**Introducing a new console experience for Amazon WAF**

You can now use the updated experience to access Amazon WAF functionality anywhere in the console. For more details, see [Working with the console](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/waf/latest/developerguide/working-with-console.html). 

# Setting up your account to use the services
<a name="setting-up-waf"></a>

This topic describes preliminary steps, such as creating an account, to prepare you to use Amazon WAF, Amazon Firewall Manager, and Amazon Shield Advanced. You aren't charged for these preliminary items. You are charged only for Amazon services that you use. 

**Topics**
+ [Sign up for an Amazon Web Services account](#sign-up-for-aws)
+ [Secure IAM users](#secure-an-admin)
+ [Download tools](#setting-up-waf-tools)

## Sign up for an Amazon Web Services account
<a name="sign-up-for-aws"></a>

If you do not have an Amazon Web Services account, use the following procedure to create one.

**To sign up for Amazon Web Services**

1. Open [http://www.amazonaws.cn/](http://www.amazonaws.cn/) and choose **Sign Up**.

1. Follow the on-screen instructions.

Amazon sends you a confirmation email after the sign-up process is complete. At any time, you can view your current account activity and manage your account by going to [http://www.amazonaws.cn/](http://www.amazonaws.cn/) and choosing **My Account**.

## Secure IAM users
<a name="secure-an-admin"></a>

After you sign up for an Amazon Web Services account, safeguard your administrative user by turning on multi-factor authentication (MFA). For instructions, see [Enable a virtual MFA device for an IAM user (console)](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_credentials_mfa_enable_virtual.html#enable-virt-mfa-for-iam-user) in the *IAM User Guide*.

To give other users access to your Amazon Web Services account resources, create IAM users. To secure your IAM users, turn on MFA and only give the IAM users the permissions needed to perform their tasks.

For more information about creating and securing IAM users, see the following topics in the *IAM User Guide*: 
+ [Creating an IAM user in your Amazon Web Services account](https://docs.amazonaws.cn//IAM/latest/UserGuide/id_users_create.html)
+ [Access management for Amazon resources](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access.html)
+ [Example IAM identity-based policies](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/IAM/latest/UserGuide/access_policies_examples.html)

## Download tools
<a name="setting-up-waf-tools"></a>

The Amazon Web Services Management Console includes a console for Amazon WAF, Amazon Shield Advanced, and Amazon Firewall Manager, but if you want to access the services programmatically, see the following:
+ The API guides document the operations that the services support and provide links to the related SDK and CLI documentation:
  + [Amazon WAF API Reference](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/waf/latest/APIReference/)
  + [Amazon Shield Advanced API Reference](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/waf/latest/DDOSAPIReference/)
  + [Amazon Firewall Manager API Reference](https://docs.amazonaws.cn/fms/2018-01-01/APIReference/Welcome.html)
+ To call an API without having to handle low-level details like assembling raw HTTP requests, you can use an Amazon SDK. The Amazon SDKs provide functions and data types that encapsulate the functionality of Amazon services. To download an Amazon SDK and access installation instructions, see the applicable page: 
  + [Java](https://aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-java/)
  + [JavaScript](http://aws.amazon.com/sdkforbrowser/)
  + [.NET](https://aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-net/)
  + [Node.js](https://aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-node-js/)
  + [PHP](https://aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-php/)
  + [Python](https://github.com/boto/boto)
  + [Ruby](https://aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-ruby/)

  For a complete list of Amazon SDKs, see [Tools for Amazon Web Services](http://aws.amazon.com/tools/).
+ You can use the Amazon Command Line Interface (Amazon CLI) to control multiple Amazon services from the command line. You can also automate your commands using scripts. For more information, see [Amazon Command Line Interface](https://aws.amazon.com/cli/).
+ Amazon Tools for Windows PowerShell supports these Amazon services. For more information, see [Amazon Tools for PowerShell Cmdlet Reference](http://aws.amazon.com/documentation/powershell/).