How to Solve 'AmazonServiceException: User is not Authorized to Perform: dynamodb:DescribeTable'

How to Solve “AmazonServiceException: User is not Authorized to Perform: dynamodb:DescribeTable”

Hello Data Scientists and Software Engineers,

In this post, we’re going to dive into a common issue you may encounter while working with Amazon DynamoDB. You may have seen this error message: “AmazonServiceException: User is not authorized to perform: dynamodb:DescribeTable Status Code: 400; Error Code: AccessDeniedException”. This error occurs when your AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) user isn’t granted the necessary permissions to execute the dynamodb:DescribeTable operation.

What is IAM?

AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM) is a web service that helps you securely control access to AWS resources for your users. You use IAM to control who is authenticated and authorized to use resources.

Understanding the Error

The dynamodb:DescribeTable operation is used to retrieve the descriptions of specific DynamoDB tables. The “AccessDeniedException” error indicates that the IAM user does not have the required permissions to perform this action. The Status Code 400 is a HTTP status code indicating a client-side error. In this context, it implies that the issue lies within the request sent by the user.

How to Solve the Error

Now that we’ve understood the problem, let’s move on to the solution.

1. Check the IAM user’s permissions: Ensure that your IAM user has the necessary permissions to the DynamoDB table. You can do this by navigating to the IAM console, selecting the user, and viewing their attached policies.

2. Alter the IAM policy: If the necessary permissions are not found, you’ll need to alter the IAM policy. Below is an example of a policy that grants the dynamodb:DescribeTable permission.

{
    "Version": "2012-10-17",
    "Statement": [
        {
            "Sid": "DynamoDBDescribeTable",
            "Effect": "Allow",
            "Action": "dynamodb:DescribeTable",
            "Resource": "arn:aws:dynamodb:us-west-2:123456789012:table/*"
        }
    ]
}

Replace us-west-2 and 123456789012 with your region and account number, respectively. The * after table/ grants the permission to all tables. If you want to restrict the permission to a specific table, replace * with the name of your table.

3. Attach the policy to your IAM user: Once the policy has been created, you need to attach it to your IAM user. You can do this in the IAM console.

Remember to follow the principle of least privilege (PoLP) when assigning permissions. Only provide the permissions that are absolutely necessary for the IAM user to perform their tasks.

Conclusion

In conclusion, “AmazonServiceException: User is not authorized to perform: dynamodb:DescribeTable Status Code: 400; Error Code: AccessDeniedException”, is an error that occurs when your IAM user lacks the necessary permissions to perform the dynamodb:DescribeTable operation. By checking and altering your IAM user’s permissions, you can easily resolve this error.

I hope this walkthrough has been helpful in understanding and resolving this common AWS DynamoDB error. If you have any further questions or need more help, don’t hesitate to reach out.

Keywords: AmazonServiceException, AWS, DynamoDB, IAM, dynamodb:DescribeTable, AccessDeniedException, IAM policy, AWS DynamoDB error.

Meta Description: A step-by-step guide to resolving the “AmazonServiceException: User is not authorized to perform: dynamodb:DescribeTable” error, which occurs when an IAM user lacks the necessary permissions to perform a DynamoDB operation.

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