Setting up an AWS Account and IAM User

This guide will walk you through the process of creating an AWS account and setting up an IAM user with administrator privileges.

1. Create an AWS Account

1. Go to the AWS homepage.
2. In the top right corner, click on "Create an AWS Account" or "Sign Up". If you see "Sign In" instead, click it and then look for an option to create a new account.
3. Follow the prompts to create your account:
   • Provide an email address and AWS account name
   • Create a password
   • Enter your contact information. If prompted to select an account type, choose 'personal'.
   • Provide a valid credit card for billing (you won't be charged for free tier services)
   • Verify your identity
   • Choose a support plan (Basic is free and sufficient for most users)

2. Create an IAM User with Administrator Privileges

After your account is set up:

1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console.
2. Search for "IAM" in the services search bar and select it.
3. In the IAM dashboard, click on "Users" in the left sidebar.
4. On the "Set permissions" page, choose "Attach existing policies directly"

5. Search for and select "AdministratorAccess" policy
6. Click "Create user" button.
7. Skip through the "Add tags" page (optional)
8. Review and create the user

3. Enable console access

Click on the username (the blue link)

1. This will take you to the user details page
2. Click on the "Security credentials" tab
3. Scroll down to find the "Console sign-in" section
4. Click "Enable console access" (or "Manage" if you see that button)
5. Set up the password (custom or auto-generated)
6. Optionally uncheck "User must create a new password at next sign-in"
7. Click "Apply"

4. Obtain Credentials

1. After enabling console access, you'll see the password (if auto-generated) - save this immediately as you won't be able to view it again
2. Note the Console sign-in URL at the top of the IAM dashboard (format: https://[YOUR-ACCOUNT-ID].signin.aws.amazon.com/console)
3. The 12-digit number in this URL is your AWS Account ID - you'll need this to sign in
4. Store these credentials securely:
   • Account ID (or account alias if you set one)
   • IAM username (e.g., admin-user)
   • Password

After creating the user:

1. You'll see a success message with the user's credentials.
2. Download the .csv file (recommended) or copy these credentials immediately - you won't be able to access the secret key again
3. Note the Console sign-in URL provided (format: https://[YOUR-ACCOUNT-ID].signin.aws.amazon.com/console)
4. The 12-digit number in this URL is your AWS Account ID
5. Store these credentials securely - they provide full access to your AWS account

5. Sign in as IAM User

To ensure your IAM user is set up correctly:

1. Sign out of the root account
2. Sign in to the AWS Management Console using the new IAM user credentials
   1. Enter your Account ID (see section 3)
   2. Enter your username and password.

Important Note: Always use the IAM user for daily operations. Only use the root account for tasks that specifically require root access.

6. Create Access Key

1. Once signed in, right-click on your username and select security credentials.
2. Scroll down to the access keys section, and select Create access key.
3. Select the "Command Line Interface (CLI)" use case. For context, the access key is needed by the AWS CLI to authenticate and authorize requests to your account's AWS services.
4. Skip through the "Add tags" page (optional)
5. Create your access key.
6. Copy the access key and secret access key somewhere safe. This is the only time that the secret access key can be viewed or downloaded.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you've created an AWS account and an IAM user with administrator privileges, ready for use with AWS CLI and other AWS services.