AWS for Developers: Identity and Access Management Essentials

Learn AWS IAM for developers, covering authentication, policies, least privilege, workload access, CI/CD, application identity and advanced access governance.

  • 4.7 (3 reviews)
  • 18 students
  • Last Update: 25 April, 2026

What you'll learn

  • Explain AWS IAM fundamentals, including authentication, authorisation, users, groups, roles and policies.
  • Understand IAM policy structure, evaluation logic and approaches to implementing least-privilege access.
  • Use concepts such as IAM roles, trust policies, temporary credentials and cross-account access patterns for secure workloads.
  • Recognise secure identity and access practices across developer workflows, CI/CD pipelines, federation and application identity.
  • Understand advanced IAM governance concepts, including Service Control Policies, permission boundaries, ABAC, KMS, S3 access and Infrastructure as Code.
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Course Description


AWS for Developers: Identity and Access Management Essentials provides a focused introduction to identity, authentication, authorisation and access control within AWS development environments.

The course covers IAM foundations, policy structure, policy evaluation and least-privilege access, before progressing into IAM roles, trust policies, temporary credentials, workload access and cross-account patterns. It also explores secure developer workflows involving the AWS CLI, SDKs, CI/CD pipelines, federation, external identity providers and application identity.

Learners will also examine advanced IAM governance concepts, including AWS Organisations, Service Control Policies, permission boundaries, Attribute-Based Access Control, KMS, S3 access design and IAM within Infrastructure as Code.

What You'll Learn

  • Explain AWS IAM fundamentals, including authentication, authorisation, users, groups, roles and policies.
  • Understand IAM policy structure, evaluation logic and approaches to implementing least-privilege access.
  • Use concepts such as IAM roles, trust policies, temporary credentials and cross-account access patterns for secure workloads.
  • Recognise secure identity and access practices across developer workflows, CI/CD pipelines, federation and application identity.
  • Understand advanced IAM governance concepts, including Service Control Policies, permission boundaries, ABAC, KMS, S3 access and Infrastructure as Code.

Why Take this Course

Identity and access management is central to securing AWS development environments. Developers need to understand not only how access is granted, but also how permissions can be controlled across workloads, applications and development workflows.

This course provides a structured introduction to AWS IAM, progressing from core concepts into workload access, developer workflows and advanced governance considerations.

This course helps you:

✓ Build a stronger understanding of AWS identity and access management.
✓ Recognise how IAM policies and evaluation logic affect permissions.
✓ Develop awareness of secure workload access and temporary credentials.
✓ Understand identity and access considerations across CI/CD and application workflows.
✓ Strengthen knowledge of advanced IAM governance and access-control approaches.

Who this Course is for

  • AWS Developers
  • Software Developers
  • DevOps and DevSecOps Professionals
  • Cloud Engineers
  • Application and Platform Engineers

Prerequisites

  • No prior data protection experience required
  • A basic understanding of your organisation
  • Access to a computer and internet
  • Enthusiasm to learn and apply best practice

Course Features

  • Lifetime access Learn anytime and revisit every lesson.
  • Mobile friendly Study smoothly on phone, tablet or desktop.
  • Certificate of completion Showcase your achievement after completion.
  • Downloadable resources Keep practical materials for future reference.
  • Practical Scenarios Apply knowledge through realistic workplace scenarios.
  • Dedicated Support Get help whenever you need guidance.

Course Curriculum

5 sections

•

20 lectures

    • 1.1 Understanding Identity and Access Management in AWS

    • 1.2 Authentication vs. Authorisation

    • 1.3 IAM Users, Groups, Roles, and Policies

    • 1.4 The Shared Responsibility Model and Developer Accountability

    • 2.1 IAM Policy Structure and JSON Basics

    • 2.2 Identity-Based vs. Resource-Based Policies

    • 2.3 Policy Evaluation Logic

    • 2.4 Building Least-Privilege Permissions

    • 3.1 IAM Roles and Trust Policies

    • 3.2 AWS Security Token Service and Temporary Credentials

    • 3.3 Service Roles for AWS Workloads

    • 3.4 Cross-Account Access Patterns

    • 4.1 AWS CLI, SDKs, and Credential Provider Chains

    • 4.2 CI/CD Pipeline Access Control and GitHub Actions OIDC

    • 4.3 IAM Identity Centre and External Identity Providers

    • 4.4 Amazon Cognito and Application User Identity

    • 5.1 AWS Organisations and Service Control Policies

    • 5.2 Permission Boundaries and Delegated Administration

    • 5.3 Attribute-Based Access Control, KMS, and S3 Access Design

    • 5.4 IAM in Infrastructure as Code

Assessment & Certificate

Validate Your AWS IAM Knowledge

This CPD-accredited course includes assessments to reinforce your understanding of the topics covered. After successfully completing the course, you will receive a CPD certificate recognising your achievement and supporting your continuing professional development record.

The CPD certificate is separate from any official certification. Candidates must complete the relevant certification provider's examination and requirements independently.

Assessment & Certificate

Career Opportunities

This course can add value to existing knowledge and experience in AWS development, cloud engineering, DevOps, application security and identity management. It can support continuing professional development and strengthen understanding for learners working with AWS-based applications and workloads.

Roles linked to this subject area in the UK may include:

  • AWS Cloud Developer
  • Cloud Engineer
  • DevOps Engineer
  • DevSecOps Engineer
  • Cloud Security Engineer
  • IAM Engineer
  • Application Security Engineer

Student Reviews

4.7

Course Rating

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The course provided a clear progression from basic IAM concepts into policies, roles and workload access. The focus on least privilege was particularly useful for understanding how permissions should be managed.

Response from DPG Support Team
Thank you, Ryan. We’re pleased that you found the progression through IAM concepts and access control useful.

I found the sections on temporary credentials, CI/CD access and GitHub Actions OIDC especially relevant to modern development workflows. The content was structured in a way that was easy to follow.

Response from DPG Support Team
Thank you, Chloe. We’re glad that the developer workflow and workload access topics were particularly useful to you.

Frequently Asked Questions

The course is designed for AWS developers, software developers, DevOps and DevSecOps professionals, cloud engineers, and application or platform engineers working with AWS environments.

The course begins with IAM foundations but progresses into advanced access-control and governance concepts. It is best suited to learners with some familiarity with AWS or software development.

Yes. It covers IAM policy structure and JSON basics, identity-based and resource-based policies, policy evaluation logic and building least-privilege permissions.

Yes. The course covers AWS CLI and SDK credential provider chains, CI/CD pipeline access control, GitHub Actions OIDC, IAM Identity Centre, external identity providers and Amazon Cognito.

No. This course provides general training and educational information only. Organisations and individuals should follow applicable security guidance, internal policies and professional advice when applying concepts to specific environments.