IAM user can open a Cloud9 environment via URL but can't see this environment listed in the management console

Question

I have an application that uses the SDK for Java to create a Cloud9 environment and add an existing IAM user as a member to it (the IAM user has full administrator access permissions). The application is running on a container on ECS with the relevant permissions to carry out these Cloud9 functions. It successfully creates the Cloud9 environment (shows a successful banner on the Cloud9 console) and successfully adds the IAM user to the environment because when I log in as that IAM user I can open the environment via URL.

However, when I'm logged in as that IAM user and I navigate to the Cloud9 service in the management console, I can't see the environment listed (though I can see the instance running in EC2). Why is this?

(The application is hardcoded to create the environment in the eu-west-2 region, and I have been selecting this region when using the management console.)

Accepted Answer

The behavior you're describing is unusual, but there are a few potential reasons why the Cloud9 environment might not be visible in the AWS Management Console for the IAM user, even if they can access it via URL:

**IAM Permissions:** Even though the IAM user has full administrator access, it's worth double-checking the permissions related to Cloud9. Ensure that the IAM user has the necessary permissions to list and describe Cloud9 environments. The necessary permissions include **cloud9:DescribeEnvironmentMemberships** and **cloud9:ListEnvironments**.

**Cloud9 Shared Environment:** When a Cloud9 environment is shared with another IAM user, it doesn't show up in the main list of environments for that user in the AWS Management Console. Instead, the shared user needs to click on the "Shared with me" tab in the Cloud9 console to see environments that have been shared with them.

**Region Selection:** Ensure that you're looking in the correct AWS region (**eu-west-2** as you mentioned) in the AWS Management Console. Sometimes, it's easy to overlook the region selection, and environments created in one region won't be visible in another.

**Console Cache:** Occasionally, the AWS Management Console might cache data, causing it not to display the most up-to-date information. Try clearing your browser's cache or using a different browser to see if the environment appears.

**Environment State:** Ensure that the Cloud9 environment is in an 'Available' state. If it's in a 'Pending' or 'Failed' state, there might be issues that need to be addressed.

**Cloud9 Service Limits:** AWS Cloud9 has service limits, such as the maximum number of environments per AWS account per region. Ensure that you haven't reached any of these limits.

Lastly, as a workaround, if the IAM user can access the environment via URL, consider bookmarking that URL for easy access in the future. However, it's still important to determine the root cause of the issue to ensure there aren't underlying problems with the configuration or permissions.

IAM user can open a Cloud9 environment via URL but can't see this environment listed in the management console

Relevant content