All 7 AWS Free Tier & Account Setup questions
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AWS › AWS Free Tier & Account Setup

What are the essential steps for securely setting up a new AWS account for the first time?

Beginner

Answer

Essential first steps include enabling multi factor authentication on the root account, creating an individual IAM user with administrative permissions for daily use rather than continuing to use the root account, setting up a billing alert to catch unexpected charges early, and reviewing the account's default region and basic security settings, all of which establish a solid security foundation before beginning any actual development work.
aws iam create-user --user-name admin-user
aws iam attach-user-policy --user-name admin-user --policy-arn arn:aws:iam::aws:policy/AdministratorAccess
Real-world example A new AWS customer immediately enables multi factor authentication on their root account and creates a separate IAM administrator user for everyday tasks, following security best practices from the very first day rather than continuing to use the root account directly.

Common follow-ups: Why is it considered a bad practice to use the root account for everyday tasks?;What is the difference between multi factor authentication using a virtual device versus a hardware key?

IAM;AWS Cost Management & Billing
All 7 AWS Free Tier & Account Setup questions