Users, Roles & Permissions

Imagine you’re managing a company’s cloud system

Your team has:

• Developers
• Managers
• Viewers

Now imagine giving everyone full access

Developers could delete databases
Viewers could change configurations
Chaos everywhere

Instead, you assign specific access to each person

Controlled access
Secure system
No misuse

That’s where IAM (Identity and Access Management) comes in

Concept: What is IAM?

IAM (Identity and Access Management) is a system that controls:
Who can access what in your cloud environment

Users

Users are people or identities that access GCP

Examples:

• Gmail accounts
• Developers
• Admins

Roles define what actions are allowed

Types of Roles:

Permissions

Permissions are specific actions

Examples:

• Start VM
• Delete storage
• View logs

Roles are made of multiple permissions

IAM Structure

Technical Example

Grant a role to a user:

Gives read-only access

How IAM Works

1. Identify user
2. Assign role
3. Role includes permissions
4. Access is granted

Real-Life Examples

1. Development Team

• Developer → Deploy apps
• Viewer → Only view logs

2. Company System

• Admin → Full control
• Employees → Limited access

3. Banking System

• Strict role-based access
• High security

4. Startup Projects

• Separate roles for team members