What is @aws-sdk/credential-provider-web-identity?
The @aws-sdk/credential-provider-web-identity npm package is designed to provide AWS credentials to your application by leveraging web identity tokens. This is particularly useful for applications that authenticate users through federated identity providers such as Amazon Cognito, Facebook, Google, or any OpenID Connect (OIDC) compatible identity provider. It simplifies the process of assuming an AWS IAM role by using the web identity token, allowing your application to access AWS services securely.
What are @aws-sdk/credential-provider-web-identity's main functionalities?
Creating credentials from web identity tokens
This feature allows you to create AWS credentials by providing a web identity token, the ARN of the role to assume, and a session name. It's particularly useful for serverless applications that rely on federated authentication.
const { fromWebToken } = require('@aws-sdk/credential-provider-web-identity');
const credentials = fromWebToken({
roleArn: 'arn:aws:iam::123456789012:role/WebIdentityRole',
roleSessionName: 'web-identity-session',
webIdentityToken: process.env.WEB_IDENTITY_TOKEN
});
Other packages similar to @aws-sdk/credential-provider-web-identity
aws-sdk
The AWS SDK for JavaScript is a comprehensive package that includes support for creating credentials from web identity tokens, among many other AWS services. Compared to @aws-sdk/credential-provider-web-identity, the aws-sdk package is more extensive, offering a wide range of AWS services and not just credential provision. However, it might be heavier for applications that only require credential management.
amazon-cognito-identity-js
This package provides authentication capabilities for Amazon Cognito User Pools. It's similar to @aws-sdk/credential-provider-web-identity in that it deals with web identity and federated identities but is specifically tailored for Amazon Cognito, whereas @aws-sdk/credential-provider-web-identity is more generic and can work with any OpenID Connect compatible identity provider.