Final answer:
To provide permissions to containers on ECS, it's best practice to use IAM roles, specifically the ECS Task Role for container permissions and the ECS Task Execution Role for ECS agent and Docker daemon actions. Policies should be configured based on the principle of least privilege and assigned to tasks in the ECS task definition.
Step-by-step explanation:
The most effective practice for providing permissions to running containers in Amazon ECS (Elastic Container Service) is by using AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) roles. IAM roles allow you to set up permission policies that dictate what actions are allowed or denied for your containers and their underlying tasks or services. If the ECS Task Role is leveraged effectively, it ensures that each container has only the permissions it needs to perform its designated tasks, thus adhering to the principle of least privilege.
There are two main types of IAM roles relevant to ECS:
- ECS Task Role: This role is assigned to an ECS task, granting the containers in that task the permissions needed to interact with AWS services.
- ECS Task Execution Role: This role provides the ECS agent and Docker daemon the necessary permissions to pull container images and manage log data. It is separate from the Task Role and should also be limited according to the principle of least privilege.
To implement IAM roles for ECS tasks, you should:
- Create an IAM policy that defines the required permissions for your container.
- Create an IAM role and attach the policy to that role.
- Specify the role in your ECS task definition so that containers in that task assume the role at launch.
The use of IAM roles not only enhances the security of your container environments but also simplifies the management of credentials for applications running on ECS, as the need to manage long-term credentials within the containers is eliminated.