Tutorial / Cram Notes

Configuration management is a critical aspect of IT operations, ensuring that all software and systems are consistently maintained and operated in a defined and predictable manner. Among cloud service providers, Amazon Web Services (AWS) offers AWS Config, a service that enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources.

AWS Config works by continuously monitoring and recording your AWS resource configurations, allowing you to automate the evaluation of recorded configurations against desired configurations. Here is what you need to know about AWS Config in the context of preparing for the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (DOP-C02) exam:

Understanding AWS Config

AWS Config tracks changes in your environment, acting as a sort of “inventory” for your AWS resources. You can think of it as a detailed recorder that logs information such as resource creation, modification, and deletion. At its core, AWS Config does the following:

  • Configuration Recorder: Captures the current and historical configuration states of your AWS resources.
  • Configuration Snapshot: Provides a point-in-time capture of your resource configurations.
  • Configuration History: A timeline that tracks changes to the configurations over time.
  • Configuration Stream: Enables you to receive a stream of configuration changes as they occur.

AWS Config Rules

With AWS Config, you can create rules that automatically check the configuration of AWS resources recorded by AWS Config. These rules are used to evaluate whether your resources comply with your organization’s policies. There are two types of Config rules:

  1. AWS managed rules: Pre-built rules created by AWS.
  2. Custom rules: Rules you develop either with an AWS Lambda function or in association with AWS systems.

Example AWS Managed Rule: required-tags

This rule checks whether specific tags are associated with the required AWS resources.

Implementing AWS Config

For implementing AWS Config as part of your configuration management strategy, you would typically:

  1. Activate AWS Config in your AWS account.
  2. Define which resources AWS Config should record.
  3. Optionally define inclusion or exclusion rules to specify which resources to track.
  4. Create and apply AWS Config rules to ensure compliance with the desired configuration settings.

Monitoring and Auditing

AWS Config integration with Amazon CloudWatch and AWS CloudTrail enhances monitoring and auditing. CloudWatch can trigger alarms when non-compliant changes happen, while CloudTrail logs all API calls, including those made by AWS Config.

Compliance and Security

The service helps in maintaining compliance with organizational guidelines and regulatory requirements by enabling reviews and audits of AWS resource configurations.

Integrations

AWS Config can integrate with other AWS services such as AWS Systems Manager for detailed insights into your operating environment.

Pricing

AWS Config charges you based on the number of configuration items recorded and the number of Config rules you have active. The pricing structure is as follows:

  • Configuration Items: per record price.
  • Config Rules: per rule evaluation price.

This pay-as-you-go model allows you to scale your use of AWS Config based on your actual usage.

Example Use Case: Ensuring Encrypted Volumes

Imagine you need to enforce a policy where every new Amazon EBS volume should be encrypted. You could create a custom AWS Config rule that triggers a Lambda function to check the encryption status of any newly created EBS volume. If the volume is unencrypted, the Lambda function could either send a notification to your security team or encrypt the volume.

In conclusion, AWS Config is an essential tool for managing and automating configurations within AWS. Its integration in deployment pipelines and operations workflows can greatly enhance visibility and control, thereby increasing overall security and compliance for organizations—critical skills for candidates aiming to pass the AWS Certified DevOps Engineer – Professional (DOP-C02). When preparing for the exam, practical experience with AWS Config and understanding its capabilities and limitations will be invaluable in showcasing your competency in configuration management on AWS.

Practice Test with Explanation

True or False: AWS Config supports both AWS resources and third-party resources.

  • A. True
  • B. False

Answer: A. True

Explanation: AWS Config does support third-party resources through the use of custom resource types, allowing you to track configuration changes across your AWS and third-party resources.

True or False: AWS Config is able to automatically remediate noncompliant resources without any additional services.

  • A. True
  • B. False

Answer: B. False

Explanation: AWS Config can detect noncompliant resources, but it requires integration with AWS Systems Manager Automation or AWS Lambda for automatic remediation.

What AWS service is most commonly used in conjunction with AWS Config for automatic remediation of noncompliant resources?

