CODEWITHSUNDEEP
amazon-web-servicesamazon-ec2
rob_7cc
rob_7cc

Reputation: 917

AWS Security Groups -- Name vs. Group Name

In AWS Security Groups, what is the difference between "Name" and "Group Name"? It's confusing because when one creates a "Security Group", "Name" would seem to be interpreted as "name of the security group"...but then there is "Group Name". Seems redundant to the point of confusion. "Group Name" seems to be the more substantive and important field.

The "Name" field can be changed by clicking the pencil icon as shown in the screenshot below:

enter image description here

But the "Group Name" cannot be edited and can be specified only at the time of creation:

enter image description here

I've been simply setting Name to be the same as Group Name for consistency and simplicity. I can't find any guidance on best practices for the "Name" field and how or if it should be named relative to the "Group Name" field (the pop-up help on AWS simply describes required naming syntax). Is "Name" just a convenience field which has little to zero significance (since it can be easily changed at any point)? What are the programmatic and functional effects of these names?

Upvotes: 30

Views: 4352

Answers (1)

John Rotenstein
John Rotenstein

Reputation: 269340

Name is simply displaying the value of the Name tag on the security group.

The real name is the Group Name, which cannot be changed after creation.

Yes, it is confusing!

Upvotes: 35

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