This guide will explain AWS Key Management Service and its purpose.
What is AWS Key Management Service?
AWS Key Management Service (KMS) allows the user to create cryptographic keys to protect data across the AWS workloads. The user can choose the access and permission policies according to which the Key works on the cloud to manage security. It centrally manages the keys and integrates well with other AWS services like S3, EC2, etc. to provide security to their resources:
What is the Purpose of AWS Key Management Service?
AWS KMS-created keys are used by the management account to precisely decide who, when, and how can read the data on the account. It allows the user to create asymmetric key pairs to create and verify digital signatures to ensure the integrity of the workloads. The keys on KMS are securely created and protected by the devices trusted by the governments:
How to Create a Key in KMS?
To create a key in Key Management Service, visit the service from the AWS dashboard:
Click on the “Create a key” button from the KMS dashboard:
Choose symmetric to create a single key and then select its usage as the “Encrypt and decrypt” option:
Configure advanced options and then click on the “Next” button:
Type the name of the “Alias” for the key:
Scroll down to click on the “Next” button:
Select the administrator for the key:
Tick the check box which allows the key administrators to delete the key and then click on the “Next” button:
Select the permission by choosing the IAM user and role for the key:
Click on the “Next” button from the bottom of the page:
Review the policies and click on the “Finish” button:
You have successfully created a Key in AWS KMS:
That’s all about the AWS Key Management Service and its key creation method.
Conclusion
Key Management Service is used to create symmetric or asymmetric keys to secure and protect all workloads on the cloud. It allows the user to limit access to the data by applying policies on the key and it will be controlled by its administrators. The user can create keys using the Key Management Service dashboard and enable it to protect different resources. This guide has explained KMS and its purpose on the AWS cloud.
