AWS Console IP whitelist alternative for multi-cloud teams
The AWS Console is the source of truth for AWS. It is the right place for IAM, VPC design, and anything beyond security-group ingress. Cliaces exists for the repetitive job: allow this laptop IP on port 22 or 3389, on this security group, across accounts and regions, then take it back when the session ends. The same desk covers Azure NSGs and GCP VPC firewalls. Amazon Web Services, AWS, and related marks are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Cliaces is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or part of Amazon.
| Capability | AWS Console | Cliaces |
|---|---|---|
| Edit security group ingress | Yes, full EC2 console | Yes, focused on IP allow/deny workflows |
| Temporary rules with auto-expiry | Manual; easy to forget 0.0.0.0/0 | Daily/timed rules with auto-cleanup |
| Azure NSG in the same UI | No (separate Azure portal) | Yes |
| GCP VPC firewall in the same UI | No (separate GCP console) | Yes |
| SSH / RDP after the IP is allowed | Use a separate client | Cloud Terminal in the same desk |
| Uptime / SSL monitors | CloudWatch and other AWS services | Built-in HTTP, ping, port, SSL checks |
| Team vault | Secrets Manager / other AWS services | Key Pass for ops credentials |
| Best fit | Full AWS administration | Routine IP whitelist and access desk |
When Cliaces is the better fit
- Engineers currently open the AWS Console only to add or remove a /32 on SSH or RDP.
- You run AWS plus Azure and/or GCP and want one IP-allow workflow.
- Temporary contractor access should expire without a ticket to remove the rule.
- You want an audit log of who allowed which IP, then SSH from the same app.
When to stay with AWS Console
- You are changing routing, IAM, load balancers, or anything that is not an ingress IP rule.
- You need every AWS setting and should stay in native consoles and IaC.
- Security groups are fully managed as code (Terraform/CDK) with no interactive exceptions.
- You are not allowed to grant a third-party role that can update security groups.
FAQ
Does Cliaces replace the AWS Console?
No. Use the AWS Console and your IaC for real infrastructure changes. Cliaces is a narrower access desk for IP whitelisting, plus monitoring, SSH/RDP, and a vault. Think of it as an operator UI on top of security groups, NSGs, and GCP firewalls, not an AWS control plane.
How does Cliaces connect to AWS, Azure, and GCP?
AWS via a least-privilege IAM role (typically CloudFormation). Azure via a service principal with network permissions. GCP via a service account that can manage VPC firewall rules. You can revoke access at any time from the cloud provider.
AWS Console is a trademark of its respective owner. Cliaces is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or a trademark owner of AWS Console.