Amazon Cognito
Amazon Cognito is a robust user identity and authentication service that helps maintain server-side UI session tracking. It makes it easier for developers to add sign up, sign in, and access control to web and mobile applications. Within Cognito, there are two core components: User Pools and Identity Pools. Although these two components may seem similar, they serve distinct functions within the Amazon Cognito environment. This post will compare User Pools and Identity Pools, shedding light on how they are used separately and together.
Amazon Cognito User Pools
A User Pool is a user directory in Amazon Cognito, allowing you to manage and configure all aspects related to users. With a User Pool, you directly manage user profiles. It serves as an identity provider to issue JWTs (JSON Web Tokens) for identities authenticated by it.
User Pools support:
- User Registration and Sign-In functionality
- Social sign-in with Facebook, Google, and Login with Amazon, and through SAML identity providers from your User Pool.
- Multi-factor authentication (MFA)
- Password policy enforcement, making sure users choose strong passwords
- Account recovery mechanisms
User Pools are best suited when you need an identity provider that handles sign-up and sign-in for your app users.
Amazon Cognito Identity Pools
Identity Pools, on the other hand, provide AWS credentials to grant users access to other AWS services. An Identity Pool maintains a link between your user’s identities and their associated AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles.
Identity Pools support:
- Anonymous guest access
- Social sign-in with public identity providers like Facebook, Google, and Login with Amazon, plus OpenID Connect (OIDC) and SAML identity providers
- Linking user identities across multiple providers
- AWS resource access control
Identity Pools are best suited when you need to control access to AWS resources by your app users or machines.
Key Differences between User Pools and Identity Pools
To help further differentiate between User Pools and Identity Pools, here is a brief comparison:
| User Pools | Identity Pools | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Manage and authenticate users | Provide AWS credentials |
| Provides | JWT Tokens for user identities | AWS temporary credentials |
| Use | User sign-up and sign-in to apps | Access to AWS Services |
| Can be used with | Apps with sign-in functionality | Any app that needs AWS access |
In many cases, User Pools and Identity Pools are used together.
For example, an application might authenticate a user with User Pools, then use the resulting token to get AWS credentials via an Identity Pool. This then allows the user to access AWS resources such as Dynamodb, Lambda, API Gateway, etc. under a role defined in the Identity Pool.
Conclusion
Amazon Cognito’s User Pools and Identity Pools play crucial roles in managing user data and interactions with AWS services. By better understanding how User Pools and Identity Pools function in Amazon Cognito, developers can design more secure and efficient applications. As part of the AWS Certified Developer – Associate (DVA-C02) exam, understanding these aspects is key to a solid foundation in AWS.
Practice Test
True or False: User pools in Amazon Cognito are user directories that provide sign-up and sign-in options for your app users.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: User pools are indeed user directories which provide solutions for user management. They can provide secure and scalable solutions for handling user registration, authentication, and account recovery.
User pools provide temporary AWS credential for access to AWS services, while identity pools enable quoting for your apps.
- True
- False
Answer: False
Explanation: The functions are reversed. Identity pools grant users temporary AWS credentials, while User pools are responsible for user management, and authorization of users.
Single select: Which of the following Cognito features are responsible for federating identities and providing AWS credentials?
- a) User pools
- b) Identity pools
- c) Both a and b
- d) None of the above
Answer: b) Identity pools
Explanation: Identity pools in Amazon Cognito are responsible for federating identities from various identity providers, including user pools, and for providing temporary AWS credentials.
True or False: User pools can offer functionality for user registration, authentication and account recovery amongst others.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: User pools in Amazon Cognito are capable of providing the mentioned functionality involving user registration, authentication and account recovery.
Multiple select: Choose the correct statements:
- a) User pools in Cognito are responsible for user management.
- b) Identity pools in Cognito offer OAuth 0 features.
- c) Identity pools in Cognito are used to manage users.
- d) User pools in Cognito provide AWS credentials.
Answer: a) User pools in Cognito are responsible for user management.
Explanation: Statement a is correct, as User pools are used for managing users. Statements b, c and d are incorrect. Identity pools do not offer OAuth 0 features; this is a function of user pools. Identity pools do not manage users, but instead grant AWS credentials, a functionality which is not provided by user pools.
