> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://openai.gitbook.io/code-cheatsheets/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://openai.gitbook.io/code-cheatsheets/deployment/aws/iam.md).

# IAM roles

IAM roles are a secure way to grant permissions to entities that you trust. Examples of entities include the following:

* IAM user in another account
* Application code running on an EC2 instance that needs to perform actions on AWS resources
* An AWS service that needs to act on resources in your account to provide its features
* Users from a corporate directory who use identity federation with SAML

IAM roles issue keys that are valid for short durations, making them a more secure way to grant access.