Enabling MFA with 1Password and AWS on macOS/Linux

When it comes to securing our online presence, we often find ourselves juggling multiple accounts and credentials across various platforms. As a 1Password user, I've always been impressed by its ability to manage my passwords seamlessly across devices. However, when it comes to accessing Amazon Web Services (AWS) with MFA enabled, things get a bit more complicated.

On macOS/Linux, we can use the `credential_process` mechanism to handle access management from 1Password. The first step is to create a new file called `op-cred-helper.sh` in our `~/.aws/` folder. This script will serve as an interface between our 1Password credentials and AWS.

Here's the contents of the `op-cred_helper.sh` file:

```bash

#!/bin/bash

# Make sure you're using the correct path for your 1Password vault

vault_path=/path/to/your/vault

# Use op to retrieve the necessary credentials from your 1Password vault

op run --vault '$vault_path' --item 'AWS Creds'

```

Once we've created this file, we need to make it executable by running `chmod +x ~/.aws/op-cred-helper.sh`.

Instead of aliasing the AWS command, we'll use the normal AWS configuration process, which involves creating a `~/.aws/credentials` file. This will allow us to support all of our existing AWS configurations.

The solution I propose here doesn't cover tools that use AWS SDKs, CDK, SAM, or Amplify CLI, as these require additional setup and configuration. However, for those who rely on the command line interface (CLI) for their AWS interactions, this script provides a convenient way to integrate 1Password with AWS.

In conclusion, while convenience is inversely proportional to security, using 1Password with AWS can greatly simplify our workflow while maintaining a high level of security. By leveraging the `credential_process` mechanism and creating a custom script, we can enjoy the benefits of both worlds.

1password mfa aws