# Authentication and access
<a name="credentials"></a>

You don't need to authenticate with Amazon to start working with the Amazon Toolkit for Visual Studio with Amazon Q. However, most Amazon resources are managed through an Amazon account. To access all of the Amazon Toolkit for Visual Studio with Amazon Q services and features, you'll need at least 2 types of account authentication:

1. Either **Amazon Identity and Access Management (IAM)** or **Amazon IAM Identity Center** authentication for your Amazon accounts. Most Amazon services and resources are manged through IAM and IAM Identity Center.

1. An **Amazon Builder ID** is either optional for certain other Amazon services.

The following topics contain additional details and set up instructions for each credential type and authentication method.

**Topics**
+ [Amazon IAM Identity Center credentials in Amazon Toolkit for Visual Studio](sso-credentials.md)
+ [Amazon IAM credentials](keys-profiles-credentials.md)
+ [Amazon Builder ID](builder-id.md)
+ [Multi-factor authentication (MFA) in Toolkit for Visual Studio](mfa-credentials.md)
+ [Setting up external credentials](external-credentials.md)
+ [Updating firewalls and gateways to allow access](endpoints.md)