Aws / Describe Iam Policy
Describe Iam Policy
Describes a specified IAM policy.
aws iam get-policy --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/<policy_name>aws iam get-policy --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/<policy_name>#!/bin/bash
# Describe Iam Policy
aws iam get-policy --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/{{policy_name}}import subprocess
# Describe Iam Policy
# Make sure to replace <placeholders> with actual values
def run_command():
cmd = [
"aws",
"iam",
"get-policy",
"--policy-arn",
"arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/<policy_name>"
]
try:
print(f"Executing: {' '.join(cmd)}")
subprocess.run(cmd, check=True)
except subprocess.CalledProcessError as e:
print(f"Error: {e}")
except FileNotFoundError:
print("Error: aws not found. Please install it first.")
if __name__ == "__main__":
run_command()When To Use
When needing to understand permissions and rules defined by a specific IAM policy.
Pro Tip
Review `Policy` JSON for any potential security vulnerabilities or overly permissive settings.
Command Builder
Tune the command before you copy it
aws iam get-policy --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/<policy_name> Terminal Output
Expected runtime feedback
Policy
----------------------------------
Policy Name : {{policy_name}}
Policy Id : ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP
Default Version Id : v1
Attachment Count : 5
Create Date : 2021-01-01T12:00:00Z
Update Date : 2023-01-01T12:00:00Z
Permissions : {"Version":"2012-10-17","Statement":[{"Effect":"Allow","Action":"s3:*","Resource":"*"}]}Anatomy of Output
Understanding the result
PolicyName: ExamplePolicy Policy Title The display name of the IAM policy.
PolicyId: p-EXAMPLEID Policy Identifier Unique identifier for the IAM policy.
CreateDate: 2023-02-20T10:00:00Z Creation Date Indicates when the policy was first created.
Power User Variants
Optimized versions
aws iam get-policy --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/ExamplePolicy --query 'Policy.DefaultVersionId' Retrieve the default version ID of the policy.
aws iam get-policy --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/ExamplePolicy --output json Formats the output to JSON for easier reading.
aws iam get-policy --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/ExamplePolicy --profile specific-profile Uses a designated profile when describing the policy.
Troubleshooting
Common pitfalls
An error occurred (NoSuchEntity) when calling the GetPolicy operation: The specified policy does not exist.
Solution: Check the policy name and confirm it matches an existing policy in your account.
An error occurred (AccessDenied) when calling the GetPolicy operation: User does not have permission to perform this operation.
Solution: Review IAM permissions, ensuring the user has access to describe policies.
An error occurred (ServiceFailure) when calling the GetPolicy operation: Internal error occurred with the service.
Solution: Retry the command; this might be due to temporary issues with AWS.
Command Breakdown
What each part is doing
-
aws - Base Command
- The executable that performs this operation. Here it runs Aws before the shell applies any redirect operators.
-
<policy_name> - policy name
- The value supplied for policy name.
-
--policy-arn - Command Option
- Tool-specific option used by this command invocation.
How To Run
Execution path
- Step 1
Run the command: aws iam get-policy --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/{{policy_name}}
- Step 2
Verify the output to understand the IAM policy details and permissions.
Alternative Approaches
Comparable commands in other tools
Alternative security tools for the same job.