IAM Policy Permissions for the nOps Platform
Currently, the AWS managed ReadOnlyAccess policy is attached to the role created by nOps. This is to take advantage of a continuously updated managed policy that will cover
future services added into AWS that the nOps platform can add without customer intervention. However, customers requiring a more restricted environment for security concerns may
deny access to some services or actions. The following table shows the base permissions requested for the nOps free platform to provide recommendations around cost, security and
general architecture best practices.
| Base Permissions Requested | Purpose | Optimization Platform Use |
|---|---|---|
autoscaling:DescribeAutoScalingGroups |
View details of auto-scaling groups | Analyze and recommend adjustments for auto-scaling settings to optimize costs |
autoscaling:DescribeAutoScalingInstances |
View details of auto-scaling instances | Monitor instance performance to optimize scaling for cost savings |
autoscaling:DescribeLaunchConfigurations |
View launch configuration details for auto-scaling | Identify unused or inefficient configurations and suggest improvements |
ce:GetCostAndUsage |
Retrieve cost and usage data for AWS services | Track real-time cost data, analyze spending trends, and identify high-cost services |
ce:GetReservationPurchaseRecommendation |
Get purchase recommendations for reserved instances | Suggest Reserved Instances to save costs based on usage patterns |
ce:GetReservationUtilization |
View reserved instance utilization | Monitor RI utilization to ensure optimal usage and prevent underutilization |
ce:GetSavingsPlansUtilizationDetails |
View detailed utilization data for savings plans | Assess Savings Plans usage and recommend adjustments for cost efficiency |
ce:ListCostAllocationTags |
List cost allocation tags used for tracking expenses | Organize and analyze expenses by tags for better cost management |
ce:StartSavingsPlansPurchaseRecommendationGeneration |
Start generating recommendations for savings plans purchase | Automate cost-saving recommendations by analyzing current and forecasted usage |
ce:UpdateCostAllocationTagsStatus |
Update the status of cost allocation tags | Manage tag usage to improve cost tracking and allocate expenses accurately |
ce:GetSavingsPlansPurchaseRecommendation |
Get savings plan purchase recommendations | Suggest Savings Plans based on spending patterns for maximum cost reduction |
cloudformation:DescribeStacks |
View details of CloudFormation stacks | Used by our compute copilot service to read and compare Cloudformation configurations to recommend optimizations on ASGs |
cloudformation:ListStacks |
List all CloudFormation stacks | Required by our compute copilot service to get Cloudformation stacks to analyze |
cloudtrail:DescribeTrails |
View details of CloudTrail trails | Check logging configurations to ensure compliance with security best practices |
cloudtrail:LookupEvents |
Search CloudTrail logs for events | Identify security events and monitor access to detect unusual activities |
cloudwatch:GetMetricStatistics |
Retrieve metric statistics from CloudWatch | Analyze performance data to recommend cost-effective scaling and optimization |
cloudwatch:ListMetrics |
List available CloudWatch metrics | Discover metrics to track for identifying inefficiencies in resource usage |
config:DescribeConfigurationRecorders |
View configuration recorder settings in AWS Config | Ensure that configuration recording is active for compliance and audit purposes |
cur:DescribeReportDefinitions |
View report definitions in AWS Cost and Usage Reports | Analyze existing report configurations for potential cost-saving improvements |
cur:PutReportDefinition |
Create or update report definitions for AWS Cost and Usage Reports | Generate customized reports to provide better visibility on spending and optimization |
dynamodb:DescribeTable |
View details of DynamoDB tables | Identify inefficient tables and suggest cost-effective scaling adjustments |
dynamodb:ListTables |
List all DynamoDB tables | Detect and recommend archiving or deletion of unused tables to reduce costs |
ec2:DescribeAvailabilityZones |
View available EC2 availability zones | Help in cost optimization by suggesting zone-based deployments |
ec2:DescribeFlowLogs |
View EC2 VPC flow log configurations | Ensure flow logging is enabled for security monitoring and compliance |
ec2:DescribeImages |
View details of available Amazon Machine Images (AMIs) | Identify outdated or unused AMIs to prevent unnecessary storage costs |
ec2:DescribeInstances |
View details of EC2 instances | Track instance usage and recommend right-sizing for cost savings |
ec2:DescribeInstanceStatus |
View status of EC2 instances | Monitor instance health to reduce downtime and optimize resource use |
ec2:DescribeLaunchConfigurations |
View EC2 launch configurations | Used by our compute copilot service to recommend cost-efficient configurations for instances based on usage patterns |
ec2:DescribeLaunchTemplateVersions |
View versions of EC2 launch templates | Identify unused or redundant versions to optimize template usage and reduce clutter, recommendations generated by compute copilot |
ec2:DescribeNatGateways |
View details of EC2 NAT gateways | Recommend optimization for NAT gateway usage based on traffic patterns |
ec2:DescribeNetworkInterfaces |
View EC2 network interface details | Audit network configurations for security and cost efficiency |
ec2:DescribeRegions |
List available AWS regions | Recommend cost-effective region usage based on latency and price |
ec2:DescribeReservedInstances |
View details of reserved EC2 instances | Track RI utilization and recommend purchases to save on long-term EC2 costs |
ec2:DescribeRouteTables |
View EC2 VPC route table configurations | Monitor route tables for security compliance and cost-efficient networking |
ec2:DescribeSecurityGroups |
View details of EC2 security groups | Ensure security group rules are optimized for least privilege and compliance |
