A Comparison of AWS Cognito vs. AWS IAM Identity Center
Today, I got a question from a consultant, who is really confused about AWS Cognito and AWS IAM Identity Center (successor to AWS Single Sign-On). They are both identity and access management (IAM) services offered by Amazon Web Services (AWS). Both services can be used to manage user identities and access to AWS resources. However, there are some key differences between the two services.
AWS Cognito
AWS Cognito is a service that helps you manage user identities for your web and mobile applications. It provides a variety of features, including:
User authentication and authorization
User sign-in and sign-up
Social media integration
Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
Identity federation
User profiling
Analytics
AWS Cognito is a good choice for applications that need to manage user identities and authentication independently of other AWS services. It is also a good choice for applications that need to integrate with social media or other identity providers.
AWS IAM Identity Center
AWS IAM Identity Center is a service that helps you manage sign-in security for your workforce identities. It provides a single place where you can create or connect workforce users and centrally manage their access across all their AWS accounts and applications. You can use AWS IAM Identity Center to:
Create and manage workforce identities
Connect to external identity providers
Centrally manage access to AWS accounts and applications
Implement MFA and other security features
Monitor user activity and audit access
AWS IAM Identity Center is a good choice for organizations that need to manage a large number of workforce identities and access to multiple AWS accounts and applications. It is also a good choice for organizations that need to implement strict security controls.
Comparison
The following table provides a comparison of AWS Cognito and AWS IAM Identity Center:
FeatureAWS CognitoAWS IAM Identity CenterUser authentication and authorizationYesYesUser sign-in and sign-upYesYesSocial media integrationYesNoMulti-factor authentication (MFA)YesYesIdentity federationYesYesUser profilingYesYesAnalyticsYesYesCentralized access managementNoYesWorkforce identity managementNoYesSupport for external identity providersYesYes
AWS Cognito Security features: MFA, social login, identity federation AWS IAM Identity Center Security features: MFA, centralized access management, user activity monitoring, audit logging
Which service is right for you?
The best service for you will depend on your specific needs. If you need to manage user identities for your web and mobile applications, then AWS Cognito is a good choice. If you need to manage workforce identities and access to multiple AWS accounts and applications, then AWS IAM Identity Center is a good choice.
Here are some additional considerations:
AWS Cognito is a good choice for:
Applications that need to manage user identities and authentication independently of other AWS services
Applications that need to integrate with social media or other identity providers
Applications that need to support user profiling and analytics
AWS IAM Identity Center is a good choice for:
Organizations that need to manage a large number of workforce identities and access to multiple AWS accounts and applications
Organizations that need to implement strict security controls
Organizations that need to centralize access management
In short, Amazon Cognito is identity management solution for developers building B2C or B2B apps for their customers, which makes it a customer-targeted IAM and user directory solution. Whereas AWS SSO is focused on SSO for employees accessing AWS and business apps, initially with Microsoft AD as the underlying employee directory.