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Cloud Computing · Intermediate

AWS Security Token Service (AWS STS)

AWS web service that issues temporary, limited-privilege credentials for IAM roles and federated users.

Definition

STS operations include AssumeRole, AssumeRoleWithSAML, AssumeRoleWithWebIdentity, GetSessionToken and GetFederationToken. Temporary credentials consist of an access key ID, secret access key and session token that expire after a configured duration, reducing risk from leaked credentials.

Example

aws sts assume-role --role-arn arn:aws:iam::111122223333:role/Audit --role-session-name audit1 returns temporary credentials.

Exam tip

Temporary credentials from STS are the mechanism behind roles, federation and IAM Identity Center sessions.

Related terms