AWS Key Management Service (AWS KMS) is an encryption and key management web service. This guide describes the AWS KMS operations that you can call programmatically. For general information about AWS KMS, see the AWS Key Management Service DeveloperGuide.
AWS provides SDKs that consist of libraries and sample code for various programming languages and platforms (Java, Ruby, .Net, macOS, Android, etc.). The SDKs provide a convenient way to create programmatic access to AWS KMS and other AWS services. For example, the SDKs take care of tasks such as signing requests (see below), managing errors, and retrying requests automatically. For more information about the AWS SDKs, including how to download and install them, see Tools for Amazon Web Services.
We recommend that you use the AWS SDKs to make programmatic API calls to AWS KMS.
Clients must support TLS (Transport Layer Security) 1.0. We recommend TLS 1.2. Clients must also support cipher suites with Perfect Forward Secrecy (PFS) such as Ephemeral Diffie-Hellman (DHE) or Elliptic Curve Ephemeral Diffie-Hellman (ECDHE). Most modern systems such as Java 7 and later support these modes.
Signing Requests
Requests must be signed by using an access key ID and a secret access key. We strongly recommend that you do not use your AWS account (root) access key ID and secret key for everyday work with AWS KMS. Instead, use the access key ID and secret access key for an IAM user, or you can use the AWS Security Token Service to generate temporary security credentials that you can use to sign requests.
All AWS KMS operations require Signature Version 4.
Logging API Requests
AWS KMS supports AWS CloudTrail, a service that logs AWS API calls and related events for your AWS account and delivers them to an Amazon S3 bucket that you specify. By using the information collected by CloudTrail, you can determine what requests were made to AWS KMS, who made the request, when it was made, and so on. To learn more about CloudTrail, including how to turn it on and find your log files, see the AWS CloudTrail User Guide.
Additional Resources
For more information about credentials and request signing, see the following:
AWS Security Credentials - This topic provides general information about the of credentials used for accessing AWS.
Temporary Security Credentials - This section of the IAM User Guide describes how to create and use temporary security credentials.
Signature Version 4 Signing Process - This set of topics walks you through the process of signing a request using an access key ID and a secret access key.
Commonly Used APIs
Of the APIs discussed in this guide, the following will prove the most useful for most applications. You will likely perform actions other than these, such as creating keys and assigning policies, by using the console.
Encrypt
Decrypt
GenerateDataKey
GenerateDataKeyWithoutPlaintext
kms()| cancel_key_deletion | Cancels the deletion of a customer master key (CMK) |
| connect_custom_key_store | Connects or reconnects a custom key store to its associated AWS CloudHSM cluster |
| create_alias | Creates a display name for a customer master key (CMK) |
| create_custom_key_store | Creates a custom key store that is associated with an AWS CloudHSM cluster that you own and manage |
| create_grant | Adds a grant to a customer master key (CMK) |
| create_key | Creates a customer master key (CMK) in the caller's AWS account |
| decrypt | Decrypts ciphertext |
| delete_alias | Deletes the specified alias |
| delete_custom_key_store | Deletes a custom key store |
| delete_imported_key_material | Deletes key material that you previously imported |
| describe_custom_key_stores | Gets information about custom key stores in the account and region |
| describe_key | Provides detailed information about the specified customer master key (CMK) |
| disable_key | Sets the state of a customer master key (CMK) to disabled, thereby preventing its use for cryptographic operations |
| disable_key_rotation | Disables automatic rotation of the key material for the specified customer master key (CMK) |
| disconnect_custom_key_store | Disconnects the custom key store from its associated AWS CloudHSM cluster |
| enable_key | Sets the key state of a customer master key (CMK) to enabled |
| enable_key_rotation | Enables automatic rotation of the key material for the specified customer master key (CMK) |
| encrypt | Encrypts plaintext into ciphertext by using a customer master key (CMK) |
| generate_data_key | Returns a data encryption key that you can use in your application to encrypt data locally |
| generate_data_key_without_plaintext | Returns a data encryption key encrypted under a customer master key (CMK) |
| generate_random | Returns a random byte string that is cryptographically secure |
| get_key_policy | Gets a key policy attached to the specified customer master key (CMK) |
| get_key_rotation_status | Gets a Boolean value that indicates whether automatic rotation of the key material is enabled for the specified customer master key (CMK) |
| get_parameters_for_import | Returns the items you need in order to import key material into AWS KMS from your existing key management infrastructure |
| import_key_material | Imports key material into an existing AWS KMS customer master key (CMK) that was created without key material |
| list_aliases | Gets a list of all aliases in the caller's AWS account and region |
| list_grants | Gets a list of all grants for the specified customer master key (CMK) |
| list_key_policies | Gets the names of the key policies that are attached to a customer master key (CMK) |
| list_keys | Gets a list of all customer master keys (CMKs) in the caller's AWS account and region |
| list_resource_tags | Returns a list of all tags for the specified customer master key (CMK) |
| list_retirable_grants | Returns a list of all grants for which the grant's RetiringPrincipal matches the one specified |
| put_key_policy | Attaches a key policy to the specified customer master key (CMK) |
| re_encrypt | Encrypts data on the server side with a new customer master key (CMK) without exposing the plaintext of the data on the client side |
| retire_grant | Retires a grant |
| revoke_grant | Revokes the specified grant for the specified customer master key (CMK) |
| schedule_key_deletion | Schedules the deletion of a customer master key (CMK) |
| tag_resource | Adds or edits tags for a customer master key (CMK) |
| untag_resource | Removes the specified tags from the specified customer master key (CMK) |
| update_alias | Associates an existing alias with a different customer master key (CMK) |
| update_custom_key_store | Changes the properties of a custom key store |
# NOT RUN {
# The following example cancels deletion of the specified CMK.
# }
# NOT RUN {
svc <- kms()
svc$cancel_key_deletion(
KeyId = "1234abcd-12ab-34cd-56ef-1234567890ab"
)
# }
# NOT RUN {
# }
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