How do federated identities differ from IAM users at Cloud Practitioner depth?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
An IAM user lives inside AWS's own directory. Federation means you already proved who you are to Active Directory or another IdP, and AWS trusts that handshake. Same destination (AWS access), different front door.
Full Explanation
IAM users are identities created and stored in IAM within an AWS account. Federated identities authenticate with an external IdP and then obtain AWS access (often via roles/temporary credentials) without each person needing a long-lived IAM user password. Both models can be governed with policies; they differ in where the primary identity lives.