Identity & access management · AWS vs Google Cloud
AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) vs Identity and Access Management (IAM) / IAM deny policies
AWS IAM maps to Google Cloud IAM: allow policies grant predefined or custom roles to principals on resources, and deny policies set guardrails.
Side-by-side comparison
| Aspect | Amazon Web Services | Google Cloud |
|---|---|---|
| Service | AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) | Identity and Access Management (IAM) IAM deny policies |
| Lifecycle | Generally available | Generally available Generally available |
| What it is | Users, groups, roles, and JSON policies that authorize every AWS API call, with identity-based and resource-based policies, permissions boundaries, and conditions. | Allow policies that grant roles to principals on resources in the organization, folder, and project hierarchy. Guardrails that deny specific permissions to principals regardless of what allow policies grant. |
| Pricing model | IAM is free. | No charge for IAM. |
| Docs | AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) docs | Identity and Access Management (IAM) docs IAM deny policies docs |
| Pricing page | AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) pricing | — |
Key differences
- Policies attach to resources in the hierarchy (organization, folder, project, resource) and are inherited; there are no identity-based policy documents like AWS.
- User identities come from Cloud Identity, Google Workspace, or Workforce Identity Federation, not from IAM itself.
Pricing summary
Pricing models only. No prices are quoted because they change by region and over time.
- AWS
- IAM is free. AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) pricing →
- GCP
- No charge for IAM.
And on Azure?
Partial match Azure's equivalent is Microsoft Entra ID, Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC). AWS vs Azure comparison →
FAQ
What is the Google Cloud equivalent of AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)?
AWS IAM maps to Google Cloud IAM: allow policies grant predefined or custom roles to principals on resources, and deny policies set guardrails.
How does pricing compare between AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) and Identity and Access Management (IAM) and IAM deny policies?
AWS: IAM is free. Google Cloud: No charge for IAM. Check the official pricing pages for current rates.
What is the Azure equivalent?
Microsoft Entra ID and Azure role-based access control (Azure RBAC) (partial match). AWS IAM maps to two Azure services.