When you call API operations to manage cloud resources by using Alibaba Cloud SDKs, you must configure valid credential information. The Alibaba Cloud Credentials tool provides a powerful set of features that allow you to easily obtain and manage access credentials. This topic describes how to use the Credentials tool to configure various types of credentials such as the default credential, AccessKey pairs, or Security Token Service (STS) tokens. This topic also describes the order based on which the Credentials tool obtains the default credential. You can develop a thorough knowledge of configuring and managing credentials in Alibaba Cloud SDKs. This ensures that your operations on cloud resources are efficient and secure.
Background information
A credential is a set of information that is used to prove the identity of a user. When you log on to the system, you must use a valid credential to complete identity authentication. The following types of credentials are commonly used:
An AccessKey pair of an Alibaba Cloud account or a Resource Access Management (RAM) user. An AccessKey pair is permanently valid. It consists of an AccessKey ID and an AccessKey secret.
An STS token of a RAM role. An STS token is a temporary credential. You can specify a validity period and access permissions for an STS token. For more information, see What is STS?
A bearer token. It is used for identity authentication and authorization.
Prerequisites
Python 3.0 or later is installed.
Alibaba Cloud SDK V2.0 is installed.
The in-house SDKs of services that use self-managed gateways are not installed.
Install the Credentials tool
We recommend that you use pip
to install Alibaba Cloud Credentials for Python. Make sure that you have installed pip
. For more information, see pip documentation.
pip install alibabacloud_credentials
We recommend that you use the latest version of Alibaba Cloud Credentials for Python.
For information about all released versions of Alibaba Cloud Credentials for Python, see ChangeLog.md.
Initialize a Credentials client
You can use one of the following methods to initialize a Credentials client based on your business requirements:
Method 1: Use the default credential provider chain
If you do not specify a method to initialize a Credentials client, the default credential provider chain is used. For more information, see the Default credential provider chain section of this topic.
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client as CredClient
from alibabacloud_tea_rpc.models import Config
# Do not specify a method to initialize a Credentials client.
credentialsClient = CredClient()
config = Config(credential=credentialsClient)
Call example
Method 2: Use an AccessKey pair
You can create an AccessKey pair that is used to call API operations for your Alibaba Cloud account or a RAM user. For more information, see Create an AccessKey pair. Then, you can use the AccessKey pair to initialize a Credentials client.
An Alibaba Cloud account has full access to all resources of the account. AccessKey pair leaks of an Alibaba Cloud account pose critical threats to the system.
Therefore, we recommend that you use an AccessKey pair of a RAM user that is granted minimum necessary permissions to initialize a Credentials client.
import os
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client
from alibabacloud_credentials.models import Config
config = Config(
type='access_key',
access_key_id=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID'),
access_key_secret=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET'),
)
cred = Client(config)
Call example
Method 3: Use an STS token
You can call the AssumeRole operation of STS as a RAM user to obtain an STS token. You can specify the maximum validity period of the STS token. The following sample code provides an example on how to initialize a Credentials client by using an STS token. The example does not show how to obtain an STS token.
{
"RequestId": "EA7A3526-F7DB-54A5-8300-9B742CFAA5EA",
"AssumedRoleUser": {
"Arn": "acs:ram::125499367423****:role/STStokenTestRole/STSsessionName",
"AssumedRoleId": "35219123109646****:STSsessionName"
},
"Credentials": {
"SecurityToken": "exampleToken",
"AccessKeyId": "STS.exampleAccessKeyID",
"AccessKeySecret": "exampleAccessKeySecret",
"Expiration": "2023-03-26T05:26:06Z"
}
}
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client
from alibabacloud_credentials.models import Config
config = Config(
type='sts',
# Replace <ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID> with the temporary AccessKey ID that is obtained from the response to the AssumeRole operation.
access_key_id='<ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID>',
# Replace <ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET> with the temporary AccessKey secret that is obtained from the response to the AssumeRole operation.
access_key_secret='<ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET>',
# Replace <ALIBABA_CLOUD_SECURITY_TOKEN> with the STS token that is obtained from the response to the AssumeRole operation.
security_token='<security_token>'
)
credClient = Client(config)
Call example
Method 4: Use an AccessKey pair and a RAM role
The underlying logic of this method is to use an STS token to initialize a Credentials client. After you specify the ARN of a RAM role, the Credentials tool can obtain an STS token from STS. You can also use the policy
parameter to limit the permissions of the RAM role.
