What Is Federated Access?
In the context of AWS, federated access refers to a mechanism that allows users to access AWS resources using their existing identity and credentials from an external IdP. It enables users to authenticate and authorize their access to AWS services without the need for separate AWS-specific credentials.
In a typical federated access scenario, the user’s identity is managed by an external IdP, such as Microsoft Azure Active Directory, Okta, or an on-premises identity system. The IdP serves as a trusted authority that authenticates the user and issues security tokens to represent the user’s identity.
When a user attempts to access AWS resources, they are redirected to the IdP for authentication. Once the user’s identity is verified, the IdP issues an access token or security assertion, such as a SAML token or an OpenID Connect (OIDC) token. This token contains the necessary information to identify the user and specify their access rights...
