Authentication and access for the AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio Code

You don't need to authenticate with AWS to start working with the AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio Code. Most AWS resources are managed through an AWS account. To access all of the AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio Code services and features, you'll need at least 2 types of account authentication:

1. Either AWS IAM or AWS IAM Identity Center (successor to AWS Single Sign-On) authentication for your AWS accounts. Most AWS services and resources accessible from the AWS Toolkit for Visual Studio Code are manged through IAM and IAM Identity Center.

2. An AWS Builder ID is required or optional for certain other AWS services.

The following topics contain additional details and set up instructions for each credential type and authentication method.

Topics

• AWS IAM Identity Center
• AWS IAM credentials
• AWS Builder ID for developers
• Using an external credential process