# Set up to use AWS Cloud Map
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The overview and procedures in the following sections are meant to help you get started with AWS and prepare you to start using AWS Cloud Map.

**Topics**
+ [Sign Up for AWS](#setting-up-sign-up-for-aws)
+ [Access the API, AWS CLI, AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell, or the AWS SDKs](#setting-up-access-account-api-cli)
+ [Set Up the AWS Command Line Interface or AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell](#setting-up-aws-cli)
+ [Download an AWS SDK](#setting-up-sdk)

## Sign Up for AWS
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### Sign up for an AWS account
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To get started with AWS, you need an AWS account. For information about creating an AWS account, see [Getting started with an AWS account](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//accounts/latest/reference/getting-started.html) in the *AWS Account Management Reference Guide*.

## Access the API, AWS CLI, AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell, or the AWS SDKs
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To use the API, the AWS CLI, AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell, or the AWS SDKs, you must create *access keys*. These keys consist of an access key ID and secret access key, which are used to sign programmatic requests that you make to AWS.

Users need programmatic access if they want to interact with AWS outside of the AWS Management Console. The way to grant programmatic access depends on the type of user that's accessing AWS.

To grant users programmatic access, choose one of the following options.


****  

| Which user needs programmatic access? | To | By | 
| --- | --- | --- | 
| IAM | (Recommended) Use console credentials as temporary credentials to sign programmatic requests to the AWS CLI, AWS SDKs, or AWS APIs. | Following the instructions for the interface that you want to use.[See the AWS documentation website for more details](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/cloud-map/latest/dg/setting-up-cloud-map.html) | 
| Workforce identity<br />(Users managed in IAM Identity Center) | Use temporary credentials to sign programmatic requests to the AWS CLI, AWS SDKs, or AWS APIs. | Following the instructions for the interface that you want to use.[See the AWS documentation website for more details](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/cloud-map/latest/dg/setting-up-cloud-map.html) | 
| IAM | Use temporary credentials to sign programmatic requests to the AWS CLI, AWS SDKs, or AWS APIs. | Following the instructions in [Using temporary credentials with AWS resources](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_temp_use-resources.html) in the IAM User Guide. | 
| IAM | (Not recommended)Use long-term credentials to sign programmatic requests to the AWS CLI, AWS SDKs, or AWS APIs. | Following the instructions for the interface that you want to use.[See the AWS documentation website for more details](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/cloud-map/latest/dg/setting-up-cloud-map.html) | 

## Set Up the AWS Command Line Interface or AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell
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The AWS Command Line Interface (AWS CLI) is a unified tool for managing AWS services. For information about how to install and configure the AWS CLI, see [Installing or updating to the latest version of the AWS CLI](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/getting-started-install.html) in the *AWS Command Line Interface User Guide*.

If you have experience with Windows PowerShell, you might prefer to use AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell. For more information, see [Setting up the AWS Tools for Windows PowerShell](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/powershell/latest/userguide/pstools-getting-set-up.html) in the *AWS Tools for PowerShell User Guide*.

## Download an AWS SDK
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If you're using a programming language that AWS provides an SDK for, we recommend that you use an SDK instead of the AWS Cloud Map API. Using an SDK has several benefits. SDKs make authentication simpler, integrate easily with your development environment, and provide access to AWS Cloud Map commands. For more information, see [Tools for Amazon Web Services](https://aws.amazon.com/developer/tools/).