AWS Management Console
The web interface for AWS: Console Home and unified navigation, service consoles, Regions in the console, CloudShell for a pre-authenticated command line in the browser, the Console Mobile Application, signing in securely, and when to use the console versus the CLI, SDKs, or infrastructure as code.
2 min read · Last reviewed · SAA-C03
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What it is
The AWS Management Console is the web-based application that gives centralized access to every individual AWS service console. Its home page is AWS Console Home, where you can manage applications and open any service.
Unified navigation across the top lets you:
- Search for services, features, and documentation.
- View notifications.
- Open AWS CloudShell.
- Reach account and billing information, and change console settings.
Choose the console for interactive, one-off work: exploring services, viewing dashboards, and troubleshooting. For repeatable work, use the AWS CLI, SDK (Software development kit)A set of libraries for a programming language that wraps a service's API and handles details such as signing requests and retrying. AWS SDKs exist for Python (Boto3), JavaScript, Java, Go, and other languages.Glossary entry, or AWS CloudFormation.
Features to know
- AWS RegionA separate geographic area where AWS runs its services, such as us-east-1 in Northern Virginia, made up of several Availability Zones. Most resources live in one Region; you choose Regions for latency, data residency, and the services you need.Glossary entry selector: most resources are Regional, so the console shows the resources of the selected Region. Global services, such as IAM, don't depend on it.
- AWS CloudShell: a browser-based, pre-authenticated shell launched from the console. It runs on Amazon Linux 2023, has the AWS CLI and common tools preinstalled, and uses your console credentials, so there's nothing to install or configure.
- AWS Console Mobile Application: view resources, alarms, and health events, and perform some actions, from a phone.
- Signing in: the root user signs in with the account email address. IAM users sign in with the account ID or alias. IAM Identity Center users sign in through their access portal. Use MFA (Multi-factor authentication)Signing in with two or more different kinds of proof, such as a password plus a code from a phone app or a security key. AWS recommends MFA for the root user and for every human user.Glossary entry for every human user.
Security and cost
- Everything done in the console is an API (Application programming interface)A defined way for one program to ask another for data or actions, such as a set of HTTPS requests and responses. Every AWS service is controlled through its API, which the console, the CLI, and the SDKs call for you.Glossary entry call, so CloudTrail records it.
- Grant console access with IAM Identity Center or federation instead of long-term IAM users where possible, and protect the root user with MFA.
- The console has no charge; CloudShell has no additional charge, and you pay only for the AWS resources you use.
Console, CLI, SDK, or IaC?
| If the requirement is | Choose |
|---|---|
| Explore, view dashboards, or make a one-off change | AWS Management Console |
| Run AWS commands in the browser without installing anything | AWS CloudShell |
| Script and automate commands from a terminal | AWS CLI |
| Call AWS from application code | AWS SDKs |
| Repeatable, reviewable infrastructure | AWS CloudFormation or AWS CDK |
Reverse mindmap: when the question points here
- Yes, when the question says
- Web interface for AWS services leads to Management Console
- Interactive, one-off administration leads to Management Console
- Command line in the browser, nothing to install leads to CloudShell
- Check alarms from a phone leads to Console Mobile Application
- No, when the question says
- Automate or script tasks leads to AWS CLI or SDKs
- Repeatable infrastructure leads to CloudFormation
Key takeaways
- The Management Console is the web interface to all AWS services, starting at Console Home.
- Most resources are Regional; check the Region selector.
- CloudShell is a pre-authenticated browser shell with the CLI preinstalled, at no additional charge.
- Console actions are API calls recorded by CloudTrail; use MFA and IAM Identity Center for sign-in.