# Identity and access management for AWS Resource Groups
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is an AWS service that helps an administrator securely control access to AWS resources. IAM administrators control who can be *authenticated* (signed in) and *authorized* (have permissions) to use Resource Groups resources. IAM is an AWS service that you can use with no additional charge.
**Topics**
+ [Audience](#security_iam_audience_arg-te)
+ [Authenticating with identities](#security_iam_authentication_arg-te)
+ [Managing access using policies](#security_iam_access-manage-arg-te)
+ [How Resource Groups works with IAM](security_iam_service-with-iam.md)
+ [AWS managed policies for AWS Resource Groups](security_iam_awsmanpol.md)
+ [Using service-linked roles for Resource Groups](security_iam_service-linked-roles.md)
+ [AWS Resource Groups identity-based policy examples](security_iam_id-based-policy-examples.md)
+ [Troubleshooting AWS Resource Groups identity and access](security_iam_troubleshoot.md)
## Audience
How you use AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) differs based on your role:
+ **Service user** - request permissions from your administrator if you cannot access features (see [Troubleshooting AWS Resource Groups identity and access](security_iam_troubleshoot.md))
+ **Service administrator** - determine user access and submit permission requests (see [How Resource Groups works with IAM](security_iam_service-with-iam.md))
+ **IAM administrator** - write policies to manage access (see [AWS Resource Groups identity-based policy examples](security_iam_id-based-policy-examples.md))
## Authenticating with identities
Authentication is how you sign in to AWS using your identity credentials. You must be authenticated as the AWS account root user, an IAM user, or by assuming an IAM role.
You can sign in as a federated identity using credentials from an identity source like AWS IAM Identity Center (IAM Identity Center), single sign-on authentication, or Google/Facebook credentials. For more information about signing in, see [How to sign in to your AWS account](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/signin/latest/userguide/how-to-sign-in.html) in the *AWS Sign-In User Guide*.
For programmatic access, AWS provides an SDK and CLI to cryptographically sign requests. For more information, see [AWS Signature Version 4 for API requests](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_sigv.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
### AWS account root user
When you create an AWS account, you begin with one sign-in identity called the AWS account *root user* that has complete access to all AWS services and resources. We strongly recommend that you don't use the root user for everyday tasks. For tasks that require root user credentials, see [Tasks that require root user credentials](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_root-user.html#root-user-tasks) in the *IAM User Guide*.
### IAM users and groups
An *[IAM user](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_users.html)* is an identity with specific permissions for a single person or application. We recommend using temporary credentials instead of IAM users with long-term credentials. For more information, see [Require human users to use federation with an identity provider to access AWS using temporary credentials](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/best-practices.html#bp-users-federation-idp) in the *IAM User Guide*.
An [https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_groups.html](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_groups.html) specifies a collection of IAM users and makes permissions easier to manage for large sets of users. For more information, see [Use cases for IAM users](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/gs-identities-iam-users.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
### IAM roles
An *[IAM role](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles.html)* is an identity with specific permissions that provides temporary credentials. You can assume a role by [switching from a user to an IAM role (console)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_use_switch-role-console.html) or by calling an AWS CLI or AWS API operation. For more information, see [Methods to assume a role](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_manage-assume.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
IAM roles are useful for federated user access, temporary IAM user permissions, cross-account access, cross-service access, and applications running on Amazon EC2. For more information, see [Cross account resource access in IAM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies-cross-account-resource-access.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
## Managing access using policies
You control access in AWS by creating policies and attaching them to AWS identities or resources. A policy defines permissions when associated with an identity or resource. AWS evaluates these policies when a principal makes a request. Most policies are stored in AWS as JSON documents. For more information about JSON policy documents, see [Overview of JSON policies](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies.html#access_policies-json) in the *IAM User Guide*.
Using policies, administrators specify who has access to what by defining which **principal** can perform **actions** on what **resources**, and under what **conditions**.
By default, users and roles have no permissions. An IAM administrator creates IAM policies and adds them to roles, which users can then assume. IAM policies define permissions regardless of the method used to perform the operation.
