AWS Session Manager
AWS Session Manager is a fully managed AWS Systems Manager capability that provides secure and auditable instance management without the need to open inbound ports, manage SSH keys, or use bastion hosts. It allows users to start a secure shell session with EC2 instances, on-premises servers, and virtual machines through the AWS Management Console, AWS CLI, or SDKs. The service logs all session activity to Amazon CloudWatch Logs and Amazon S3 for compliance and auditing purposes.
Developers should use AWS Session Manager when they need secure, centralized access to EC2 instances or hybrid environments without exposing them to the public internet, reducing security risks like SSH key management and open ports. It is particularly useful for compliance-heavy industries (e.g., finance, healthcare) where audit trails are required, and for teams managing large fleets of instances where traditional SSH access becomes cumbersome. It also integrates with AWS IAM for fine-grained access control, making it ideal for DevOps and infrastructure management workflows.