AWS Accounts(Multiple AWS Accounts VS Single-Account)

Anil Verma
3 min readOct 5, 2024

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In AWS, an account serves as a container for your cloud resources and services. Each AWS account is distinct, with its own security settings, resources, and billing.

When you sign up for AWS, you create an account that allows you to access and manage various AWS services. Each account is uniquely identified and operates independently from other accounts.

Key Features of AWS Accounts

  1. Isolation: Each account is isolated from others, meaning resources, permissions, and security settings do not overlap. This isolation enhances security, making it easier to manage and control access.
  2. Billing and Cost Management: Each account has its own billing structure, allowing you to track costs and usage separately. This is particularly useful for organizations with different departments or projects, enabling precise cost allocation.
  3. Resource Management: Resources such as EC2 instances, S3 buckets, and RDS databases are tied to a specific account. This organization helps maintain clarity in resource allocation and management.
  4. Security Policies: AWS accounts use Identity and Access Management (IAM) to define who can access resources and what actions they can perform. You can create users, roles, and policies specific to each account.
  5. Compliance: Having multiple accounts can help organizations meet different regulatory requirements. Each account can be configured to adhere to specific compliance standards.

Single-Account Setup VS Multiple AWS Accounts

single AWS account

While having a single AWS account might seem simpler, it comes with its own set of challenges:

1. Increased Security Risks
A single account means that all resources are under one roof. If that account is compromised, it puts all resources at risk, making it a bigger target for attackers.

2. Limited Resource Management
Managing resources and permissions can become complicated. As more teams and projects are added, it can be hard to keep track of who has access to what.

3. Compliance Challenges
Different projects may have unique compliance needs. In a single-account setup, it’s difficult to apply tailored policies and controls for each project, increasing the risk of non-compliance.

Multiple AWS Accounts

Imagine a data analytics team in Account A that needs to access a database in Account B. By setting up a cross-account IAM role, the team can easily access the database without needing separate accounts in Account B.

1. Improved Security
Separating workloads into different accounts reduces the risk of security breaches. If one account is compromised, the others remain protected.

2. Better Resource Management
Having separate accounts allows teams to manage their resources independently, leading to more efficient use of resources tailored to specific needs.

3. Enhanced Compliance
Different teams or projects may have varying compliance requirements. Using multiple accounts helps in managing compliance more effectively, as each account can have tailored policies and controls.

4. Simplified Billing
Multi-account setups can help with better billing and cost management. You can easily track costs per account, making it simpler to understand where money is being spent.

5. Isolation of Environments
Using different accounts for development, testing, and production helps in isolating environments. This minimizes risks, as changes in one environment won’t impact others.

How It Works:

  1. Account A: The account where the user or service is located.
  2. Account B: The account that has the resources you want to access.
  3. IAM Role: This is set up in Account B and includes:
  4. Trust Policy: This tells who from Account A can use the role.
  5. Permissions Policy: This defines what can be accessed.

Step-by-Step Process

  1. Request Access: A user in Account A asks to use the role in Account B.
  2. AssumeRole API Call: The user makes a request to AWS to assume the role.
  3. Get Temporary Access: AWS gives temporary access credentials.
  4. Access Resources: The user can now use these credentials to access resources in Account B.

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Anil Verma

Hi there 👋, I am Anil Verma, a full stack web developer, and JavaScript enthusiast. 👥 Ask me anything about web development. web- https://anilvermaspeaks.in/