### Identity-based policies
Identity-based policies are JSON permissions policy documents that you attach to an identity (user, group, or role). These policies control what actions identities can perform, on which resources, and under what conditions. To learn how to create an identity-based policy, see [Define custom IAM permissions with customer managed policies](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_create.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
Identity-based policies can be *inline policies* (embedded directly into a single identity) or *managed policies* (standalone policies attached to multiple identities). To learn how to choose between managed and inline policies, see [Choose between managed policies and inline policies](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies-choosing-managed-or-inline.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
### Resource-based policies
Resource-based policies are JSON policy documents that you attach to a resource. Examples include IAM *role trust policies* and Amazon S3 *bucket policies*. In services that support resource-based policies, service administrators can use them to control access to a specific resource. You must [specify a principal](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_policies_elements_principal.html) in a resource-based policy.
Resource-based policies are inline policies that are located in that service. You can't use AWS managed policies from IAM in a resource-based policy.
### Access control lists (ACLs)
Access control lists (ACLs) control which principals (account members, users, or roles) have permissions to access a resource. ACLs are similar to resource-based policies, although they do not use the JSON policy document format.
Amazon S3, AWS WAF, and Amazon VPC are examples of services that support ACLs. To learn more about ACLs, see [Access control list (ACL) overview](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AmazonS3/latest/userguide/acl-overview.html) in the *Amazon Simple Storage Service Developer Guide*.
### Other policy types
AWS supports additional policy types that can set the maximum permissions granted by more common policy types:
+ **Permissions boundaries** – Set the maximum permissions that an identity-based policy can grant to an IAM entity. For more information, see [Permissions boundaries for IAM entities](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_boundaries.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
+ **Service control policies (SCPs)** – Specify the maximum permissions for an organization or organizational unit in AWS Organizations. For more information, see [Service control policies](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/organizations/latest/userguide/orgs_manage_policies_scps.html) in the *AWS Organizations User Guide*.
+ **Resource control policies (RCPs)** – Set the maximum available permissions for resources in your accounts. For more information, see [Resource control policies (RCPs)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/organizations/latest/userguide/orgs_manage_policies_rcps.html) in the *AWS Organizations User Guide*.
+ **Session policies** – Advanced policies passed as a parameter when creating a temporary session for a role or federated user. For more information, see [Session policies](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies.html#policies_session) in the *IAM User Guide*.
### Multiple policy types
When multiple types of policies apply to a request, the resulting permissions are more complicated to understand. To learn how AWS determines whether to allow a request when multiple policy types are involved, see [Policy evaluation logic](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_policies_evaluation-logic.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
# How Resource Groups works with IAM
Before you use IAM to manage access to Resource Groups, you should understand what IAM features are available to use with Resource Groups. To get a high-level view of how Resource Groups and other AWS services work with IAM, see [AWS Services That Work with IAM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_aws-services-that-work-with-iam.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
**Topics**
+ [Resource Groups identity-based policies](#security_iam_service-with-iam-id-based-policies-arg-te)
+ [Resource-based policies](#security_iam_resource-based-policies)
+ [Authorization based on Resource Groups tags](#security_iam_tags)
+ [Resource Groups IAM roles](#security_iam_roles)
## Resource Groups identity-based policies
With IAM identity-based policies, you can specify allowed or denied actions and resources as well as the conditions under which actions are allowed or denied. Resource Groups supports specific actions, resources, and condition keys. To learn about all of the elements that you use in a JSON policy, see [IAM JSON Policy Elements Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_policies_elements.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
### Actions
Administrators can use AWS JSON policies to specify who has access to what. That is, which **principal** can perform **actions** on what **resources**, and under what **conditions**.
The `Action` element of a JSON policy describes the actions that you can use to allow or deny access in a policy. Include actions in a policy to grant permissions to perform the associated operation.
Policy actions in Resource Groups use the following prefix before the action: `resource-groups:`. Tag Editor actions are performed entirely in the console, but have the prefix `resource-explorer` in log entries.
For example, to grant someone permission to create a Resource Groups group with the Resource Groups `CreateGroup` API operation, you include the `resource-groups:CreateGroup` action in their policy. Policy statements must include either an `Action` or `NotAction` element. Resource Groups defines its own set of actions that describe tasks that you can perform with this service.
