What's the Difference Between AWS CloudHSM and AWS KMS?
Compare AWS CloudHSM and AWS KMS side by side — features, pricing, and ideal use cases to help you choose the right product.
Compare side-by-side
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Comparisons
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AWS CloudHSM
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AWS KMS
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Category
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Security, Hardware Security |
Security, Key & secrets management |
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Description
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Managed hardware security module (HSM) on the AWS Cloud for generating and using encryption keys. |
Managed creation and control of keys to encrypt or digitally sign data |
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Best for
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Key features
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Pricing model
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Pay per HSM hour |
Pay per key + API requests |
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Free tier
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No |
Yes |
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Expert take
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“CloudHSM provides dedicated hardware security modules in your VPC for cryptographic key storage. Use it when compliance requires FIPS 140-2 Level 3 validated hardware.” |
“KMS integrates with 100+ AWS services for encryption at rest and in transit. Use AWS-managed keys for simplicity or customer-managed keys when you need rotation control, cross-account access, or audit granularity. Key policies are the primary access control; IAM policies are secondary.” |
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Product page
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When to use AWS CloudHSM or AWS KMS
Use AWS CloudHSM when:
- Key management
- SSL/TLS offloading
- Document signing
- Regulatory compliance
Learn more about AWS CloudHSM »
Use AWS KMS when:
- Data encryption
- Digital signing
- Key management
- Regulatory compliance
Next steps with AWS for Security
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