AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a managed service that simplifies the provisioning, management, and deployment of SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services and internal connected resources. For Solutions Architects dealing with organizational complexity, ACM provides several key benefits.
AC…AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a managed service that simplifies the provisioning, management, and deployment of SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services and internal connected resources. For Solutions Architects dealing with organizational complexity, ACM provides several key benefits.
ACM handles the complexity of certificate lifecycle management by automating certificate renewal, eliminating manual tracking of expiration dates. This is particularly valuable in large organizations with hundreds of certificates across multiple accounts and regions.
Key features include:
1. **Public Certificates**: ACM provides free public SSL/TLS certificates for AWS-integrated services like Elastic Load Balancers, CloudFront distributions, and API Gateway endpoints.
2. **Private Certificate Authority (PCA)**: Organizations can create their own private CA hierarchy for internal resources, enabling secure communication between microservices, IoT devices, and internal applications.
3. **Integration with AWS Organizations**: ACM PCA supports resource sharing through AWS Resource Access Manager (RAM), allowing centralized certificate management across multiple accounts while maintaining security boundaries.
4. **Regional Considerations**: Public ACM certificates are regional resources, except for CloudFront which requires certificates in us-east-1. Architects must plan certificate deployment across regions accordingly.
5. **Validation Methods**: ACM supports DNS validation (recommended for automation) and email validation for domain ownership verification.
For complex organizational designs, best practices include:
- Centralizing private CA management in a dedicated security account
- Using AWS Organizations SCPs to control certificate issuance
- Implementing cross-account certificate sharing for consistent security policies
- Leveraging AWS Config rules to monitor certificate compliance
ACM integrates with AWS CloudFormation for infrastructure-as-code deployments and supports tagging for cost allocation and resource organization. This makes it essential for enterprises requiring scalable, secure certificate management across distributed AWS environments.
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) - Complete Guide
Why AWS Certificate Manager is Important
AWS Certificate Manager (ACM) is a critical service for securing communications in AWS environments. In the Solutions Architect Professional exam, understanding ACM is essential because it plays a fundamental role in implementing SSL/TLS encryption across multiple AWS services. Organizations rely on ACM to maintain security compliance, protect data in transit, and simplify certificate lifecycle management at scale.
What is AWS Certificate Manager?
AWS Certificate Manager is a fully managed service that provisions, manages, and deploys public and private SSL/TLS certificates for use with AWS services and internal connected resources. ACM eliminates the time-consuming manual process of purchasing, uploading, and renewing SSL/TLS certificates.
Key Features: - Public Certificates: Free SSL/TLS certificates for AWS integrated services - Private Certificates: Create private certificate authority (CA) for internal resources using ACM Private CA - Automatic Renewal: Certificates issued by ACM are automatically renewed - Centralized Management: Single interface to manage certificates across multiple regions
How AWS Certificate Manager Works
Certificate Provisioning Process: 1. Request a certificate through ACM console, CLI, or API 2. Validate domain ownership via DNS validation or email validation 3. ACM issues the certificate once validation is complete 4. Deploy the certificate to supported AWS services
Important Limitations: - ACM certificates cannot be used on EC2 instances (use ACM Private CA or third-party certificates) - Public certificates are region-specific except for CloudFront (must use us-east-1) - Cannot export public ACM certificates; private keys are not accessible
ACM Private Certificate Authority (Private CA)
ACM Private CA enables creation of private certificate hierarchies for internal resources: - Create root and subordinate CAs - Issue certificates for internal services, IoT devices, and containers - Certificates can be exported and used on EC2 instances - Supports custom validity periods - Integration with AWS IoT and other services requiring private certificates
DNS Validation vs Email Validation
DNS Validation (Recommended): - Add a CNAME record to DNS configuration - Enables automatic certificate renewal - Best for automated certificate management - Works well with Route 53 integration
Email Validation: - ACM sends validation emails to domain contacts - Requires manual intervention for each renewal - Use when DNS configuration access is not available
Regional Considerations
- ACM certificates are regional resources - For CloudFront distributions, certificates must be in us-east-1 region - For other services, certificate must be in the same region as the resource - Use AWS Certificate Manager in multiple regions for global deployments
Exam Tips: Answering Questions on AWS Certificate Manager
Scenario 1: SSL for CloudFront When questions mention CloudFront with custom SSL certificates, remember the certificate must be provisioned in us-east-1 region, regardless of where your origin is located.
Scenario 2: Certificates for EC2 If a question asks about SSL certificates on EC2 instances, ACM public certificates are not the answer. Look for options involving ACM Private CA, third-party certificates, or AWS Secrets Manager for certificate storage.
Scenario 3: Automatic Renewal Questions about minimizing operational overhead for certificate management should point to DNS validation method, which enables fully automated renewal.
Scenario 4: Multi-Region Deployments For architectures spanning multiple regions, remember to provision ACM certificates in each region where they are needed.
Scenario 5: Internal Services When questions involve private or internal services requiring certificates, ACM Private CA is typically the appropriate solution.
Key Points to Remember: - ACM public certificates are free; Private CA has associated costs - DNS validation is preferred over email validation for automation - CloudFront requires us-east-1 certificates - ACM integrates natively with many AWS services but not with EC2 - Private CA certificates can be exported; public certificates cannot - Certificate transparency logging is enabled by default for public certificates