To specify multiple Resource Groups and Tag Editor actions in a single statement, separate them with commas as follows:
```
"Action": [
"resource-groups:action1",
"resource-groups:action2",
"resource-explorer:action3"
```
You can specify multiple actions using wildcards (\$1). For example, to specify all actions that begin with the word `List`, include the following action:
```
"Action": "resource-groups:List*"
```
To see a list of Resource Groups actions, see [Actions, Resources, and Condition Keys for AWS Resource Groups](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/list_awsresourcegroups.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
### Resources
Administrators can use AWS JSON policies to specify who has access to what. That is, which **principal** can perform **actions** on what **resources**, and under what **conditions**.
The `Resource` JSON policy element specifies the object or objects to which the action applies. As a best practice, specify a resource using its [Amazon Resource Name (ARN)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference-arns.html). For actions that don't support resource-level permissions, use a wildcard (\$1) to indicate that the statement applies to all resources.
```
"Resource": "*"
```
The only Resource Groups resource is a *group*. The group resource has an ARN in the following format:
```
arn:${Partition}:resource-groups:${Region}:${Account}:group/${GroupName}
```
For more information about the format of ARNs, see [Amazon Resource Names (ARNs) and AWS Service Namespaces](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//general/latest/gr/aws-arns-and-namespaces.html).
For example, to specify the `my-test-group` resource group in your statement, use the following ARN:
```
"Resource": "arn:aws:resource-groups:us-east-1:123456789012:group/my-test-group"
```
To specify all groups that belong to a specific account, use the wildcard (\$1):
```
"Resource": "arn:aws:resource-groups:us-east-1:123456789012:group/*"
```
Some Resource Groups actions, such as those for creating resources, cannot be performed on a specific resource. In those cases, you must use the wildcard (\$1).
```
"Resource": "*"
```
Some Resource Groups API actions can involve multiple resources. For example, `DeleteGroup` deletes groups, so a calling principal must have permissions to delete a specific group or all groups. To specify multiple resources in a single statement, separate the ARNs with commas.
```
"Resource": [
"resource1",
"resource2"
]
```
To see a list of Resource Groups resource types and their ARNs, and learn with which actions you can specify the ARN of each resource, see [Actions, Resources, and Condition Keys for AWS Resource Groups](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/list_awsresourcegroups.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
### Condition keys
Administrators can use AWS JSON policies to specify who has access to what. That is, which **principal** can perform **actions** on what **resources**, and under what **conditions**.
The `Condition` element specifies when statements execute based on defined criteria. You can create conditional expressions that use [condition operators](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_policies_elements_condition_operators.html), such as equals or less than, to match the condition in the policy with values in the request. To see all AWS global condition keys, see [AWS global condition context keys](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_policies_condition-keys.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
Resource Groups defines its own set of condition keys and also supports using some global condition keys. To see all AWS global condition keys, see [AWS Global Condition Context Keys](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_policies_condition-keys.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
To see a list of Resource Groups condition keys, and learn with which actions and resources you can use a condition key, see [Actions, Resources, and Condition Keys for AWS Resource Groups](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/list_awsresourcegroups.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
### Examples
To view examples of Resource Groups identity-based policies, see [AWS Resource Groups identity-based policy examples](security_iam_id-based-policy-examples.md).
## Resource-based policies
Resource Groups does not support resource-based policies.
## Authorization based on Resource Groups tags
You can attach tags to groups in Resource Groups, or pass tags in a request to Resource Groups. To control access based on tags, you provide tag information in the [condition element](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_policies_elements_condition.html) of a policy using the `aws:ResourceTag/key-name`, `aws:RequestTag/key-name`, or `aws:TagKeys` condition keys. You can apply tags to a group when you are creating or updating the group. For more information about tagging a group in Resource Groups, see [Creating query-based groups in AWS Resource Groups](gettingstarted-query.md) and [Updating groups in AWS Resource Groups](updating-resource-groups.md) in this guide.
To view an example identity-based policy for limiting access to a resource based on the tags on that resource, see [Viewing groups based on tags](security_iam_id-based-policy-examples.md#security_iam_policy-examples-view-tags).
## Resource Groups IAM roles
An [IAM role](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles.html) is an entity within your AWS account that has specific permissions. Resource Groups does not have or use service roles.
### Using temporary credentials with Resource Groups
In Resource Groups, you can use temporary credentials to sign in with federation, assume an IAM role, or to assume a cross-account role. You obtain temporary security credentials by calling AWS STS API operations such as [AssumeRole](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//STS/latest/APIReference/API_AssumeRole.html) or [GetFederationToken](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//STS/latest/APIReference/API_GetFederationToken.html).
