AWS RDS IAM Connect Proof of Concept

This guide walks through a full proof of concept for AWS RDS IAM Connect, from setup to validation. You’ll see how to configure your RDS instance, enable IAM authentication, and connect without storing static credentials. The steps are direct, reproducible, and ready to run.

1. Enable IAM Authentication in RDS
Go to your RDS instance in the AWS console. Under Modify, enable “IAM DB authentication.” Apply changes. Make sure your database engine supports IAM authentication—MySQL and PostgreSQL do.

2. Create an IAM Policy and Role
Define a policy granting rds-db:connect on your DB resource ARN. Example:

{
 "Version": "2012-10-17",
 "Statement": [
 {
 "Effect": "Allow",
 "Action": "rds-db:connect",
 "Resource": "arn:aws:rds-db:us-east-1:123456789012:dbuser:db-ABCDEFGHIJKL/master"
 }
 ]
}

Attach this policy to an IAM role or user that will run the connection.

3. Generate an IAM Auth Token
Use the AWS CLI to generate a token:

aws rds generate-db-auth-token \
 --hostname mydb.example.us-east-1.rds.amazonaws.com \
 --port 3306 \
 --username masteruser \
 --region us-east-1

This token expires in 15 minutes. The short TTL reduces exposure risk.

4. Connect to RDS Using the Token
For MySQL:

mysql \
 --host=mydb.example.us-east-1.rds.amazonaws.com \
 --port=3306 \
 --ssl-mode=REQUIRED \
 --user=masteruser \
 --password=<auth-token>

For PostgreSQL, replace with psql and matching SSL parameters.

5. Validate IAM Connection
Run a quick query and verify the connection user matches your IAM-mapped database user. If you see your expected user and role, you have successfully completed an AWS RDS IAM Connect proof of concept.

Security Benefits

• No permanent passwords in config files.
• Fine-grained access control using IAM policies.
• Automatic token expiration.

A working proof means you can extend this pattern to applications, CI pipelines, and ephemeral environments with minimal code change.

Test it now, not later. Cut the friction from secure database access. See it live in minutes with hoop.dev.