  • A. AWS CloudTrail
  • B. AWS Systems Manager
  • C. Amazon CloudWatch
  • D. Amazon S3

Answer: B. AWS Systems Manager

Explanation: AWS Systems Manager Automation is often used with AWS Config for automatic remediation by running automation documents when AWS Config detects noncompliant resources.

Which AWS feature allows you to aggregate AWS Config data from multiple regions and accounts for centralized auditing?

  • A. AWS Config rules
  • B. AWS Config multi-account, multi-region data aggregation
  • C. AWS CloudTrail
  • D. AWS Organizations

Answer: B. AWS Config multi-account, multi-region data aggregation

Explanation: AWS Config supports multi-account, multi-region data aggregation that allows you to view compliance data in a centralized dashboard, simplifying compliance auditing across your AWS environment.

True or False: AWS Config continuously monitors and records your AWS resource configurations allowing you to automate the evaluation of recorded configurations against desired configurations.

  • A. True
  • B. False

Answer: A. True

Explanation: AWS Config continuously monitors and records your AWS resource configurations and allows you to create rules that automatically check the recorded configurations against the desired ones.

AWS Config can be used to:

  • A. Monitor resource changes in real-time.
  • B. Assess resource configurations for desired settings.
  • C. Trigger AWS Lambda functions to take action on configuration changes.
  • D. All of the above.

Answer: D. All of the above.

Explanation: AWS Config can monitor resource changes in real-time, evaluate them against desired configurations, and trigger AWS Lambda functions for custom actions or for remediation.

True or False: AWS Config is capable of managing the configuration of Amazon EC2 instances only.

  • A. True
  • B. False

Answer: B. False

Explanation: AWS Config can manage the configuration of a wide range of AWS resources, not just Amazon EC2 instances.

What is the maximum retention period for AWS Config configuration items?

  • A. 30 days
  • B. 90 days
  • C. 3 years
  • D. 7 years

Answer: D. 7 years

Explanation: AWS Config allows you to retain configuration items for up to 7 years to meet long-term audit and compliance needs.

Which of the following is NOT a valid AWS Config resource recording option?

  • A. All resources that AWS Config supports
  • B. Specific resource types
  • C. Resources in a certain VPC only
  • D. Resources that have specific tags

Answer: C. Resources in a certain VPC only

Explanation: AWS Config does not have an option to record only resources within a specific VPC. It can record all resources, specific resource types, or resources with specific tags.

AWS Config can trigger notifications using which AWS service?

  • A. Amazon SNS
  • B. Amazon SES
  • C. AWS KMS
  • D. Amazon Kinesis

Answer: A. Amazon SNS

Explanation: AWS Config can send notifications when configuration changes are detected using Amazon Simple Notification Service (Amazon SNS).

Interview Questions

Can you explain what AWS Config is and how it helps with configuration management?

AWS Config is a service that enables you to assess, audit, and evaluate the configurations of your AWS resources. It continuously monitors and records your AWS resource configurations and allows you to automate the evaluation of recorded configurations against desired configurations. With AWS Config, you can review changes in configurations and relationships between AWS resources, dive into detailed resource configuration histories, and determine your overall compliance against the configurations specified in your internal guidelines.

How does AWS Config differ from AWS CloudTrail?

AWS Config is focused on recording and assessing the configurations of AWS resources and maintaining a history of configuration changes over time. It primarily answers the “What is the configuration?” and “How has it changed over time?” for AWS resources. CloudTrail, on the other hand, is designed to record and enable governance, compliance, operational auditing, and risk auditing of your AWS account by logging all actions taken by a user, role, or an AWS service. CloudTrail answers the “Who did what?” and “When?”.

What is the role of AWS Config rules in configuration management?

AWS Config rules enable you to create rules that automatically check the configuration of AWS resources recorded by AWS Config. These rules help ensure that the resource configurations align with your company policies, best practices, or specific compliance requirements. Config rules can be either managed rules (predefined by AWS) or custom rules (defined by you using AWS Lambda).

In which scenario would you use AWS Config conformance packs?

AWS Config conformance packs are a collection of AWS Config rules and remediation actions that can be deployed as a single entity across an entire organization or selected accounts within an organization. They are used to manage configuration compliance of your resources at scale and are particularly useful when you need to enforce a common compliance framework across multiple accounts or regions, such as CIS AWS Foundations Benchmark or NIST compliance frameworks.