### Service-linked roles
[Service-linked roles](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_terms-and-concepts.html#iam-term-service-linked-role) allow AWS services to access resources in other services to complete an action on your behalf.
Resource Groups does not have or use service-linked roles.
### Service roles
This feature allows a service to assume a [service role](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_terms-and-concepts.html#iam-term-service-role) on your behalf.
Resource Groups does not have or use service roles.
# AWS managed policies for AWS Resource Groups
An AWS managed policy is a standalone policy that is created and administered by AWS. AWS managed policies are designed to provide permissions for many common use cases so that you can start assigning permissions to users, groups, and roles.
Keep in mind that AWS managed policies might not grant least-privilege permissions for your specific use cases because they're available for all AWS customers to use. We recommend that you reduce permissions further by defining [ customer managed policies](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_managed-vs-inline.html#customer-managed-policies) that are specific to your use cases.
You cannot change the permissions defined in AWS managed policies. If AWS updates the permissions defined in an AWS managed policy, the update affects all principal identities (users, groups, and roles) that the policy is attached to. AWS is most likely to update an AWS managed policy when a new AWS service is launched or new API operations become available for existing services.
For more information, see [AWS managed policies](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_managed-vs-inline.html#aws-managed-policies) in the *IAM User Guide*.
**AWS-managed policies for Resource Groups**
+ [ResourceGroupsServiceRolePolicy](#security-iam-awsmanpol-ResourceGroupsServiceRolePolicy)
+ [ ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources](#security-iam-awsmanpol-ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources)
+ [ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources](#security-iam-awsmanpol-ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources.title)
## AWS managed policy: ResourceGroupsServiceRolePolicy
You can't attach `ResourceGroupsServiceRolePolicy` to any IAM entities yourself. This policy can be attached only to a service-linked role that allows Resource Groups to perform actions on your behalf. For more information, see [Using service-linked roles for Resource Groups](security_iam_service-linked-roles.md).
This policy grants the permissions required for Resource Groups to retrieve information about the resources in your resource groups and any CloudFormation stacks that those resources belong to. This lets Resource Groups generate CloudWatch Events for the group lifecycle events feature.
To see the latest version of this AWS managed policy, see `[ResourceGroupsServiceRolePolicy](https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/home#/policies/arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/ResourceGroupsServiceRolePolicy)` in the IAM console.
## AWS managed policy: ResourceGroupsandTagEditorFullAccess
When you attach a policy to a principal entity, you give the entity permissions that are defined in the policy. AWS managed policies make it easier for you to assign appropriate permissions to users, groups, and roles than if you had to write the policies yourself.
This policy grants the permissions required for full access to Resource Groups and Tag Editor functionality.
To see the latest version of this AWS managed policy, see `[ResourceGroupsandTagEditorFullAccess](https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/home#/policies/arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/ResourceGroupsandTagEditorFullAccess)` in the IAM console.
For more information about this policy, see [ ResourceGroupsandTagEditorFullAccess](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-managed-policy/latest/reference/ResourceGroupsandTagEditorFullAccess.html)in the *AWS Managed Policy Reference Guide*.
## AWS managed policy: ResourceGroupsandTagEditorReadOnlyAccess
When you attach a policy to a principal entity, you give the entity permissions that are defined in the policy. AWS managed policies make it easier for you to assign appropriate permissions to users, groups, and roles than if you had to write the policies yourself.
This policy grants the permissions required for read only access to Resource Groups and Tag Editor functionality.
To see the latest version of this AWS managed policy, see `[ResourceGroupsandTagEditorReadOnlyAccess](https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/home#/policies/arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/ResourceGroupsandTagEditorReadOnlyAccess)` in the IAM console.
For more information about this policy, see [ ResourceGroupsandTagEditorReadOnlyAccess](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-managed-policy/latest/reference/ResourceGroupsandTagEditorReadOnlyAccess.html) in the *AWS Managed Policy Reference Guide*.
## AWS managed policy: ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources
When you attach a policy to a principal entity, you give the entity permissions that are defined in the policy. AWS managed policies make it easier for you to assign appropriate permissions to users, groups, and roles than if you had to write the policies yourself.
