AWS Config

AWS Config manages maintaining visibility and control over the configurations of AWS resources, which is essential for ensuring compliance, security, and operational integrity in dynamic cloud environments.

Technically, AWS Config operates by recording and evaluating the configurations of your AWS resources. It uses a Configuration Recorder to capture the configurations of supported resources, storing them as Configuration Items (CIs) that include detailed information such as resource relationships, configuration data, and metadata. This data is then used to create a comprehensive configuration history and snapshot, allowing you to track changes over time and assess how resources were configured at any given point.

The service enables you to define Config Rules, which are used to evaluate resource configurations against desired states. These rules can be managed by AWS or custom-defined, and they can trigger notifications and remediation actions through Amazon SNS and other integrated services. For example, you can set up rules to ensure that Amazon RDS instances have backups enabled or that Amazon EBS volumes are encrypted.

Operationally, setting up AWS Config involves specifying the resource types to record, configuring an Amazon S3 bucket for storing configuration data, and optionally setting up notifications via Amazon SNS. There are limitations to consider, such as potential delays in recording resources and the need to manage the volume of configuration items to avoid excessive costs. Additionally, AWS Config has service limits on the number of rules and resources that can be managed per account.

From a technical standpoint, AWS Config integrates with other AWS services, allowing for enterprise-wide compliance monitoring and automated remediation. It provides sub-minute granularity for most configuration changes, although there may be delays in recording certain resources. The service is particularly useful for ITIL-aligned configuration management and for troubleshooting by providing a detailed view of resource relationships and historical configurations.