Manage GCP Service Directory IAM Policies

The gcp:servicedirectory/serviceIamPolicy:ServiceIamPolicy resource, part of the Pulumi GCP provider, manages IAM policies for Service Directory services, controlling who can access service metadata and endpoints. This guide focuses on three capabilities: authoritative policy replacement, role-level member management, and incremental member addition.

Service Directory offers three IAM resources that differ in scope and behavior. ServiceIamPolicy replaces the entire policy (authoritative). ServiceIamBinding manages all members for one role while preserving other roles (authoritative for that role). ServiceIamMember adds individual members without affecting existing permissions (non-authoritative). These resources cannot be mixed arbitrarily: ServiceIamPolicy conflicts with both ServiceIamBinding and ServiceIamMember, while ServiceIamBinding and ServiceIamMember can coexist if they manage different roles. The examples are intentionally small. Choose the resource type that matches your access control requirements.

Replace the entire IAM policy for a service

When you need complete control over who can access a Service Directory service, ServiceIamPolicy replaces the entire policy in one operation.

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

const admin = gcp.organizations.getIAMPolicy({
    bindings: [{
        role: "roles/viewer",
        members: ["user:jane@example.com"],
    }],
});
const policy = new gcp.servicedirectory.ServiceIamPolicy("policy", {
    name: example.name,
    policyData: admin.then(admin => admin.policyData),
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

admin = gcp.organizations.get_iam_policy(bindings=[{
    "role": "roles/viewer",
    "members": ["user:jane@example.com"],
}])
policy = gcp.servicedirectory.ServiceIamPolicy("policy",
    name=example["name"],
    policy_data=admin.policy_data)

package main

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

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		admin, err := organizations.LookupIAMPolicy(ctx, &organizations.LookupIAMPolicyArgs{
			Bindings: []organizations.GetIAMPolicyBinding{
				{
					Role: "roles/viewer",
					Members: []string{
						"user:jane@example.com",
					},
				},
			},
		}, nil)
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		_, err = servicedirectory.NewServiceIamPolicy(ctx, "policy", &servicedirectory.ServiceIamPolicyArgs{
			Name:       pulumi.Any(example.Name),
			PolicyData: pulumi.String(admin.PolicyData),
		})
		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 admin = Gcp.Organizations.GetIAMPolicy.Invoke(new()
    {
        Bindings = new[]
        {
            new Gcp.Organizations.Inputs.GetIAMPolicyBindingInputArgs
            {
                Role = "roles/viewer",
                Members = new[]
                {
                    "user:jane@example.com",
                },
            },
        },
    });

    var policy = new Gcp.ServiceDirectory.ServiceIamPolicy("policy", new()
    {
        Name = example.Name,
        PolicyData = admin.Apply(getIAMPolicyResult => getIAMPolicyResult.PolicyData),
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.gcp.organizations.OrganizationsFunctions;
import com.pulumi.gcp.organizations.inputs.GetIAMPolicyArgs;
import com.pulumi.gcp.servicedirectory.ServiceIamPolicy;
import com.pulumi.gcp.servicedirectory.ServiceIamPolicyArgs;
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) {
        final var admin = OrganizationsFunctions.getIAMPolicy(GetIAMPolicyArgs.builder()
            .bindings(GetIAMPolicyBindingArgs.builder()
                .role("roles/viewer")
                .members("user:jane@example.com")
                .build())
            .build());

        var policy = new ServiceIamPolicy("policy", ServiceIamPolicyArgs.builder()
            .name(example.name())
            .policyData(admin.policyData())
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  policy:
    type: gcp:servicedirectory:ServiceIamPolicy
    properties:
      name: ${example.name}
      policyData: ${admin.policyData}
variables:
  admin:
    fn::invoke:
      function: gcp:organizations:getIAMPolicy
      arguments:
        bindings:
          - role: roles/viewer
            members:
              - user:jane@example.com

The policyData property accepts output from the getIAMPolicy data source, which defines bindings (role-to-members mappings). This resource is authoritative: it removes any existing bindings not included in policyData. Use this when you want to define the complete access policy in one place.

Grant a role to multiple members at once

ServiceIamBinding manages all members for a single role, making it useful when you want to define the complete member list for a role without affecting other roles.