This policy grants the permissions required to tag and untag all of the resource types supported by AWS Resource Groups Tagging API **except** `AWS::ApiGateway`, `AWS::CloudFormation`, `AWS::CodeBuild`, and `AWS::ServiceCatalog`. Tagging and untagging these excluded resource types requires additional, service-specific permissions which allow actions other than tagging and untagging. The following list describes which permissions are required to tag and untag the resource types excluded from the policy:
+ The `AWS::ApiGateway` resource types require the `apigateway:Patch` permission on the API Gateway resource, and the tag child resource requires the `apigateway:Put`, `apigateway:Get`, `apigateway:Delete` permissions.
+ The `AWS::CloudFormation` resource types require the `cloudformation:UpdateStack` and `cloudformation:UpdateStackSet` permissions.
+ The `AWS::CodeBuild` resource types require the `codebuild:UpdateProject` permission.
+ The `AWS::ServiceCatalog` resource types require the `servicecatalog:TagResource`, `servicecatalog:UntagResource`, `servicecatalog:UpdatePortfolio`, and `servicecatalog:UpdateProduct` permissions.
This policy also grants the permissions required to retrieve all tagged, or previously tagged, resources through the Resource Groups Tagging API.
To see the latest version of this AWS managed policy, see `[ ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources](https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/home#/policies/arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources)` in the IAM console.
For more information about this policy, see [ ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/aws-managed-policy/latest/reference/ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources.html) in the *AWS Managed Policy Reference Guide*.
## Resource Groups updates to AWS managed policies
View details about updates to AWS managed policies for Resource Groups since this service began tracking these changes. For automatic alerts about changes to this page, subscribe to the RSS feed on the [Resource Groups Document history](doc-history.md) page.
| Change | Description | Date |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Updated policy — [ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources](#security-iam-awsmanpol-ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources.title) | Resource Groups updated this policy to include permissions for eight new services, including Amazon Application Recovery Controller (ARC) and Amazon VPC Lattice. The following permissions were added to the policy: [\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/ARG/latest/userguide/security_iam_awsmanpol.html) | December 20, 2024 |
| New policy – [ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources](#security-iam-awsmanpol-ResourceGroupsTaggingAPITagUntagSupportedResources.title) | Resource Groups added a new policy to provide the required permissions to tag and untag all of the resource types supported by AWS Resource Groups Tagging API. | October 11, 2024 |
| Policy update – [ResourceGroupsandTagEditorFullAccess](#security-iam-awsmanpol-ResourceGroupsandTagEditorFullAccess.title) | Resource Groups updated a policy to include additional AWS CloudFormation permissions. | August 10, 2023 |
| Policy update – [ResourceGroupsandTagEditorReadOnlyAccess](#security-iam-awsmanpol-ResourceGroupsandTagEditorReadOnlyAccess.title) | Resource Groups updated a policy to include additional AWS CloudFormation permissions. | August 10, 2023 |
| New policy – [ResourceGroupsServiceRolePolicy](#security-iam-awsmanpol-ResourceGroupsServiceRolePolicy.title) | Resource Groups added a new policy to support its service-linked role. | November 17, 2022 |
| Resource Groups started tracking changes | Resource Groups started tracking changes for its AWS managed policies. | November 17, 2022 |
# Using service-linked roles for Resource Groups
AWS Resource Groups uses AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)[ service-linked roles](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_terms-and-concepts.html#iam-term-service-linked-role). A service-linked role is a unique type of IAM role that is linked directly to Resource Groups. Service-linked roles are predefined by Resource Groups and include all the permissions that the service requires to call other AWS services on your behalf.
A service-linked role makes setting up Resource Groups easier because you don’t have to manually add the necessary permissions. Resource Groups defines the permissions of its service-linked roles and sets trust policies on each that ensures that only the Resource Groups service can assume its roles. The defined permissions include the trust policy and the permissions policy, and that permissions policy can't be attached to any other IAM entity.
For information about other services that support service-linked roles, see [AWS services that work with IAM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_aws-services-that-work-with-iam.html) and look for the services that have **Yes** in the **Service-linked roles** column. Choose a **Yes** with a link to view the service-linked role documentation for that service.
## Service-linked role permissions for Resource Groups
Resource Groups uses the following service-linked role to support group lifecycle events. Choose the link on the role name to view the role in the IAM console after you create it.
