Security

Security in AWS is a critical domain for the AWS Certified Developer - Associate certification. It encompasses multiple layers of protection to safeguard applications, data, and infrastructure in the cloud. AWS operates on a Shared Responsibility Model where AWS manages security OF the cloud (physical infrastructure, hardware, networking), while customers handle security IN the cloud (data encryption, identity management, application security). Key security services include: **AWS IAM (Identity and Access Management)**: Controls user access through users, groups, roles, and policies. Policies define permissions using JSON documents with Effect, Action, and Resource elements. Best practices include enabling MFA, following least privilege principle, and using roles for applications. **Amazon Cognito**: Provides authentication for web and mobile applications through User Pools (user directories) and Identity Pools (temporary AWS credentials for accessing services). **AWS KMS (Key Management Service)**: Manages encryption keys for data protection. Supports customer-managed keys and AWS-managed keys. Integrates with many AWS services for encryption at rest. **AWS Secrets Manager**: Securely stores and rotates database credentials, API keys, and other secrets. Enables automatic rotation and eliminates hardcoded credentials. **AWS Certificate Manager (ACM)**: Provisions and manages SSL/TLS certificates for securing communications. **Security Best Practices for Developers**: - Never embed credentials in code - Use environment variables or Secrets Manager - Implement encryption in transit (HTTPS/TLS) and at rest - Apply least privilege access policies - Enable CloudTrail for API logging - Use Security Groups and NACLs for network security - Validate and sanitize all user inputs - Implement proper error handling to prevent information leakage **VPC Security**: Security Groups act as virtual firewalls at the instance level, while Network ACLs provide subnet-level protection. Understanding these concepts is essential for building secure, compliant applications on AWS. Security in AWS is a critical domain for the AWS Certified Developer - Associate certification. It encompasses multiple layers of protection to safeguard applications, data, and infrastructure in the cloud. AWS operates on a Shared Responsibility Model where AWS manages security OF the cloud (phys…