import os
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client as CredClient
from alibabacloud_credentials.models import Config as CredConfig
credentialsConfig = CredConfig(
access_key_id=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID'),
access_key_secret=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET'),
type='ram_role_arn',
# Specify the ARN of the RAM role to be assumed. Example: acs:ram::123456789012****:role/adminrole.
role_arn='<RoleArn>',
# Specify the name of the role session.
role_session_name='<RoleSessionName>',
# Optional. Specify limited permissions for the RAM role. Example: {"Statement": [{"Action": ["*"],"Effect": "Allow","Resource": ["*"]}],"Version":"1"}.
policy='<Policy>',
role_session_expiration=3600
)
credentialsClient = CredClient(credentialsConfig)
Call example
Method 5: Use the RAM role of an ECS instance and access the metadata of the ECS instance in normal mode
The underlying logic of this method is to use an STS token to initialize a Credentials client. The Credentials tool automatically obtains the RAM role attached to an ECS instance and uses the metadata server of ECS to obtain an STS token. The STS token is then used to initialize a Credentials client. You can also attach a RAM role to an elastic container instance or a worker node in an Alibaba Cloud Container Service for Kubernetes (ACK) cluster.
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client as CredClient
from alibabacloud_credentials.models import Config as CredConfig
credentialsConfigig = CredConfig(
type='ecs_ram_role',
# Optional. Specify the name of the RAM role of the ECS instance. If you do not specify this parameter, its value is automatically obtained. To reduce the number of requests, we recommend that you specify this parameter.
role_name='<RoleName>'
)
credentialsClient = CredClient(CredConfig)
Call example
Method 6: Use the RAM role of an ECS instance and access the metadata of the ECS instance in security hardening mode
You can access the metadata of an ECS instance in security hardening mode and obtain the initial credential of the RAM role that is attached to the ECS instance. Compared with the normal mode, the security hardening mode implements the following security logic that is more rigorous: First, a token that has a validity period is automatically generated inside the ECS instance. Then, this token is used as a credential to request an STS token from the metadata server. These operations also constitute the secure initialization process of a Credentials client.
In security hardening mode, the token generated inside the ECS instance is dynamic and has a validity period. In this case, external attackers cannot illegally access the metadata server by predicting or forging a token. This effectively prevents network security risks such as server-side request forgery (SSRF). The security hardening mode not only adds an extra layer of protection to identity verification, but also significantly improves the security of the overall system. This mode ensures the secure access to and management of cloud resources.
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client
from alibabacloud_credentials.models import Config
credConfig = Config(
type='ecs_ram_role', # credential type
role_name='roleName', # `role_name` is optional. It will be retrieved automatically if not set. It is highly recommended to set it up to reduce requests.
enable_imds_v2=True # `enable_imds_v2` is optional and is recommended to be turned on. It can be replaced by setting environment variable: ALIBABA_CLOUD_ECS_IMDSV2_ENABLE
)
credClient = Client(credConfig)
access_key_id = credClient.get_access_key_id()
access_key_secret = credClient.get_access_key_secret()
security_token = credClient.get_security_token()
cred_type = credClient.get_type()
The default value of the
enable_imds_v2
parameter isFalse
, which specifies that the metadata of the ECS instance is accessed in normal mode.If you want to access the metadata of the ECS instance in security hardening mode, set the
enable_imds_v2
parameter toTrue
.
Call example
The following sample code provides an example on how to call the DescribeRegions operation of ECS. Before you call this operation, you must install ECS SDK for Python.
# Import a Credentials client and create an alias for it.
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client as CredClient
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Config as CredConfig
# Import an ECS SDK client and create an alias for it.
from alibabacloud_ecs20140526.client import Client as EcsClient
# Initiate a request to call the DescribeRegions operation of ECS.
from alibabacloud_ecs20140526.models import DescribeRegionsRequest
# Import the core Alibaba Cloud SDK package.
from alibabacloud_tea_openapi.models import Config
from alibabacloud_tea_util.models import RuntimeOptions
# Use the RAM role of an ECS instance to initialize the Credentials client.
credentialsConfig = CredConfig(
type='ecs_ram_role', # Specify the type of the credential.
role_name='<ecs_ram_role_name>', # Specify the name of the RAM role that is attached to the ECS instance. We recommend that you specify this parameter.
enable_imds_v2=True # Set this parameter to True to access the metadata of the ECS instance in security hardening mode.
