What is IAM Access Key?
An access key is a long-lived credential pair (access key ID and secret access key) used to authenticate programmatic requests to AWS as an IAM user.
Access keys do not expire on their own, which is exactly why they are a frequent source of compromise: a key leaked in a commit, a log, or a container image keeps working until someone disables it. Best practice is to prefer short-lived role credentials over long-lived user keys wherever possible.
When keys are unavoidable, rotate them on a schedule, scope the user tightly, and monitor last-used timestamps to deactivate keys that are no longer needed. The credential report lists every key and its age and last use.
Common mistake
Embedding a long-lived access key in code or a CI config. Use an IAM role or OIDC federation so the credential is temporary and cannot be exfiltrated as a static secret.
Related terms
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