IAM policy for DynamoDB - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is an IAM policy in AWS?

An IAM policy is a set of rules that define what actions are allowed or denied on AWS resources for users or roles.

beginner

Which AWS service does the IAM policy control in this topic?

The IAM policy controls access to DynamoDB, which is a NoSQL database service.

beginner

What is the purpose of the "Action" field in an IAM policy for DynamoDB?

The "Action" field specifies which DynamoDB operations (like reading or writing data) are allowed or denied.

intermediate

Why is it important to specify the "Resource" in an IAM policy?

Specifying the "Resource" limits the policy to certain DynamoDB tables or indexes, improving security by not allowing access to everything.

beginner

What does the "Effect" field in an IAM policy do?

The "Effect" field determines whether the policy allows or denies the specified actions on the resources.

Which IAM policy "Effect" value allows access to DynamoDB actions?

A Ignore

B Allow

C Deny

D Block

The "Allow" effect grants permission to perform the specified actions.

What does the "Resource" field in a DynamoDB IAM policy specify?

A The AWS region

B The password

C The user name

D The DynamoDB table or index to access

The "Resource" field limits the policy to specific DynamoDB tables or indexes.

Which of these is a valid DynamoDB action in an IAM policy?

A s3:PutObject

B ec2:StartInstances

C dynamodb:PutItem

D lambda:InvokeFunction

"dynamodb:PutItem" is an action to add or replace an item in a DynamoDB table.

If you want to deny all access to DynamoDB, what should the "Effect" be?

A Deny

B Allow

C Block

D Reject

The "Deny" effect explicitly blocks the specified actions.

Why should IAM policies be as specific as possible?

A To improve security by limiting access

B To make policies easier to read

C To allow all users full access

D To speed up AWS services

Specific policies reduce risk by granting only the needed permissions.

Explain the key components of an IAM policy for DynamoDB and their roles.

Think about what each part controls: allow or deny, what actions, and on which tables.

Describe why it is important to limit IAM policy permissions when working with DynamoDB.

Consider what could happen if permissions are too broad.