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

const binding = new gcp.servicedirectory.ServiceIamBinding("binding", {
    name: example.name,
    role: "roles/viewer",
    members: ["user:jane@example.com"],
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

binding = gcp.servicedirectory.ServiceIamBinding("binding",
    name=example["name"],
    role="roles/viewer",
    members=["user:jane@example.com"])

package main

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

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := servicedirectory.NewServiceIamBinding(ctx, "binding", &servicedirectory.ServiceIamBindingArgs{
			Name: pulumi.Any(example.Name),
			Role: pulumi.String("roles/viewer"),
			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.ServiceDirectory.ServiceIamBinding("binding", new()
    {
        Name = example.Name,
        Role = "roles/viewer",
        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.servicedirectory.ServiceIamBinding;
import com.pulumi.gcp.servicedirectory.ServiceIamBindingArgs;
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 ServiceIamBinding("binding", ServiceIamBindingArgs.builder()
            .name(example.name())
            .role("roles/viewer")
            .members("user:jane@example.com")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  binding:
    type: gcp:servicedirectory:ServiceIamBinding
    properties:
      name: ${example.name}
      role: roles/viewer
      members:
        - user:jane@example.com

The role property specifies which role to manage, and members lists all identities that should have that role. This resource is authoritative for the specified role: it replaces the member list for that role while preserving other roles in the policy. Use this when you want to control all access for one role without touching other roles.

Add a single member to a role incrementally

ServiceIamMember adds one member to a role without affecting other members or roles, making it the safest choice when multiple teams manage access independently.

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

const member = new gcp.servicedirectory.ServiceIamMember("member", {
    name: example.name,
    role: "roles/viewer",
    member: "user:jane@example.com",
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

member = gcp.servicedirectory.ServiceIamMember("member",
    name=example["name"],
    role="roles/viewer",
    member="user:jane@example.com")

package main

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

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := servicedirectory.NewServiceIamMember(ctx, "member", &servicedirectory.ServiceIamMemberArgs{
			Name:   pulumi.Any(example.Name),
			Role:   pulumi.String("roles/viewer"),
			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.ServiceDirectory.ServiceIamMember("member", new()
    {
        Name = example.Name,
        Role = "roles/viewer",
        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.servicedirectory.ServiceIamMember;
import com.pulumi.gcp.servicedirectory.ServiceIamMemberArgs;
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 ServiceIamMember("member", ServiceIamMemberArgs.builder()
            .name(example.name())
            .role("roles/viewer")
            .member("user:jane@example.com")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  member:
    type: gcp:servicedirectory:ServiceIamMember
    properties:
      name: ${example.name}
      role: roles/viewer
      member: user:jane@example.com

The member property specifies a single identity to grant the role. This resource is non-authoritative: it adds the member without removing existing members for that role. Use this when you want to grant access without coordinating with other teams or disrupting existing permissions.

Beyond these examples

These snippets focus on specific IAM management approaches: authoritative vs non-authoritative updates, and policy-level, role-level, and member-level control. They’re intentionally minimal rather than full access control configurations.

The examples reference pre-existing infrastructure such as a Service Directory service (referenced by name). They focus on IAM policy configuration rather than provisioning the service itself.

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

Conditional IAM bindings (condition blocks)
Custom role definitions and management
Service account creation for members
Namespace and service provisioning

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

Resource Selection & Conflicts

Which IAM resource should I use for Service Directory?

You have three options:

ServiceIamPolicy - Authoritative. Replaces the entire IAM policy for the service.
ServiceIamBinding - Authoritative for a given role. Preserves other roles in the policy.
ServiceIamMember - Non-authoritative. Adds a single member to a role, preserving other members.

Can I use ServiceIamPolicy with ServiceIamBinding or ServiceIamMember?

No, ServiceIamPolicy cannot be used with ServiceIamBinding or ServiceIamMember because they will conflict over the policy.

Can I use ServiceIamBinding and ServiceIamMember together?

Yes, but only if they don’t grant privileges to the same role. If they target the same role, they will conflict.

Configuration & Import

Where does the policyData come from?

The policyData is generated by the gcp.organizations.getIAMPolicy data source, as shown in the examples.

How do I import a custom role?

Use the full name format: projects/my-project/roles/my-custom-role or organizations/my-org/roles/my-custom-role.

Using a different cloud?

Explore security guides for other cloud providers:

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