Learn about the crucial role the IAM execution role plays in granting your AWS Lambda functions the necessary permissions to interact with and utilize other AWS services.
Table of Contents
Question
What is the importance of the IAM execution role?
A. Gives your function permissions to interact with other services
B. Allows individual users control over creating and authoring the function
C. Allows groups of users to invoke the execution role to test the function
D. Gives your function permissions to run within an account
Answer
A. Gives your function permissions to interact with other services
Explanation
The IAM execution role grants your function permissions to interact with other services. You specify this execution role when you create a function. AWS Lambda assumes the execution role when your function is invoked. The policy for this execution role defines the actions the execution role is allowed to take, for example, writing to a DynamoDB table.
The IAM (Identity and Access Management) execution role is critical because it grants your AWS Lambda function the required permissions to interact with and utilize other AWS services that it needs to carry out its intended functionality.
When you create a Lambda function, you specify an IAM role that the function assumes when it is invoked. This role, known as the execution role, defines the permissions that the Lambda function will have. The permissions in the execution role determine what AWS service APIs the function is allowed to call and what resources it is allowed to access and interact with.
For example, if your Lambda function needs to read and write objects in an Amazon S3 bucket, the execution role must include permissions for the relevant Amazon S3 actions like s3:GetObject and s3:PutObject. Without these permissions in the role, the Lambda function would not be able to access the S3 bucket and would fail.
The execution role essentially acts as the identity of the Lambda function and controls its access to AWS services and resources. It implements the principle of least privilege – the function is only granted the minimum permissions it needs to perform its intended tasks, and nothing more. This helps maintain security and prevents unauthorized access.
In summary, the IAM execution role is vital for serverless applications built with AWS Lambda, as it enables Lambda functions to be granted just the right permissions needed to integrate with and leverage other AWS services in a secure manner.
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