What is AWS Service Catalog?
AWS Service Catalog enables organizations to offer standardized IT services as self service products. Administrators create catalogs of CloudFormation templates with preconfigured, compliance compliant settings. Users can provision these products independently without detailed AWS knowledge or direct access to the AWS console.
The service resolves the tension between agility and governance. Development teams get self service access to needed resources while IT maintains control over configurations, costs, and compliance.
Core Features
- Product Catalogs: Standardized AWS resources as reusable products
- Self Service: Users provision resources without AWS expertise
- Constraints: Enforce tagging, IAM roles, and configuration requirements
- Versioning: Product versions with controlled rollout
- Portfolios: Grouping of products for different teams
Typical Use Cases
Development Environments via Self Service
Developers can provision standardized development environments with one click. The template already contains VPC configuration, security groups, and IAM roles. IT maintains control over configuration and costs while developers do not need to wait for tickets.
Standardized Database Deployments
Deploy RDS databases with predefined parameters: instance type, backup configuration, encryption, and monitoring. Users choose from few options, all automatically meeting your security and compliance requirements.
Governance for Multi-Account Environments
In organizations with many AWS accounts, you can manage catalogs centrally and share them via AWS Organizations. All accounts use the same approved products. Changes to templates automatically become available in all accounts.
Advantages
- Self service without loss of governance
- Standardization reduces configuration errors
- Accelerated access to AWS resources for teams
- No additional costs for Service Catalog itself
Integration with innFactory
As an AWS Reseller, innFactory supports you with AWS Service Catalog: catalog design, CloudFormation template development, governance strategies, and integration into your existing IT processes.
Typical Use Cases
Frequently Asked Questions
What is AWS Service Catalog?
AWS Service Catalog enables organizations to create and manage catalogs of IT services approved for AWS. Users can provision approved products from CloudFormation templates on their own without needing detailed AWS knowledge.
How does Service Catalog work with CloudFormation?
Products in Service Catalog are based on CloudFormation templates. Administrators define templates with predetermined configurations and constraints. Users launch products via a simplified interface without direct access to CloudFormation or the AWS console.
What are portfolios and products?
A portfolio is a collection of products assigned to specific user groups. A product is an AWS resource or set of resources (via CloudFormation) that users can provision. Products can have versions and constraints.
How do I enforce compliance with Service Catalog?
Through TagOptions and Launch Constraints, you can ensure all resources are correctly tagged and deployed in approved VPCs. Users can only launch products from the catalog, not arbitrary AWS resources. AWS Config Rules provide additional validation.