IAM Role<\/strong><\/td>Temporary permissions for AWS services<\/td>EC2, Lambda, Cross-Account Access<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
                                                AWS Organizations Account<\/strong><\/td>Manages multiple AWS accounts centrally<\/td>Enterprises, IT Admins<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
                                                AWS Billing Account<\/strong><\/td>Consolidated billing & payment management<\/td>Finance Team<\/strong><\/td><\/tr>
                                                AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO) Account<\/strong><\/td>Federated authentication across AWS accounts<\/td>Enterprise Users<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
                                                \n\n\n\n

                                                \ud83c\udfaf Final Thoughts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

                                                \u2705 Use AWS Organizations<\/strong> to manage multiple AWS accounts centrally.
                                                \u2705 Use IAM Roles<\/strong> instead of IAM users wherever possible.
                                                \u2705 Use AWS IAM Identity Center (SSO)<\/strong> for enterprise authentication.
                                                \u2705 Keep the Root Account secure<\/strong> (MFA enabled, minimal usage).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                                                <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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