What Are Cognito Users?

Cognito users are entities within the Amazon Cognito service that are authenticated and authorized to access web or mobile applications. They are managed by Amazon Cognito user pools, which serve as a secure user directory. As an OpenID Connect (OIDC) identity provider (IdP), Cognito users can authenticate via various methods including self-service sign-ups, administrator-driven user creation, or through third-party identity providers for single sign-on (SSO) capabilities.

These users are integral to providing a customized and secure user experience, enabling app integration, and implementing identity federation. Cognito users can be part of a standalone user directory or act as an intermediate service provider (SP), connecting workforce and customer identities with third-party identity providers. By leveraging Amazon Cognito, developers can facilitate different sign-in and sign-up models, manage user profiles, and integrate multi-factor authentication (MFA) to enhance security.

The flexibility of Amazon Cognito extends to its ability to authenticate users through various interfaces, including a hosted UI by Amazon Cognito or a custom UI developed by the service consumer. Additionally, Amazon Cognito supports authorization on the backend with multiple methods, including machine-to-machine authorization using OAuth 2.0 scopes. The service's robust feature set allows for the detection of malicious activity, customization of user experience during sign-up and sign-in, and the monitoring of API requests and performance metrics through integrations with AWS services such as CloudTrail and CloudWatch.

Streamline Your Workflow with Sourcetable

Are you tired of the tedious process of exporting your Cognito Users to a CSV, only to import them again into a spreadsheet program? Sourcetable offers a seamless solution that can transform the way you manage your user data. With Sourcetable, you can directly sync your live Cognito Users data into a dynamic spreadsheet. This integration eliminates the need for manual exports and imports, streamlining your data management process.

Utilize Sourcetable to automate your workflows and enhance your business intelligence capabilities. With the ability to pull in data from multiple sources, including Cognito, Sourcetable simplifies the aggregation and querying of your user information within a user-friendly spreadsheet interface. Embrace the ease of automation and real-time data access with Sourcetable, and make the most out of your data management practices.

Common Use Cases

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  Migrate or export existing users from Amazon Cognito User Pool
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  Store or recreate users into another storage like a database, CSV file, or other user provider service
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  Backing up Cognito User Pool data
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  Creating a script to pull all Cognito User records for processing or analysis

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I directly export Cognito users to a CSV file within the AWS Console?

Cognito does not allow for exporting users directly from a user pool through the AWS Console. However, you can use the ListUsers API call as a workaround to export users.

How can I export Cognito users if the service does not support direct exports?

You can use the ListUsers API call to list the users in your user pool and then store these user records in a CSV file. This process may be automated with a script, such as one written in Python using the boto3 library.

How many users can I retrieve at once when using the ListUsers API call?

The ListUsers API call returns 60 users per request. Pagination can be used to retrieve additional users beyond the initial response.

Will I need to reset user passwords after exporting them to a CSV file?

The workaround for exporting user pools to a CSV file may require users to reset their passwords, as sensitive information like passwords cannot be exported.

Does the ListUsers API call retrieve all user attributes?

Yes, the ListUsers API call retrieves all user attributes, including both Cognito default attributes and any custom attributes you have configured.