How can AWS Config help you achieve compliance with regulations such as the GDPR or HIPAA?

AWS Config helps achieve compliance with regulations like GDPR or HIPAA by providing a detailed record of the configuration of AWS resources and changes over time, along with compliance assessment results based on rules that align with regulatory requirements. AWS Config can help identify non-compliant resources, so you can take corrective action and maintain evidence of compliance for audit purposes.

How do you monitor changes to a specific resource, such as an S3 bucket, using AWS Config?

To monitor changes to a specific resource like an S3 bucket using AWS Config, you first need to ensure that AWS Config is recording changes for that resource (which is AWS Config’s default behavior). You can then create an AWS Config rule that triggers evaluations for changes to S3 buckets or subscribe to an S3 Bucket configuration change event through Amazon Simple Notification Service (SNS) or AWS Lambda to receive notifications and take action upon changes.

What permissions are needed for AWS Config to record and evaluate AWS resource configurations?

AWS Config requires permission to access resource configurations and changes. When you set up AWS Config, you must attach an IAM role with the necessary permissions for AWS Config to be able to discover resources, record their configurations, detect changes, and invoke rules for evaluation. This IAM role typically includes permissions to make describe and list API calls for all supported AWS resources.

Can you use AWS Config to track relationships between AWS resources?

Yes, AWS Config can track the relationships between AWS resources, which it refers to as resource relationships. For example, AWS Config can track that a specific EC2 instance is associated with an EBS volume or a security group. Tracking these relationships can help you assess the impact of changes across different resources and ensure that your resource configurations are in accordance with best practices.

What is the benefit of using AWS Config aggregators in a multi-account environment?

AWS Config aggregators consolidate the configuration and compliance data from multiple accounts and regions into a single account to provide a centralized view of your AWS environment. This is beneficial in a multi-account environment as it enables you to gather a comprehensive view of your resource configurations and compliance status across your entire organization, thus making governance and compliance efforts more manageable and streamlined.

Explain how AWS Config rules can be automatically remediated through the use of AWS Systems Manager Automation documents?

When AWS Config detects a resource that is non-compliant with a particular rule, it can trigger an automatic remediation action through the use of AWS Systems Manager Automation documents. These documents define remediation actions to be taken by Systems Manager to bring the resource back into compliance. You can associate these Automation documents with AWS Config rules during the rule setup or by editing them later, enabling automated corrective actions without manual intervention.

What types of resource configuration changes can AWS Config track, and are there any limitations to what it can record?

AWS Config can track changes to a wide range of AWS resource types, including instances, security groups, IAM roles, and many others. It records various configuration details like resource creation, modification, and deletion. However, there are limitations as to the extent of configuration details AWS Config captures for each resource type, and not all AWS resource types are supported. Users should consult the AWS Config documentation for details on supported resources and recorded data.

How are AWS Config snapshots different from AWS Config streams?

AWS Config snapshots are point-in-time captures of resource configurations across an AWS account. You can initiate snapshots on demand or deliver them on a periodic basis to an Amazon S3 bucket. AWS Config streams, on the other hand, deliver configuration changes as they occur, enabling near real-time awareness of changes in your AWS resources. Streams are useful for scenarios that require immediate response, while snapshots are well-suited for periodic reviews and backup purposes.

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Lykke Berglund
6 months ago

This was a great read on AWS Config! Really helped me understand its importance for the DOP-C02 exam.

Jean-Luc Meyer
6 months ago

Can someone explain the role of AWS Config in maintaining compliance?

Monali Kumari
6 months ago

I appreciate the detailed explanation on the different AWS Config rules!

Diogo Richard
6 months ago

How does AWS Config integrate with AWS CloudFormation for configuration management?

Tanja Karadžić
6 months ago

Not a fan of the UI for AWS Config. It’s quite confusing IMO.

Rudie Muilwijk
6 months ago

Thanks for this post! It clarified a lot of doubts I had regarding the exam.

Elif Hake
6 months ago

Anyone knows the best practices for setting up AWS Config rules?

Silas Meunier
6 months ago

The examples provided really helped me get a grasp of how to configure AWS Config.

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