The [AWS SDK for JavaScript V3 API Reference Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/v3/latest/) describes in detail all the API operations for the AWS SDK for JavaScript version 3 (V3).
# Set credentials in Node.js
We recommend that new users who are developing locally and are not given a method of authentication by their employer to set up AWS IAM Identity Center. For more information, see [SDK authentication with AWS](getting-your-credentials.md).
There are several ways in Node.js to supply your credentials to the SDK. Some of these are more secure and others afford greater convenience while developing an application. When obtaining credentials in Node.js, be careful about relying on more than one source, such as an environment variable and a JSON file you load. You can change the permissions under which your code runs without realizing the change has happened.
AWS SDK for JavaScript V3 provides a default credential provider chain in Node.js, so you are not required to supply a credential provider explicitly. The default [credential provider chain](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdkref/latest/guide/standardized-credentials.html#credentialProviderChain) attempts to resolve the credentials from a variety of different sources in a given precedence, until a credential is returned from the one of the sources. You can find the credential provider chain for SDK for JavaScript V3 [here](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSJavaScriptSDK/v3/latest/Package/-aws-sdk-credential-providers/#fromnodeproviderchain).
## Credential provider chain
All SDKs have a series of places (or sources) that they check in order to get valid credentials to use to make a request to an AWS service. After valid credentials are found, the search is stopped. This systematic search is called the default credential provider chain.
For each step in the chain, there are different ways to set the values. Setting values directly in code always takes precedence, followed by setting as environment variables, and then in the shared AWS `config` file. For more information, see [Precedence of settings](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdkref/latest/guide/settings-reference.html#precedenceOfSettings) in the *AWS SDKs and Tools Reference Guide*.
The *AWS SDKs and Tools Reference Guide* has information on SDK configuration settings used by all AWS SDKs and the AWS CLI. To learn more about how to configure the SDK through the shared AWS `config` file, see [Shared config and credentials files](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdkref/latest/guide/file-format.html). To learn more about how to configure the SDK through setting environment variables, see [Environment variables support](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdkref/latest/guide/environment-variables.html).
To authenticate with AWS, the AWS SDK for JavaScript checks the credential providers in the order listed in the following table.
[\[See the AWS documentation website for more details\]](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdk-for-javascript/v3/developer-guide/setting-credentials-node.html)
If you followed the recommended approach for new users to get started, you set up AWS IAM Identity Center authentication during [SDK authentication with AWS](getting-your-credentials.md) of the Getting started topic. Other authentication methods are useful for different situations. To avoid security risks, we recommend always using short-term credentials. For other authentication method procedures, see [Authentication and access](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/sdkref/latest/guide/access.html) in the *AWS SDKs and Tools Reference Guide*.
The topics in this section describe how to load credentials into Node.js.
**Topics**
+ [Credential provider chain](#credchain)
+ [Load credentials in Node.js from IAM roles for Amazon EC2](loading-node-credentials-iam.md)
+ [Load credentials for a Node.js Lambda function](loading-node-credentials-lambda.md)
# Load credentials in Node.js from IAM roles for Amazon EC2
If you run your Node.js application on an Amazon EC2 instance, you can leverage IAM roles for Amazon EC2 to automatically provide credentials to the instance. If you configure your instance to use IAM roles, the SDK automatically selects the IAM credentials for your application, eliminating the need to manually provide credentials.
For more information about adding IAM roles to an Amazon EC2 instance, see [IAM roles for Amazon EC2](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/AWSEC2/latest/UserGuide/iam-roles-for-amazon-ec2.html).
# Load credentials for a Node.js Lambda function
When you create an AWS Lambda function, you must create a special IAM role that has permission to execute the function. This role is called the *execution role*. When you set up a Lambda function, you must specify the IAM role you created as the corresponding execution role.
The execution role provides the Lambda function with the credentials it needs to run and to invoke other web services. As a result, you don't need to provide credentials to the Node.js code you write within a Lambda function.
For more information about creating a Lambda execution role, see [Manage permissions: Using an IAM role (execution role)](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/lambda/latest/dg/intro-permission-model.html#lambda-intro-execution-role) in the *AWS Lambda Developer Guide*.