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Cedar
All IAM glossary termsAuthorization · glossary

Cedar

Also known as: Amazon Cedar · Cedar Policy Language

Definition

Cedar is Amazon's open-source policy language + engine for fine-grained authorization, designed for application-layer authorization decisions and formally verified.

In more depth

Cedar emerged from AWS Verified Permissions but is open source. It targets application-layer authorization (vs OPA's broader infrastructure focus) with a more constrained, formally-verified policy language.

Advantages over Rego: more constrained syntax makes policies more predictable; formal verification proves properties about policy behavior. Used in Verified Permissions, Amazon Cognito Identity Pools, and increasingly in third-party products.

Related terms
  • OPA (Open Policy Agent) · Authorization
  • PDP (Policy Decision Point) · Authorization
  • Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) · Authorization
  • Relationship-Based Access Control (ReBAC) · Authorization
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