+ `[AWSServiceRoleForResourceGroups](https://console.aws.amazon.com/iamv2/home#/roles/details/AWSServiceRoleForResourceGroups)`
Resource Groups uses the permissions in this role to query the AWS services that own your resources to help resolve group membership and to keep the group up-to-date. It allows Resource Groups to emit service-related events to the Amazon EventBridge service.
The `AWSServiceRoleForResourceGroups` service-linked role trusts ***only*** the following service to assume the role:
+ `resourcegroups.amazonaws.com`
The permissions attached to the role come from the following AWS managed policy. Choose the link on the policy name to view the policy in the IAM console.
+ `AWS managed policies for AWS Resource Groups`
## Creating the service-linked role for Resource Groups
**Important**
This service-linked role can appear in your account if you complete an action in another service that requires the features supported by this role. For more information, see [A new role appeared in my AWS account](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/troubleshoot_roles.html#troubleshoot_roles_new-role-appeared).
To create the service-linked role, [turn on the group lifecycle events feature](monitor-groups-turn-on.md).
## Editing a service-linked role for Resource Groups
Resource Groups doesn't allow you to edit the AWSServiceRoleForResourceGroups service-linked role. After you create a service-linked role, you can't change the name of the role because various entities might reference the role. However, you can edit the description of the role using IAM. For more information, see [Editing a service-linked role](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/using-service-linked-roles.html#edit-service-linked-role) in the *IAM User Guide*.
## Deleting a service-linked role for Resource Groups
You can delete the service-linked role only after you turn off the group lifecycle events feature.
**Important**
AWS prevents you from removing the service-linked role until you first [turn off the group lifecycle events feature](monitor-groups-turn-off.md) that created it.
We recommend that you do not delete the service-linked role as long as you have any resource groups in your AWS account. The Resource Groups service can't interact with other AWS services to manage your groups if you delete this role.
### Manually delete the service-linked role
Use the IAM console, the AWS CLI, or the AWS API to delete the AWSServiceRoleForResourceGroups service-linked role. For more information, see [Deleting a service-linked role](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/using-service-linked-roles.html#delete-service-linked-role) in the *IAM User Guide*.
------
#### [ Console ]
**To delete the Resource Groups service-linked role**
1. Open the [IAM console to the Roles page](https://console.aws.amazon.com/iam/home#/roles).
1. Find the role named AWSServiceRoleForResourceGroups, and select the check box beside it.
1. Choose **Delete**.
1. Confirm your intent to delete the role by entering the role's name in the box, and then choose **Delete**.
The role disappears from your list of roles in the IAM console.
------
#### [ AWS CLI ]
**To delete the Resource Groups service-linked role**
To delete the role, enter the following command with the parameters exactly as shown. Do not replace any of the values.
```
$ aws iam delete-service-linked-role \
--role-name AWSServiceRoleForResourceGroups
{
"DeletionTaskId": "task/aws-service-role/resource-groups.amazonaws.com/AWSServiceRoleForResourceGroups/34e58943-e9a5-4220-9856-fc565EXAMPLE"
}
```
The command returns a task ID. The actual role deletion occurs asynchronously. You can check the status of the role deletion by passing the provided task identifier to the following AWS CLI command.
```
$ aws iam get-service-linked-role-deletion-status \
--deletion-task-id "task/aws-service-role/resource-groups.amazonaws.com/AWSServiceRoleForResourceGroups/34e58943-e9a5-4220-9856-fc565EXAMPLE"
{
"Status": "SUCCEEDED"
}
```
------
## Supported Regions for Resource Groups service-linked roles
Resource Groups supports using service-linked roles in all of the AWS Regions where the service is available. For more information, see [AWS Regions and Endpoints](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/rande.html).
# AWS Resource Groups identity-based policy examples
By default, IAM principals, such as roles and users, don't have permission to create or modify Resource Groups resources. They also can't perform tasks using the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or AWS API. An IAM administrator must create IAM policies that grant the principals permission to perform specific API operations on the specified resources they need. The administrator must then attach those policies to the principals that require those permissions.
To learn how to create an IAM identity-based policy using these example JSON policy documents, see [Creating Policies on the JSON Tab](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_create.html#access_policies_create-json-editor) in the *IAM User Guide*.
