Configure GCP Compute Instance Template IAM Bindings

The gcp:compute/instanceTemplateIamBinding:InstanceTemplateIamBinding resource, part of the Pulumi GCP provider, manages IAM role bindings for Compute Engine instance templates, controlling which identities can access template resources. This guide focuses on three capabilities: authoritative role bindings with multiple members, time-based access with IAM Conditions, and non-authoritative member grants.

IAM bindings reference existing instance templates and require a configured GCP project. The examples are intentionally small. Combine them with your own template definitions and organizational access policies.

Grant a role to multiple members at once

Teams managing instance template access often need to grant the same role to multiple users or service accounts simultaneously.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as gcp from "@pulumi/gcp";

const binding = new gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding("binding", {
    project: _default.project,
    name: _default.name,
    role: "roles/compute.instanceAdmin",
    members: ["user:jane@example.com"],
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

binding = gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding("binding",
    project=default["project"],
    name=default["name"],
    role="roles/compute.instanceAdmin",
    members=["user:jane@example.com"])

package main

import (
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/compute"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := compute.NewInstanceTemplateIamBinding(ctx, "binding", &compute.InstanceTemplateIamBindingArgs{
			Project: pulumi.Any(_default.Project),
			Name:    pulumi.Any(_default.Name),
			Role:    pulumi.String("roles/compute.instanceAdmin"),
			Members: pulumi.StringArray{
				pulumi.String("user:jane@example.com"),
			},
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using Gcp = Pulumi.Gcp;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var binding = new Gcp.Compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding("binding", new()
    {
        Project = @default.Project,
        Name = @default.Name,
        Role = "roles/compute.instanceAdmin",
        Members = new[]
        {
            "user:jane@example.com",
        },
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding;
import com.pulumi.gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBindingArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var binding = new InstanceTemplateIamBinding("binding", InstanceTemplateIamBindingArgs.builder()
            .project(default_.project())
            .name(default_.name())
            .role("roles/compute.instanceAdmin")
            .members("user:jane@example.com")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  binding:
    type: gcp:compute:InstanceTemplateIamBinding
    properties:
      project: ${default.project}
      name: ${default.name}
      role: roles/compute.instanceAdmin
      members:
        - user:jane@example.com

The role property specifies which permission set to grant (e.g., roles/compute.instanceAdmin). The members array lists all identities receiving this role; the binding is authoritative for this role, meaning it replaces any existing member list for this specific role on this template. The name property identifies which instance template receives the binding.

Add time-based access with IAM Conditions

Temporary access grants require expiration logic to automatically revoke permissions after a specific date.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as gcp from "@pulumi/gcp";

const binding = new gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding("binding", {
    project: _default.project,
    name: _default.name,
    role: "roles/compute.instanceAdmin",
    members: ["user:jane@example.com"],
    condition: {
        title: "expires_after_2019_12_31",
        description: "Expiring at midnight of 2019-12-31",
        expression: "request.time < timestamp(\"2020-01-01T00:00:00Z\")",
    },
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

binding = gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding("binding",
    project=default["project"],
    name=default["name"],
    role="roles/compute.instanceAdmin",
    members=["user:jane@example.com"],
    condition={
        "title": "expires_after_2019_12_31",
        "description": "Expiring at midnight of 2019-12-31",
        "expression": "request.time < timestamp(\"2020-01-01T00:00:00Z\")",
    })

package main

import (
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/compute"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := compute.NewInstanceTemplateIamBinding(ctx, "binding", &compute.InstanceTemplateIamBindingArgs{
			Project: pulumi.Any(_default.Project),
			Name:    pulumi.Any(_default.Name),
			Role:    pulumi.String("roles/compute.instanceAdmin"),
			Members: pulumi.StringArray{
				pulumi.String("user:jane@example.com"),
			},
			Condition: &compute.InstanceTemplateIamBindingConditionArgs{
				Title:       pulumi.String("expires_after_2019_12_31"),
				Description: pulumi.String("Expiring at midnight of 2019-12-31"),
				Expression:  pulumi.String("request.time < timestamp(\"2020-01-01T00:00:00Z\")"),
			},
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using Gcp = Pulumi.Gcp;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var binding = new Gcp.Compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding("binding", new()
    {
        Project = @default.Project,
        Name = @default.Name,
        Role = "roles/compute.instanceAdmin",
        Members = new[]
        {
            "user:jane@example.com",
        },
        Condition = new Gcp.Compute.Inputs.InstanceTemplateIamBindingConditionArgs
        {
            Title = "expires_after_2019_12_31",
            Description = "Expiring at midnight of 2019-12-31",
            Expression = "request.time < timestamp(\"2020-01-01T00:00:00Z\")",
        },
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding;
import com.pulumi.gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBindingArgs;
import com.pulumi.gcp.compute.inputs.InstanceTemplateIamBindingConditionArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var binding = new InstanceTemplateIamBinding("binding", InstanceTemplateIamBindingArgs.builder()
            .project(default_.project())
            .name(default_.name())
            .role("roles/compute.instanceAdmin")
            .members("user:jane@example.com")
            .condition(InstanceTemplateIamBindingConditionArgs.builder()
                .title("expires_after_2019_12_31")
                .description("Expiring at midnight of 2019-12-31")
                .expression("request.time < timestamp(\"2020-01-01T00:00:00Z\")")
                .build())
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  binding:
    type: gcp:compute:InstanceTemplateIamBinding
    properties:
      project: ${default.project}
      name: ${default.name}
      role: roles/compute.instanceAdmin
      members:
        - user:jane@example.com
      condition:
        title: expires_after_2019_12_31
        description: Expiring at midnight of 2019-12-31
        expression: request.time < timestamp("2020-01-01T00:00:00Z")

The condition block adds temporal logic to the binding. The expression property uses CEL (Common Expression Language) to define when the binding is active; here, it expires at midnight on 2020-01-01. The title and description provide human-readable context. IAM evaluates conditions at request time, automatically denying access once the expression evaluates to false.

