Identity & access management
IAM Roles Anywhere / AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) vs Microsoft Entra workload identity federation
IAM Roles Anywhere (X.509 certificates) and IAM OIDC identity providers map to Microsoft Entra workload identity federation, which trusts OIDC tokens from external issuers such as GitHub Actions, Kubernetes, Google, or AWS.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Microsoft Azure |
|---|---|---|
| Service | IAM Roles Anywhere AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) | Microsoft Entra workload identity federation |
| Lifecycle | Generally available Generally available | Generally available |
| What it is | Lets workloads outside AWS get temporary AWS credentials by presenting X.509 certificates from a CA you register as a trust anchor. Users, groups, roles, and JSON policies that authorize every AWS API call, with identity-based and resource-based policies, permissions boundaries, and conditions. | Lets an app registration or user-assigned managed identity trust tokens from external IdPs (GitHub Actions, Kubernetes, Google, AWS, other OIDC issuers) instead of using secrets. |
| Pricing model | IAM and Roles Anywhere are free (Private CA, if used, is billed). | Free. |
| Docs | IAM Roles Anywhere docs AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) docs | Microsoft Entra workload identity federation docs |
| Pricing page | IAM Roles Anywhere pricing AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) pricing | Microsoft Entra workload identity federation pricing |
| Exams | SCS-C03 DOP-C02 | SC-300 AZ-400 |
Key differences
- Trust type. Roles Anywhere trusts certificates from a CA you register. Entra workload identity federation trusts OIDC tokens. For certificate-based workloads on Azure, use app registrations with certificate credentials, or Azure Arc-enabled servers with managed identities for on-premises machines.
- Cross-cloud. To call Azure from AWS, Microsoft documents exchanging an AWS-issued OIDC token (for example, through Cognito) for an Entra token. To call AWS from Azure, configure Entra ID as an IAM OIDC provider.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- IAM and Roles Anywhere are free (Private CA, if used, is billed). IAM Roles Anywhere pricing → AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) pricing →
Certification exam mapping
| Exam | Provider | Level | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| AWS Certified Security – Specialty SCS-C03 | AWS | Specialty | current The current code (SCS-C03) is taken from the exam-prep link on the official certification page. Simplified Chinese, Spanish (Latin America), and Portuguese (Brazil) versions retire after Dec 31, 2026. |
| AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional DOP-C02 | AWS | Professional | current Korean version retires after Dec 31, 2026. |
| Microsoft Certified – Identity and Access Administrator Associate SC-300 | Azure | Associate | current English version will be updated on Oct 28, 2026. |
| Microsoft Certified – DevOps Engineer Expert AZ-400 | Azure | Expert | current A new Agentic DevOps Engineer Expert certification (exam AZ-401) is in beta. |
Relevance is based on each exam's published scope, not a line-by-line objective match. Check the official study guide.
FAQ
What is the Azure equivalent of IAM Roles Anywhere and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)?
IAM Roles Anywhere (X.509 certificates) and IAM OIDC identity providers map to Microsoft Entra workload identity federation, which trusts OIDC tokens from external issuers such as GitHub Actions, Kubernetes, Google, or AWS.
How does pricing compare between IAM Roles Anywhere and AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Microsoft Entra workload identity federation?
AWS: IAM and Roles Anywhere are free (Private CA, if used, is billed). Azure: Free. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
Which certification exams cover this topic?
AWS Certified Security – Specialty (SCS-C03); AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (DOP-C02); Microsoft Certified – Identity and Access Administrator Associate (SC-300); Microsoft Certified – DevOps Engineer Expert (AZ-400).