**Topics**
+ [Policy best practices](#security_iam_policy-best-practices)
+ [Using the Resource Groups console and API](#security_iam_policy-examples-console)
+ [Allow users to view their own permissions](#security_iam_policy-examples-own-permissions)
+ [Viewing groups based on tags](#security_iam_policy-examples-view-tags)
## Policy best practices
Identity-based policies determine whether someone can create, access, or delete Resource Groups resources in your account. These actions can incur costs for your AWS account. When you create or edit identity-based policies, follow these guidelines and recommendations:
+ **Get started with AWS managed policies and move toward least-privilege permissions** – To get started granting permissions to your users and workloads, use the *AWS managed policies* that grant permissions for many common use cases. They are available in your AWS account. We recommend that you reduce permissions further by defining AWS customer managed policies that are specific to your use cases. For more information, see [AWS managed policies](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_managed-vs-inline.html#aws-managed-policies) or [AWS managed policies for job functions](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_job-functions.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
+ **Apply least-privilege permissions** – When you set permissions with IAM policies, grant only the permissions required to perform a task. You do this by defining the actions that can be taken on specific resources under specific conditions, also known as *least-privilege permissions*. For more information about using IAM to apply permissions, see [ Policies and permissions in IAM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
+ **Use conditions in IAM policies to further restrict access** – You can add a condition to your policies to limit access to actions and resources. For example, you can write a policy condition to specify that all requests must be sent using SSL. You can also use conditions to grant access to service actions if they are used through a specific AWS service, such as CloudFormation. For more information, see [ IAM JSON policy elements: Condition](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_policies_elements_condition.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
+ **Use IAM Access Analyzer to validate your IAM policies to ensure secure and functional permissions** – IAM Access Analyzer validates new and existing policies so that the policies adhere to the IAM policy language (JSON) and IAM best practices. IAM Access Analyzer provides more than 100 policy checks and actionable recommendations to help you author secure and functional policies. For more information, see [Validate policies with IAM Access Analyzer](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access-analyzer-policy-validation.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
+ **Require multi-factor authentication (MFA)** – If you have a scenario that requires IAM users or a root user in your AWS account, turn on MFA for additional security. To require MFA when API operations are called, add MFA conditions to your policies. For more information, see [ Secure API access with MFA](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_mfa_configure-api-require.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
For more information about best practices in IAM, see [Security best practices in IAM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/best-practices.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
## Using the Resource Groups console and API
To access the AWS Resource Groups and Tag Editor console and API, you must have a minimum set of permissions. These permissions must allow you to list and view details about the Resource Groups resources in your AWS account. If you create an identity-based policy that is more restrictive than the minimum required permissions, the console and API commands won't function as intended for principals (IAM roles or users) with that policy.
To ensure that those entities can still use Resource Groups, attach the following policy (or a policy that contains the permissions listed in the following policy) to the entities. For more information, see [Adding Permissions to a User](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_users_change-permissions.html#users_change_permissions-add-console) in the *IAM User Guide*:
------
#### [ JSON ]
****
```
{
"Version":"2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"resource-groups:*",
"cloudformation:DescribeStacks",
"cloudformation:ListStackResources",
"tag:GetResources",
"tag:TagResources",
"tag:UntagResources",
"tag:getTagKeys",
"tag:getTagValues",
"resource-explorer:List*"
],
"Resource": "*"
}
]
}
```
------
For more information about granting access to Resource Groups, see [Granting permissions for using AWS Resource Groups and Tag Editor](gettingstarted-prereqs-permissions-howto.md) in this guide.
## Allow users to view their own permissions
This example shows how you might create a policy that allows IAM users to view the inline and managed policies that are attached to their user identity. This policy includes permissions to complete this action on the console or programmatically using the AWS CLI or AWS API.
