---
title: IAM - Quickstart
description: Quickstart guide to setting up and using Scaleway IAM.
dates:
  validation: 2025-07-17
  posted: 2022-06-10
---
import Requirements from '@macros/iam/requirements.mdx'

import image from './assets/scaleway-iam-concepts.webp'


**I**dentity and **A**ccess **M**anagement (IAM) allows you to share access to the management of your Scaleway resources and Organization settings, in a controlled and secure manner. With IAM, you can invite other users to your [Organization](/iam/concepts/#organization), as well as create IAM applications that represent non-human users with their own API keys. You define permissions for users and applications in your Organization via highly customizable [policies](/iam/concepts/#policy). Policies let you specify exactly what rights users and applications (or groups of users and applications) should have within your Organization.

<Lightbox image={image} alt="" />

Read our dedicated page for a [general overview of IAM](/iam/reference-content/overview/) and how it works.

<Requirements />

- A Scaleway account logged into the [console](https://console.scaleway.com)
- [Owner](/iam/concepts/#owner) status or [IAM permissions](/iam/concepts/#permission) allowing you to perform actions in the intended Organization

## Console overview

Discover the IAM interface on the Scaleway console.
<GuideFlow src="https://app.guideflow.com/embed/np15j0oizk"/>

## How to add a Member to your Organization

Add [Members](/iam/concepts/#member) to give them access to your Organization. You will be able to define the exact level of access to give by creating a [policy](#how-to-give-permissions-to-users-and-applications-via-policies) for them later. In this section, we show you how to [add a Member](/iam/how-to/manage-members/#how-to-create-a-member).

1. Click **IAM & API keys** on the top-right drop-down menu of the Scaleway console. The **Users** tab of the [Identity and Access Management dashboard](https://console.scaleway.com/iam/users) displays.
2. Click **+ Add user**. A pop-up displays.
3. Enter a username and the email address of the Member you want to add to your Organization.
    <Message type="important">
      When you create a Member, a Scaleway account is created for them. They exist only within your Organization. If you delete the Member, their account is also deleted.
    </Message>
4. (Optional) Check the box if you want to send a welcome email to the Member.
5. Add a password.
    <Message type="note">
      If you set a password, make sure you keep note of it to share it with the Member later. The password will only be shown once. If password renewal is enforced in the Organization, from their first login, the Member must update their password. They must comply with this security requirement within the [grace period](/iam/concepts#grace-period) defined for your Organization.
    </Message>
6. (Optional) Check the box if you want to send the password to the Member via email.
7. Click **Create Member**.

## How to create an application

IAM applications are non-human users in an Organization, enabling you to give programmatic access to resources.

1. Click **IAM & API keys** on the top-right drop-down menu of the Scaleway console. The **Users** tab of the [Identity and Access Management dashboard](https://console.scaleway.com/iam/users) displays.
2. Click the **Applications** tab. A list of the Organization's existing IAM applications displays.
3. Click **Create application**. The creation wizard displays:
4. Complete the steps of the creation wizard:
    - Enter a name for the application, or use the auto-generated name suggested for you,
    - Enter a description (optional),
    - Attach an existing policy to the application (optional).
    <Message type="note">
      You can choose not to attach a policy to the application at this stage. Unless your application is a part of a group, be aware that until you attach a policy to the application, it will have no permissions in your Organization.
    </Message>
5. Click **Create application** to finish.

## How to give permissions to users and applications via policies

Users you have added to your Organization, and applications you have created, have no rights or permissions until you attach [policies](/iam/reference-content/policy/) to them, as described below.
1. Click **IAM & API keys** on the top-right drop-down menu of the Scaleway console. The **Users** tab of the [Identity and Access Management dashboard](https://console.scaleway.com/iam/users) displays.
2. Click the **Policies** tab. A list of the Organization's existing policies displays.
3. Click **Create policy**. The creation wizard displays.
4. Complete the steps on the first page of the creation wizard:
    - Enter a **name** for the policy,
    - Enter a **description** (optional),
    - Select a **principal**, who will be the target of your policy. The [principal](/iam/concepts/#principal) should be the user, application, or group who you want to grant specific permissions to through this policy.
    <Message type="important">
      You can choose to create a policy without a principal for now, and attach the principal later. Be aware that the policy will have no effect until a principal is attached. A policy can only be attached to one principal at a time.
    </Message>
5. Click **Add rules** to progress to the next part of the policy creation wizard.
    <Message type="tip">
      Rules define the actions that the attached principal will be able to carry out within the Organization. When creating a rule, you first set the **scope** of the rule, and then select the **permission sets** to apply within the scope. See our dedicated documentation for more help with [policies, rules, scopes and permission sets](/iam/reference-content/policy/).
    </Message>
6. Select a **scope** for the rule:
    - To give the principal permissions to view, create, edit and/or delete [resources](/iam/concepts/#resource), select the **Access to resources** scope. Then, select the [Project](/iam/concepts/#project) in which you want the permissions to apply. You can select from **all current and future Projects**, **all current Projects** or select specific Projects.
    - To give the principal permissions to [Organization](/iam/concepts/#organization)-level features such as IAM, billing, support & abuse tickets and project management, select the **Access to Organization features** scope.
7. Click **Validate** to continue.
8. Choose the **permission sets** for the rule by selecting the required boxes. You can select as many permission sets as you like. The principal will have the rights defined in these permission sets within the scope you set in **step 6**. See our dedicated documentation for [more help with permission sets](/iam/reference-content/permission-sets/).
9. Click **Validate**.
10. (Optional) Click **+ Add new** to add one or more conditions. You can allow access to specific user agents or IP addresses, and allow actions to be performed only at certain dates and times.
    <Message type="tip">
      Refer to the [Understanding policy conditions](/iam/reference-content/understanding-policy-conditions) documentation page for more details about how to write condition expressions, as well as examples of conditions.
    </Message>
11. Click **Validate**. The rule, with its scope and permission sets, is added to the list of the policy's rules.
12. Click **Add new rule** and repeat steps 6 to 8 as many times as required to add multiple rules to your policy.
    <Message type="tip">
      You can delete <Icon name="delete" /> or edit <Icon name="edit" /> an existing rule by clicking the relevant button in the top right corner of the rule's summary.
    </Message>
13. Click **Create policy** to finish.

    You are returned to the **Policies** tab, where the newly-created policy now appears in the list.

    <Message type="note">
      The application of Object Storage permissions can take up to 5 minutes.
    </Message>