)
credentialsClient = CredClient(credentialsConfig)
ecsConfig = Config(credential=credentialsClient)
# Specify the endpoint of ECS.
ecsConfig.endpoint = 'ecs.aliyuncs.com'
# Use the Credentials client to initialize the ECS SDK client.
ecsClient = EcsClient(ecsConfig)
# Initialize the request to call the DescribeRegions operation.
request = DescribeRegionsRequest()
# Initialize the runtime configurations.
runtime_options = RuntimeOptions()
# Call the DescribeRegions operation and obtain a response.
response = ecsClient.describe_regions_with_options(request, runtime_options)
print(response.to_map())
Method 7: Use the RAM role of an OIDC IdP
After you attach a RAM role to a worker node in an ACK cluster, applications in the pods on the worker node can use the metadata server to obtain an STS token the same way in which applications on ECS instances do. However, if an untrusted application is deployed on the worker node, such as an application that is submitted by your customer and whose code is unavailable to you, you may not want the application to use the metadata server to obtain an STS token of the RAM role attached to the worker node. To ensure the security of cloud resources and enable untrusted applications to securely obtain required STS tokens, you can use the RAM Roles for Service Accounts (RRSA) feature to grant minimum necessary permissions to an application. In this case, the ACK cluster creates a service account OpenID Connect (OIDC) token file, associates the token file with a pod, and then injects relevant environment variables into the pod. Then, the Credentials tool uses the environment variables to call the AssumeRoleWithOIDC operation of STS and obtains an STS token of the RAM role. For more information about the RRSA feature, see Use RRSA to authorize different pods to access different cloud services.
The following environment variables are injected into the pod:
ALIBABA_CLOUD_ROLE_ARN: the ARN of the RAM role.
ALIBABA_CLOUD_OIDC_PROVIDER_ARN: the ARN of the OIDC identity provider (IdP).
ALIBABA_CLOUD_OIDC_TOKEN_FILE: the path of the OIDC token file.
import os
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client
from alibabacloud_credentials.models import Config
config = Config(
type='oidc_role_arn',
access_key_id=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID'),
access_key_secret=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET'),
security_token=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_SECURITY_TOKEN'),
role_arn=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_ROLE_ARN'),
oidc_provider_arn=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_OIDC_PROVIDER_ARN'),
oidc_token_file_path=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_OIDC_TOKEN_FILE'),
# Specify the name of the role session.
role_session_name='<RoleSessionName>',
# Optional. Specify limited permissions for the RAM role. Example: {"Statement": [{"Action": ["*"],"Effect": "Allow","Resource": ["*"]}],"Version":"1"}.
policy='<Policy>',
# Specify the validity period of the session.
role_session_expiration=3600
)
cred = Client(config)
access_key_id = cred.get_access_key_id()
access_key_secret = cred.get_access_key_secret()
security_token = cred.get_security_token()
cred_type = cred.get_type()
Call example
Method 8: Use a URI
The underlying logic of this method is to use an STS token to initialize a Credentials client. The Credentials tool uses the uniform resource identifier (URI) that you provide to obtain an STS token. The STS token is then used to initialize a Credentials client.
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client
from alibabacloud_credentials.models import Config
config = Config(
type='credentials_uri',
# Specify the URI of the credential, in the format of http://local_or_remote_uri/.
credentials_uri='<local_or_remote_uri>',
)
cred = Client(config)
access_key_id = cred.get_access_key_id()
access_key_secret = cred.get_access_key_secret()
security_token = cred.get_security_token()
cred_type = cred.get_type()
Call example
Method 9: Use a bearer token
Only Cloud Call Center allows you to use a bearer token to initialize a Credentials client.
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client
from alibabacloud_credentials.models import Config
config = Config(
type='bearer',
# Enter the bearer token.
bearer_token='<BearerToken>',
)
cred = Client(config)
access_key_id = cred.get_access_key_id()
access_key_secret = cred.get_access_key_secret()
security_token = cred.get_security_token()
cred_type = cred.get_type()
Call example
Default credential provider chain
If you want to use different types of credentials in the development and production environments of your application, you generally need to obtain the environment information from the code and write code branches to obtain different credentials for the development and production environments. The default credential provider chain of the Credentials tool allows you to use the same code to obtain credentials for different environments based on configurations independent of the application. If you use cred = CredClient()
to initialize a Credentials client without specifying an initialization method, the Credentials tool obtains the credential information in the following order:
1. Obtain the credential information from environment variables
The Credentials tool first obtains the credential information from environment variables. If the ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID (AccessKey ID) and ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET (AccessKey secret) system environment variables are specified, the Credentials tool uses the specified AccessKey pair as the default credential.
2. Obtain the credential information by using the RAM role of an OIDC IdP
If no credentials are found in the previous step, the Credentials tool obtains the values of the following environment variables:
ALIBABA_CLOUD_ROLE_ARN: the ARN of the RAM role.