Add a single member to a role non-authoritatively

When multiple teams manage access to the same template, non-authoritative member resources let you add individual users without affecting others’ permissions.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as gcp from "@pulumi/gcp";

const member = new gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamMember("member", {
    project: _default.project,
    name: _default.name,
    role: "roles/compute.instanceAdmin",
    member: "user:jane@example.com",
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

member = gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamMember("member",
    project=default["project"],
    name=default["name"],
    role="roles/compute.instanceAdmin",
    member="user:jane@example.com")

package main

import (
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/compute"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := compute.NewInstanceTemplateIamMember(ctx, "member", &compute.InstanceTemplateIamMemberArgs{
			Project: pulumi.Any(_default.Project),
			Name:    pulumi.Any(_default.Name),
			Role:    pulumi.String("roles/compute.instanceAdmin"),
			Member:  pulumi.String("user:jane@example.com"),
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using Gcp = Pulumi.Gcp;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var member = new Gcp.Compute.InstanceTemplateIamMember("member", new()
    {
        Project = @default.Project,
        Name = @default.Name,
        Role = "roles/compute.instanceAdmin",
        Member = "user:jane@example.com",
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamMember;
import com.pulumi.gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamMemberArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var member = new InstanceTemplateIamMember("member", InstanceTemplateIamMemberArgs.builder()
            .project(default_.project())
            .name(default_.name())
            .role("roles/compute.instanceAdmin")
            .member("user:jane@example.com")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  member:
    type: gcp:compute:InstanceTemplateIamMember
    properties:
      project: ${default.project}
      name: ${default.name}
      role: roles/compute.instanceAdmin
      member: user:jane@example.com

The member property (singular) adds one identity to the role without replacing existing members. This resource uses InstanceTemplateIamMember instead of InstanceTemplateIamBinding, making it non-authoritative: other members assigned to this role remain unchanged. Multiple teams can safely manage different members for the same role without conflicts.

Beyond these examples

These snippets focus on specific IAM binding features: role bindings and member grants, and IAM Conditions for time-based access. They’re intentionally minimal rather than full access control configurations.

The examples reference pre-existing infrastructure such as Compute Engine instance templates and a GCP project with configured provider. They focus on configuring IAM bindings rather than provisioning the templates themselves.

To keep things focused, common IAM patterns are omitted, including:

Policy-level management (InstanceTemplateIamPolicy)
Custom role format and organization-level roles
Federated identity principals and workload identity
Resource compatibility constraints (Policy vs Binding/Member)

These omissions are intentional: the goal is to illustrate how each IAM binding feature is wired, not provide drop-in access control modules. See the InstanceTemplateIamBinding resource reference for all available configuration options.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Resource Selection & Conflicts

Which IAM resources can I use together?

gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamPolicy cannot be used with gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding or gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamMember as they will conflict. However, InstanceTemplateIamBinding and InstanceTemplateIamMember can be used together only if they manage different roles.

What's the difference between the three IAM resource types?

gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamPolicy is authoritative and replaces the entire IAM policy. gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding is authoritative for a given role but preserves other roles. gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamMember is non-authoritative and preserves other members for the same role.

When should I use InstanceTemplateIamBinding vs InstanceTemplateIamMember?

Use InstanceTemplateIamBinding when you want to manage all members for a specific role authoritatively. Use InstanceTemplateIamMember when you want to add individual members without affecting existing members for that role.

IAM Configuration & Member Formats

What member identity formats are supported?

Supported formats include allUsers, allAuthenticatedUsers, user:{email}, serviceAccount:{email}, group:{email}, domain:{domain}, projectOwner/Editor/Viewer:{projectid}, and federated identities like principal://iam.googleapis.com/....

What format do custom roles require?

Custom roles must use the format [projects|organizations]/{parent-name}/roles/{role-name}.

Which properties can't be changed after creation?

The name, project, role, and condition properties are immutable and cannot be changed after the resource is created.

IAM Conditions

Can I use IAM Conditions with this resource?

Yes, but IAM Conditions have known limitations. Review the limitations documentation at https://cloud.google.com/iam/docs/conditions-overview#limitations before using them.

How do I add time-based access restrictions?

Use the condition property with title, description, and expression fields. For example, set expression to request.time < timestamp(\"2020-01-01T00:00:00Z\") to expire access at a specific time.

Project & Resource Management

What happens if I don't specify a project?

If project is not provided, it will be parsed from the parent resource identifier. If no project is found there, the provider project is used.

Can I use only one InstanceTemplateIamBinding per role?

Yes, only one gcp.compute.InstanceTemplateIamBinding can be used per role. For multiple members on the same role, list them all in the members array or use InstanceTemplateIamMember instead.

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