```
{
"Version": "2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Sid": "ViewOwnUserInfo",
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"iam:GetUserPolicy",
"iam:ListGroupsForUser",
"iam:ListAttachedUserPolicies",
"iam:ListUserPolicies",
"iam:GetUser"
],
"Resource": ["arn:aws:iam::*:user/${aws:username}"]
},
{
"Sid": "NavigateInConsole",
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": [
"iam:GetGroupPolicy",
"iam:GetPolicyVersion",
"iam:GetPolicy",
"iam:ListAttachedGroupPolicies",
"iam:ListGroupPolicies",
"iam:ListPolicyVersions",
"iam:ListPolicies",
"iam:ListUsers"
],
"Resource": "*"
}
]
}
```
## Viewing groups based on tags
You can use conditions in your identity-based policy to control access to Resource Groups resources based on tags. This example shows how you might create a policy that allows viewing a resource, in this example, a resource group. However, permission is granted only if the group tag `project` has the same value as the `project` tag attached to the calling principal.
------
#### [ JSON ]
****
```
{
"Version":"2012-10-17",
"Statement": [
{
"Effect": "Allow",
"Action": "resource-groups:GetGroup",
"Resource": "arn:aws:resource-groups:us-east-1:111122223333:group/group_name",
"Condition": {
"StringEquals": {"aws:ResourceTag/project": "${aws:PrincipalTag/project}"}
}
}
]
}
```
------
You can attach this policy to the principals in your account. If a principal with the tag key `project` and tag value `alpha` attempts to view a resource group, the group must also be tagged `project=alpha`. Otherwise the user is denied access. The condition tag key `project` matches both `Project` and `project` because condition key names are not case-sensitive. For more information, see [IAM JSON Policy Elements: Condition](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//IAM/latest/UserGuide/reference_policies_elements_condition.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
# Troubleshooting AWS Resource Groups identity and access
Use the following information to help you diagnose and fix common issues that you might encounter when working with Resource Groups and IAM.
**Topics**
+ [I am not authorized to perform an action in Resource Groups](#security_iam_troubleshoot-permissions-arg-te)
+ [I am not authorized to perform iam:PassRole](#security_troubleshoot-passrole)
+ [I want to allow people outside of my AWS account to access my Resource Groups](#security_troubleshoot-cross-account)
## I am not authorized to perform an action in Resource Groups
If the AWS Management Console tells you that you're not authorized to perform an action, then you must contact your administrator for assistance. Your administrator is the person that provided you with your sign-in credentials.
The following example error occurs when the user `mateojackson` tries to use the console to view details about a group but does not have `resource-groups:ListGroups` permission.
```
User: arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/mateojackson is not authorized to perform: resource-groups:ListGroups on resource: arn:aws:resource-groups::us-west-2:123456789012:group/my-test-group
```
In this case, Mateo asks his administrator to update his policies to allow him to access the `my-test-group` resource using the `resource-groups:ListGroups` action.
## I am not authorized to perform iam:PassRole
If you receive an error that you're not authorized to perform the `iam:PassRole` action, your policies must be updated to allow you to pass a role to Resource Groups.
Some AWS services allow you to pass an existing role to that service instead of creating a new service role or service-linked role. To do this, you must have permissions to pass the role to the service.
The following example error occurs when an IAM user named `marymajor` tries to use the console to perform an action in Resource Groups. However, the action requires the service to have permissions that are granted by a service role. Mary does not have permissions to pass the role to the service.
```
User: arn:aws:iam::123456789012:user/marymajor is not authorized to perform: iam:PassRole
```
In this case, Mary's policies must be updated to allow her to perform the `iam:PassRole` action.
If you need help, contact your AWS administrator. Your administrator is the person who provided you with your sign-in credentials.
## I want to allow people outside of my AWS account to access my Resource Groups
You can create a role that users in other accounts or people outside of your organization can use to access your resources. You can specify who is trusted to assume the role. For services that support resource-based policies or access control lists (ACLs), you can use those policies to grant people access to your resources.
To learn more, consult the following:
+ To learn whether Resource Groups supports these features, see [How Resource Groups works with IAM](security_iam_service-with-iam.md).
+ To learn how to provide access to your resources across AWS accounts that you own, see [Providing access to an IAM user in another AWS account that you own](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_common-scenarios_aws-accounts.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
+ To learn how to provide access to your resources to third-party AWS accounts, see [Providing access to AWS accounts owned by third parties](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_common-scenarios_third-party.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
+ To learn how to provide access through identity federation, see [Providing access to externally authenticated users (identity federation)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_roles_common-scenarios_federated-users.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.
+ To learn the difference between using roles and resource-based policies for cross-account access, see [Cross account resource access in IAM](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies-cross-account-resource-access.html) in the *IAM User Guide*.