Convera's Fine-Grained API Auth with AWS Verified Permissions

Deep Dive: Authorization Architectures

The Convera case study on AWS Verified Permissions is a valuable deep dive into implementing fine-grained authorization. The article's strength lies in its practical walkthrough, detailing the integration of Verified Permissions with other AWS services like Cognito, API Gateway, and RDS. The architectural diagrams are clear and helpful, showcasing the flow of requests and authorization decisions. The use of Cedar policy language and the examples provided offer a concrete understanding of how to define and manage access control rules. The emphasis on performance, with sub-millisecond response times, is a key selling point, especially for financial applications. However, the article could benefit from a more in-depth discussion of the potential complexities of Cedar policy design and debugging, as well as the operational overhead of managing a large number of policies. A comparison with alternative authorization methods or open-source solutions would also enrich the analysis.

Key Points

• Convera implemented fine-grained API authorization using Amazon Verified Permissions to protect sensitive financial data.
• The solution leverages Cedar policy language for flexible rule definition and integrates with AWS services like Cognito and API Gateway.
• The architecture covers multiple use cases: customer access, internal user access, and service-to-service communication, including multi-tenancy controls.
• Convera achieved sub-millisecond authorization response times through a two-level caching system (API Gateway and application level).
• The article highlights the benefits: enhanced security, improved scalability, and increased operational efficiency.

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📖 Source: How Convera built fine-grained API authorization with Amazon Verified Permissions