Introduction

Amazon Simple Email Service (Amazon SES) is widely used for sending emails at scale, but traditional authentication with IAM User credentials can be risky and cumbersome. Now, Courier supports IAM Role authentication for Amazon SES, offering a new, more secure way to authenticate without long-lived access keys.

This method reduces the risk of credential leakage and simplifies credential management by using temporary, automatically rotated credentials. If you’re already using IAM Roles in your AWS infrastructure, this update helps you align your email authentication with your existing security practices.

With IAM Role authentication, you get the same reliable email delivery from Courier—now with better security and simpler management.

Why IAM Role Authentication?

Using IAM User credentials for Amazon SES has been the go-to method for many teams, but it comes with security risks and operational overhead. Long-lived credentials are prone to accidental exposure, and manually rotating keys is tedious and error-prone, increasing the risk of service disruptions.

IAM Role authentication addresses these challenges by:

• Eliminating the need for long-term access keys: Courier securely assumes the IAM Role you define, using temporary credentials provided by AWS Security Token Service (STS).
• Enhancing security: Temporary credentials are short-lived and automatically rotated, reducing the attack surface and risk of credential leakage.
• Simplifying permission management: If you’re already using IAM Roles for other AWS services, this method lets you centralize access control, making administration simpler and more consistent.

By supporting IAM Role authentication, Courier gives you the flexibility to choose the authentication method that best fits your security requirements and operational practices.

How It Works in Courier

Setting up IAM Role authentication in Courier is secure and straightforward:

1. Create an IAM Role – Define an IAM Role in AWS with the necessary permissions for Amazon SES.
2. Allow Courier to Assume the Role – Set up the trust policy to allow Courier to assume the role, enabling temporary credentials through AWS STS.
3. Configure Courier – Link the IAM Role in your Courier account. No long-term keys needed, making this a keyless and more secure solution.

Key benefits:

• Temporary Credentials: Courier requests temporary credentials for each email, avoiding the need to store long-term keys.
• Automatic Rotation: AWS handles rotation of these temporary credentials automatically.
• Seamless Integration: Works behind the scenes—your email delivery continues without interruption.

For detailed setup instructions, visit our Courier setup instructions for AWS SES IAM Role authentication.

Who Should Use This?

IAM Role authentication is ideal for teams that want to:

• Improve Security: Eliminate long-term keys and reduce the risk of exposure.
• Simplify Management: Use AWS-native roles for centralized access control.
• Follow Cloud Security Best Practices: Align with AWS’s recommended security practices.
• Scale Efficiently: Centralized permissions make it easier to manage growing teams and environments.

This is an optional authentication method—you can continue using IAM User credentials if they suit your needs. However, if security and operational efficiency are priorities, IAM Roles are worth considering.

Get Started with IAM Role Authentication

IAM Role authentication for Amazon SES is now available in Courier. It enhances security with temporary credentials and simplifies credential management without requiring changes to your existing email templates or workflows.

Ready to try it? Setup is quick and easy. Visit our Courier setup instructions for AWS SES IAM Role authentication.