Swiftorial Logo
Home
Swift Lessons
Matchups
CodeSnaps
Tutorials
Career
Resources

Google Cloud IAM Tutorial

Introduction to Cloud IAM

Google Cloud Identity and Access Management (IAM) lets you manage access control by defining who (identity) has what access (role) for which resource. IAM provides a unified view into security policy across your entire organization, with built-in auditing to ease compliance processes.

Key Concepts

Before diving into IAM, it's crucial to understand some key concepts:

  • Identity: A user, group, or service account that can perform actions on Google Cloud resources.
  • Role: A collection of permissions. When you grant a role to an identity, you grant all the permissions in that role.
  • Policy: Defines who has what type of access to which resource.

Setting Up IAM

To set up IAM, you need to access the IAM & Admin section in the Google Cloud Console. Here's how:

  1. Go to the Google Cloud Console.
  2. Navigate to the IAM & Admin section.
  3. Click on "IAM" to view and manage user permissions.

Creating and Managing Roles

Roles are a way to bundle one or more permissions. Google Cloud provides predefined roles, but you can also create custom roles.

Example: Creating a Custom Role

1. In the IAM & Admin section, click on "Roles".

2. Click "Create Role".

3. Specify the role name, description, and permissions.

4. Save the role.

Granting Roles to Users

To grant roles to users, follow these steps:

1. Go to the IAM section in the Google Cloud Console.

2. Click "Add" to add a new member.

3. Enter the member's email address and select the role you want to assign.

4. Click "Save".

Using IAM Policies

IAM policies define what actions are allowed or denied for which resources. Policies are attached to resources such as projects, folders, or organizations.

Example: Viewing IAM Policy

To view the IAM policy for a project, use the following command:

gcloud projects get-iam-policy [PROJECT_ID]

Example output:

bindings: - members: - user:example-user@gmail.com role: roles/viewer

Best Practices

Here are some best practices for using IAM:

  • Use the principle of least privilege: Grant only the minimum permissions necessary.
  • Regularly audit your IAM policies and roles.
  • Use predefined roles when possible to avoid creating overly permissive custom roles.
  • Enable and review audit logs to monitor IAM changes.

Conclusion

Google Cloud IAM is a powerful tool for managing access to your cloud resources. By understanding its core concepts and best practices, you can ensure your cloud environment is secure and well-managed.