ALIBABA_CLOUD_OIDC_PROVIDER_ARN: the ARN of the OIDC IdP.
ALIBABA_CLOUD_OIDC_TOKEN_FILE: the path of the OIDC token file.
If the preceding three environment variables are specified, the Credentials tool uses the environment variables to call the AssumeRoleWithOIDC operation of STS to obtain an STS token as the default credential.
3. Obtain the credential information from a configuration file
If no credentials are found in the previous step, the Credentials tool obtains the credential information from a configuration file. The path of the configuration file varies based on the operating system:
Linux: ~/.alibabacloud/credentials.ini
Windows: C:\Users\USER_NAME\.alibabacloud\credentials.ini
You can also specify the configuration file path by configuring the ALIBABA_CLOUD_CREDENTIALS_FILE environment variable. If the configuration file exists, the application initializes a Credentials client by using the credential information that is specified by default in the configuration file. You can also configure the ALIBABA_CLOUD_PROFILE environment variable to modify the default credential information that is read.
[default]
enable = true
type = access_key
access_key_id = foo
access_key_secret = bar
[client1]
type = ecs_ram_role
role_name = EcsRamRoleTest
[client2]
enable = false
type = ram_role_arn
region_id = cn-test
policy = test
access_key_id = foo
access_key_secret = bar
role_arn = role_arn
role_session_name = session_name
[client3]
type = rsa_key_pair
public_key_id = publicKeyId
private_key_file = /your/pk.pem
[client4]
enable = false
type = oidc_role_arn
region_id = cn-test
policy = test
access_key_id = foo
access_key_secret = bar
role_arn = role_arn
oidc_provider_arn = oidc_provider_arn
oidc_token_file_path = /xxx/xxx
role_session_name = session_name
4. Obtain the credential information by using the RAM role of an ECS instance
If no credentials are found in the previous step, the Credentials tool obtains the value of the ALIBABA_CLOUD_ECS_METADATA environment variable that specifies the RAM role name of an ECS instance. If the RAM role exists, the application obtains an STS token of the RAM role as the default credential by using the metadata server of ECS.
5. Obtain the credential information based on a URI
If no credentials are found in the previous step, the Credentials tool obtains the value of the ALIBABA_CLOUD_CREDENTIALS_URI environment variable. If the environment variable is specified, the application sets the value as the URI based on which the Credentials tool obtains a temporary security credential.
Protect credential information
Credential leaks may expose the system to attacks. This is one of the main threats to cloud services. To prevent the leaks of plaintext credential information and reduce security risks, you can use the following solutions:
We recommend that you use the RAM role of an ECS instance or an STS token.
We recommend that you use the default credential provider chain and record the credential information in environment variables or a configuration file.
To use an explicit initialization method to initialize a Credentials client, we recommend that you use system properties or environment variables to record the credential information and obtain the credential information by using the
os.getenv
oros.environ.get
method.
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client
from alibabacloud_credentials.models import Config
import os
config = Config(
type='access_key',
access_key_id=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID'),
access_key_secret=os.environ.get('ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET'),
)
cred = Client(config)
access_key_id = cred.get_access_key_id()
access_key_secret = cred.get_access_key_secret()
cred_type = cred.get_type()
Switch between credentials
You can use the following method to use different credentials to call different API operations in your application:
Use multiple Credentials clients
Initialize multiple Credentials clients to pass different credentials to different request clients.
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client
from alibabacloud_credentials.models import Config
config1 = Config(
type='access_key',
access_key_id='<ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID>',
access_key_secret='<ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET>',
)
cred1 = Client(config1)
config2 = Config(
type='access_key',
access_key_id='<ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID>',
access_key_secret='<ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET>',
)
cred2 = Client(config2)
Use the AuthUtils class
If you initialize a Credentials client by using the credential information recorded in a configuration file, you can use the auth_util.client_type
parameter to switch between different credentials.
[default]
enable=true
type=access_key
access_key_id=<ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID>
access_key_secret=<ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET>
[client1]
enable=true
type=sts
access_key_id=<ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_ID>
access_key_secret=<ALIBABA_CLOUD_ACCESS_KEY_SECRET>
security_token=<security_token>
[client2]
enable=true
type=ecs_ram_role
role_name=<ecs_ram_role_name>
Sample code:
from alibabacloud_credentials.utils import auth_util
from alibabacloud_credentials.client import Client
# If you do not specify the clientType property of the AuthUtils class, default is used.
credentialClient = Client()
# Switch to the client1 credential.
auth_util.client_type="client1"
credentialClient1 = Client()
# Switch to the client2 credential.
auth_util.client_type="client2"
credentialClient2 = Client()