AWS Config for compliance

AWS Config is a service that delivers an all-encompassing perspective on your AWS resource inventory, configuration history, and change alerts, facilitating security and governance. With this service, you can evaluate, audit, and examine the configurations of your AWS resources. AWS Config enables continuous monitoring of resource configuration modifications, providing notifications when alterations occur, which helps ensure adherence to internal protocols and regulatory requirements. The service also offers a detailed history of changes made to your resources, allowing you to identify the origin of a modification and comprehend its impact on your environment. AWS Config supports a variety of resource types, such as EC2 instances, RDS databases, Lambda functions, and more. Additionally, it integrates with other AWS offerings like Amazon S3, Amazon CloudWatch, and Amazon SNS, delivering a centralized overview of your AWS landscape.

‍

The expenses associated with using Config are contingent on the quantity and kind of AWS resources being monitored, the number of configuration items documented, and the volume of data stored. Configuration recording charges depend on the number of configuration items logged and the number of configuration alterations documented. Data storage charges arise from the amount of data held within the AWS Config service.

Direct Costs include:

• Per Configuration Item recorded in a region
• For the first 100,000 evaluations in a region

‍

To enable AWS Config, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the AWS Management Console: Go to https://aws.amazon.com/ and sign in with your AWS credentials.
2. Open the AWS Config console: Once logged in, find the AWS Config service by typing "Config" in the "Find Services" search bar, then click on "AWS Config" from the search results.
3. Set up AWS Config: In the AWS Config console, click the "Get started" button. You'll be taken to the "Settings" page.
4. Configure settings:
5. Resource types to record: Choose "All resources" to record all supported resource types, or select "Specific types" to specify the resources you want to monitor.
6. Amazon S3 bucket: Choose an existing S3 bucket or create a new one to store your configuration history files and snapshot files.
7. Amazon SNS topic: Select an existing SNS topic or create a new one to receive notifications when your resources' configurations change.
8. AWS Config role: Choose an existing IAM role for AWS Config to use, or let the service create a new role (called "config-role") with the necessary permissions.
9. Enable AWS Config: Review your settings, and click the "Confirm" button to enable AWS Config. The service will start monitoring and recording the configurations of the specified resources.

‍