# Getting started with FlexMatch
<a name="match-getting-started"></a>

Use the resources in this section to help you get started with buildiing a matchmaking system with FlexMatch. 

**Topics**
+ [Set up an Amazon Web Services account for FlexMatch](#match-setting-up)
+ [Roadmap: Create a standalone matchmaking solution with FlexMatch](match-tasks-safm.md)
+ [Roadmap: Add matchmaking to a Amazon GameLift Servers hosting solution](match-tasks.md)

## Set up an Amazon Web Services account for FlexMatch
<a name="match-setting-up"></a>

Amazon GameLift Servers FlexMatch is an Amazon service, and you must have an Amazon account to use this service. Creating an Amazon account is free. For more information on what you can do with an Amazon account, see [Getting Started with Amazon](http://www.amazonaws.cn/getting-started/).

If you are using FlexMatch with other Amazon GameLift Servers solutions, see the following topics:
+ [Setting up access for Amazon GameLift Servers hosting](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/gamelift/latest/developerguide/setting-up-intro.html)
+ [Setting up access for hosting with Amazon GameLift Servers FleetIQ](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/gamelift/latest/fleetiqguide/gsg-iam-permissions.html)

**To set up your account for Amazon GameLift Servers**

1. **Get an account.** Open [Amazon Web Services](http://www.amazonaws.cn/) and choose **Sign In to the Console**. Follow the prompts to either create a new account or sign in to an existing one.

1. **Set up an administrative user group.** Open the Amazon Identity and Access Management (IAM) service console and follow the steps to create or update users or user groups. IAM manages access to your Amazon services and resources. Everyone who accesses your FlexMatch resources, using the Amazon GameLift Servers console or by calling Amazon GameLift Servers APIs, must be given explicit access. For detailed instructions on using the console (or the Amazon CLI or other tools) to set up user groups, see [Creating IAM Users](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_users_create.html).

1. **Attach a permissions policy to your user or user group. **Access to Amazon services and resources are managed by attaching an [IAM policy](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies.html) to a user or user group. Permissions policies specify a set of Amazon services and actions a user has to have access to.

   For Amazon GameLift Servers, you must create a custom permissions policy and attach it to each user or user group. A policy is a JSON document. Use the example below to create your policy. 

The following example illustrates an inline permissions policy with administrative permissions for all Amazon GameLift Servers resources and actions. You can choose to limit access by specifying only FlexMatch-specific items.

------
#### [ JSON ]

****  

```
{
"Version":"2012-10-17",		 	 	 
"Statement":
  { 
    "Effect": "Allow", 
    "Action": "gamelift:*", 
    "Resource": "*" 
  }
}
```

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