CIAM，即客户身份和访问管理（Customer Identity and Access Management）

互联网产品通常拥有多种业务形态，例如 APP、小程序、Web 端等。如今，大多数产品已经实现了账号体系的打通，用户可以在不同平台上使用同一账号自由切换。但在出海背景下，这一问题会变得更加复杂，尤其对于某些行业的特定场景，还会面临跨区域账号管理的挑战。

此外，如果不同区域的账号体系未进行有效隔离，各区域的独立经营单元可能会看到所有会员的完整数据，这不仅可能违反当地的数据隐私法规（如 GDPR、CCPA 、14117等），还会导致数据管理复杂化，甚至引发内部数据安全隐患。因此，如何搭建一个全球统一、同时具备数据分区能力的 Identity 体系，成为许多企业在全球化过程中必须面对的核心问题。

Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) 是一个能让企业安全地获取和管理客户身份和个人资料数据的系统。它提供用户注册、身份验证、授权和身份数据存储功能。主要功能包括

• 用户注册和登录: Enables seamless user onboarding and login processes with options for social sign-on.

• Authentication: Supports multi-factor authentication (MFA) for enhanced security.

• Authorization: Manages user permissions and access control based on role or context.

• Profile Management: Allows users to maintain their personal and preference information.

• Privacy and Consent Management: Handles user consent regarding data usage and ensures compliance with privacy regulations.

CIAM 解决方案旨在增强用户体验，同时保持较高的安全性和合规性标准。

Build CIAM solutions, Amazon Cognito and Amazon Verified Permissions

Building a Customer Identity and Access Management (CIAM) solution with Amazon Cognito and Amazon Verified Permissions involves several key steps. Cognito handles user authentication and authorization at a high level, while Verified Permissions provides fine-grained authorization control within your applications.

Here's a breakdown of how to build such a solution:

1. User Management with Amazon Cognito:

• Set up a Cognito User Pool: Create a user pool in the AWS Management Console or using the AWS CLI. This will be your central repository for user information (username, password, attributes). Configure sign-up and sign-in options (e.g., email verification, password policies).

• Federated Identities (Optional): Allow users to sign in using existing accounts from social providers (like Google, Facebook) or enterprise identity providers (using SAML or OpenID Connect).

• User Attributes: Define custom attributes to store additional user information relevant to your application (e.g., roles, department, subscription level).

• App Client: Create an app client within your Cognito user pool. This client will be used by your application to interact with the user pool. Note the client ID; you'll need it for your application code.

2. Fine-Grained Authorization with Amazon Verified Permissions:

• Define Permissions: Use Amazon Verified Permissions to define the permissions users need to access specific resources or functionalities within your application. These permissions are expressed as policies. You can create these policies using the AWS Management Console or the AWS CLI.

• Policy Templates (Recommended): Create reusable policy templates to define common permission sets. This helps maintain consistency and simplifies management.

• Policy Store: Create a policy store to manage your policies centrally. This provides a single location to define, update, and manage all your permissions.

• Resource-Based Policies (Optional): For resources outside your application (like S3 buckets or DynamoDB tables), you might need to use resource-based policies in addition to Verified Permissions policies.

3. Application Integration:

• Frontend (e.g., React, Angular, etc.): Your frontend application will use the Cognito SDK (AWS Amplify is a good option) to handle user authentication and authorization. After successful authentication, the SDK will provide user tokens.

• Backend (e.g., Node.js, Python, etc.): Your backend will verify the tokens received from the frontend using the Cognito SDK. It will then use the Verified Permissions SDK to check if the authenticated user has the necessary permissions to access the requested resources or perform specific actions.

• API Gateway (Recommended): Use API Gateway to secure your backend APIs. Configure API Gateway to authorize requests based on the Cognito JWT (JSON Web Token) and Verified Permissions policies.

4. Code Example (Conceptual):

This is a simplified example to illustrate the flow. The actual implementation will depend on your chosen technologies and specific requirements.

// Frontend (using AWS Amplify)
const authData = await Auth.signIn(username, password);
const token = authData.signInUserSession.idToken.jwtToken;

// Backend (using AWS SDK for JavaScript)
const jwtToken = req.headers.authorization.split(' ')[1]; // Extract JWT from header
const verifiedPermissions = new VerifiedPermissionsClient({ region: 'YOUR_REGION' });

try {
  const response = await verifiedPermissions.checkPermissions({
    policyStoreId: 'YOUR_POLICY_STORE_ID',
    policyId: 'YOUR_POLICY_ID', // Policy for accessing specific resource
    principalArn: `arn:aws:iam::${cognitoSub}:user/${cognitoSub}`, // Cognito user ARN
    token: jwtToken,
  });

  if (response.permissions.length > 0) {
    // User has permission, proceed with the request
  } else {
    // User does not have permission, return an error
  }
} catch (error) {
  // Handle errors
}

Key Considerations:

• Error Handling: Implement robust error handling to manage authentication and authorization failures gracefully.

• Security: Follow AWS security best practices to protect your user data and API keys.

• Scalability: Design your solution to scale efficiently to handle a large number of users and requests.

• Monitoring: Monitor your Cognito user pool and Verified Permissions policies to ensure they are functioning correctly.

This detailed outline provides a comprehensive approach to building a CIAM solution using Cognito and Verified Permissions. Remember to consult the official AWS documentation for the most up-to-date information and best practices. The specific implementation details will vary based on your application's architecture and technology stack.