True or False: User pools only support social, SAML, and OIDC identity providers, while Identity pools support developer authenticated identities.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: User pools do support social, SAML, and OIDC identity providers. And Identity pools do support developer authenticated identities along with those same identity providers.
Single Select: Which one of the following is not an advantage of using user pools?
- a) It offers easy integration with API Gateway
- b) It helps in access control for AWS resources
- c) It helps in user account tracking and synchronization
- d) It can provide temporary AWS credentials
Answer: d) It can provide temporary AWS credentials
Explanation: Providing temporary AWS credentials is not a function of user pools, but identity pools.
Multiple select: Amazon Cognito Identity pools support which of the following identity providers?
- a) User Pools
- b) Facebook
- c) Google
- d) Developer authenticated identities
Answer: a) User Pools, b) Facebook, c) Google, d) Developer authenticated identities
Explanation: Amazon Cognito Identity pools support all the above mentioned identity providers.
True or False: You can federate multiple identity providers with a User Pool.
- True
- False
Answer: True
Explanation: User pools can federate multiple identity providers including social, SAML, OIDC, and your own organization’s identity system.
Single Select: Which of the following features of Amazon Cognito is responsible for providing federated identities to your users?
- a) User Pools
- b) Identity Pools
- c) Both a & b
- d) None of the above
Answer: b) Identity Pools
Explanation: Identity pools in Amazon Cognito provides federated identities, allowing users to authenticate with various identity providers, and then consolidates these identities into a unique user identity.
Interview Questions
What is the primary purpose of Amazon Cognito User Pools?
User Pools in Amazon Cognito are user directories that provide sign-up and sign-in options for your app users.
What does an Amazon Cognito Identity Pool do?
An identity pool in Amazon Cognito authorizes your users to access other AWS services by federating identities.
Can identity pools and user pools be used together in Amazon Cognito?
Yes, Amazon Cognito User Pools can be used as an identity source for Amazon Cognito Identity Pools.
During the process of user sign-up and sign-in, which Amazon Cognito service is primarily in charge?
The Amazon Cognito User Pools are responsible for handling user registration and sign-in.
What do Amazon Cognito Identity Pools allow a user to do?
Amazon Cognito Identity Pools allow a user to obtain temporary AWS credentials to access certain AWS services.
If you want to manage user directory and want to add sign-up and sign-in for your application, which service will you use?
For managing user directories and providing sign-up and sign-in options to the application, Amazon Cognito User Pools service is used.
Between Amazon Cognito User Pool and Amazon Cognito Identity Pool, which one generates AWS credentials for users?
The service that directly generates AWS credentials for users is Amazon Cognito Identity Pool.
What is a characteristic feature of Amazon Cognito User Pools?
Amazon Cognito User Pools allow the user to create an app that has its own user directory and can support user registration and sign-in.
Does Amazon Cognito Identity Pool provide direct support for social identity providers like Facebook, Google, or Amazon?
Yes, Amazon Cognito Identity Pool provides direct support for getting identities from social identity providers including Facebook, Google, and Amazon.
Can you associate more than one User Pool with a single Identity Pool in Amazon Cognito?
Yes, it is possible to associate multiple User Pools with a single Identity Pool in Amazon Cognito.
How is fine-grained access control handled in Amazon Cognito?
In Amazon Cognito, fine-grained access control is handled using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles that are associated with the identities in the Identity Pool.
What is the purpose of a refresh token in Amazon Cognito User Pools?
In Amazon Cognito User Pools, the refresh token is used to obtain new access or identity tokens, once the earlier ones expire, without signing in again.
Is two-factor authentication supported in Amazon Cognito User Pools?
Yes, Amazon Cognito User Pools support Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA).
Which Amazon Cognito service allows users to log in through third-party identity providers?
The Amazon Cognito Identity Pool allows users to log in through third-party identity providers.
Why would you use the combination of User Pools and Identity Pools in Amazon Cognito?
Combining User Pools and Identity Pools in Amazon Cognito allows you to manage user sign-up and sign-in, allow users to log in through third-party identity providers, and access AWS services via temporary credentials, all in a secure manner.
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