ec2:DescribeSnapshots |
View details of EC2 snapshots | Identify and recommend deletion of unused snapshots to save on storage costs |
ec2:DescribeVolumes |
View details of EC2 volumes | Recommend adjustments to storage volumes based on usage to reduce costs |
ec2:DescribeVpcs |
View details of EC2 Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs) | Review VPC usage for security and cost efficiency, suggesting unused resources cleanup |
ecs:ListClusters |
List ECS clusters | Identify underutilized clusters to reduce unnecessary resource costs |
eks:DescribeCluster |
View details of EKS clusters | Optimize Kubernetes resource usage to reduce costs and improve performance |
eks:DescribeNodegroup |
View details of EKS node groups | Optimize node group configurations for performance and cost savings |
eks:ListClusters |
List all EKS clusters | Identify inactive clusters to reduce costs by decommissioning unused resources |
elasticache:DescribeCacheClusters |
View details of ElastiCache clusters | Track usage to suggest scaling or configuration changes for cost efficiency |
elasticache:DescribeCacheSubnetGroups |
View ElastiCache subnet groups | Audit subnet groups for optimal network performance and security |
elasticfilesystem:DescribeFileSystems |
View details of EFS file systems | Identify and suggest deletion of unused file systems to save on storage costs |
elasticloadbalancing:DescribeLoadBalancers |
View details of load balancers | Recommend load balancer configurations to improve efficiency and reduce costs |
es:DescribeElasticsearchDomains |
View details of Elasticsearch domains | Monitor domain usage to suggest optimizations for indexing and query cost efficiency |
es:ListDomainNames |
List all Elasticsearch domain names | Identify inactive or low-usage domains to save costs |
events:CreateEventBus |
Create an event bus for Amazon EventBridge | Configure automated alerts and actions for cost and security monitoring |
events:ListRules |
List EventBridge rules | Review and suggest optimizations to event rules for security and efficiency |
guardduty:ListDetectors |
List GuardDuty detectors | Ensure continuous security monitoring by identifying and activating necessary detectors |
iam:GetAccountPasswordPolicy |
View IAM account password policy | Ensure strong password policies for account security compliance |
iam:GetAccountSummary |
View summary of IAM account data | Assess account structure for adherence to security best practices |
iam:GetRole |
View details of an IAM role | Audit IAM roles for least-privilege and compliance with security policies |
iam:ListAttachedUserPolicies |
List IAM policies attached to a user | Identify over-permissioned policies for security and compliance |
iam:ListRoles |
List all IAM roles | Audit roles to identify unused or redundant ones, optimizing security and governance |
iam:ListUsers |
List all IAM users | Identify inactive users to enhance account security and reduce potential vulnerabilities |
inspector:ListAssessmentRuns |
List assessment runs in AWS Inspector | Review security assessments to ensure resources follow best practices |
kms:Decrypt |
Decrypt data with AWS Key Management Service (KMS) | Analyze and secure sensitive data for compliance with security requirements, Ex: decrypt Lambda functions encrypted at rest with KMS |
lambda:GetFunction |
View details of Lambda functions | Identify cost-saving opportunities through function optimization |
lambda:GetPolicy |
View policy attached to Lambda functions | Audit policies to ensure secure function permissions |
lambda:ListFunctions |
List all Lambda functions | Track and suggest optimizations for underutilized functions |
organizations:DescribeOrganization |
View details of AWS Organizations setup | Monitor organizational setup for cost-effective resource management |
organizations:InviteAccountToOrganization |
Invite an account to join AWS Organizations | Manage and optimize organizational structure for streamlined cost management |
organizations:ListAccounts |
List accounts in an AWS organization | Track and analyze account usage for cost and security best practices |
organizations:ListRoots |
List root entities in AWS Organizations | Organize root accounts to simplify management, enhancing security and cost efficiency |
rds:DescribeDBClusters |
View details of RDS clusters | Monitor RDS usage to recommend scaling adjustments and cost-saving measures |
rds:DescribeDBInstances |
View details of RDS instances | Identify and suggest right-sizing of RDS instances for cost efficiency |
rds:DescribeDBSnapshots |
View details of RDS snapshots | Identify unused snapshots to save on storage costs |
savingsplans:DescribeSavingsPlans |
View details of Savings Plans | Assess and recommend changes in Savings Plans usage to reduce costs |
support:DescribeCases |
View support cases in AWS Support | Track and resolve support cases, ensuring resource usage aligns with best practices |
support:DescribeTrustedAdvisorCheckRefreshStatuses |
View refresh statuses for Trusted Advisor checks | Track check refresh statuses to maintain compliance and optimize costs |
support:DescribeTrustedAdvisorCheckResult |
View results of Trusted Advisor checks | Analyze Trusted Advisor findings for cost savings and security optimizations |
support:DescribeTrustedAdvisorChecks |
View list of Trusted Advisor checks | Identify critical checks to focus on for improving security and reducing unnecessary costs |
s3:ListAllMyBuckets |
List all Amazon S3 buckets | Identify and manage bucket usage to avoid excessive storage costs |
tag:GetResources |
Retrieve resources with specific tags | Analyze tag data for better resource allocation, management, and cost tracking |
wellarchitected:* |
Access to Well-Architected Framework tool | Review and optimize workloads to meet best practices for cost and security |
workspaces:DescribeWorkspaceDirectories |
View details of AWS WorkSpaces directories | Track workspace directories for efficient management and cost savings |