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What is the role of IAM roles vs service accounts in cloud applications?

Asked on Nov 03, 2025

Answer

IAM roles and service accounts are both crucial for managing permissions and access in cloud applications. IAM roles are used to delegate access to resources without sharing credentials, while service accounts are typically used by applications or virtual machines to interact with cloud services securely.

Example Concept: IAM roles are identity objects that define a set of permissions for making service requests, and they can be assumed by entities like users, applications, or services. Service accounts, on the other hand, are special accounts designed for non-human entities, such as applications or virtual machines, to authenticate and authorize their actions within cloud environments. Both are essential for implementing the principle of least privilege and maintaining secure access controls in cloud architectures.

Additional Comment:

IAM roles are often used in cross-account access scenarios, allowing resources in one account to access resources in another.
Service accounts are typically used within a single project or account and can be associated with specific workloads or applications.
Both IAM roles and service accounts should be regularly audited to ensure they have only the necessary permissions.
Consider using managed identity services provided by cloud platforms to simplify the management of service accounts and IAM roles.

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Didn’t find the answer you were looking for?

What is the role of IAM roles vs service accounts in cloud applications?

Asked on Nov 03, 2025

Answer

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