Manage GCP Cloud Workstations IAM Bindings

The gcp:workstations/workstationConfigIamBinding:WorkstationConfigIamBinding resource, part of the Pulumi GCP provider, manages IAM role bindings for Cloud Workstations workstation configs, controlling which identities can access or manage workstation configurations. This guide focuses on two capabilities: authoritative role binding (managing all members for one role) and non-authoritative member addition (adding one member at a time).

IAM bindings reference existing workstation configs within workstation clusters and require project and location context. The examples are intentionally small. Combine them with your own workstation infrastructure and identity management strategy.

Grant a role to multiple members at once

Teams managing workstation access often need to grant the same role to multiple users, service accounts, or groups simultaneously.

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

const binding = new gcp.workstations.WorkstationConfigIamBinding("binding", {
    project: _default.project,
    location: _default.location,
    workstationClusterId: _default.workstationClusterId,
    workstationConfigId: _default.workstationConfigId,
    role: "roles/viewer",
    members: ["user:jane@example.com"],
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

binding = gcp.workstations.WorkstationConfigIamBinding("binding",
    project=default["project"],
    location=default["location"],
    workstation_cluster_id=default["workstationClusterId"],
    workstation_config_id=default["workstationConfigId"],
    role="roles/viewer",
    members=["user:jane@example.com"])

package main

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

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := workstations.NewWorkstationConfigIamBinding(ctx, "binding", &workstations.WorkstationConfigIamBindingArgs{
			Project:              pulumi.Any(_default.Project),
			Location:             pulumi.Any(_default.Location),
			WorkstationClusterId: pulumi.Any(_default.WorkstationClusterId),
			WorkstationConfigId:  pulumi.Any(_default.WorkstationConfigId),
			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.Workstations.WorkstationConfigIamBinding("binding", new()
    {
        Project = @default.Project,
        Location = @default.Location,
        WorkstationClusterId = @default.WorkstationClusterId,
        WorkstationConfigId = @default.WorkstationConfigId,
        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.workstations.WorkstationConfigIamBinding;
import com.pulumi.gcp.workstations.WorkstationConfigIamBindingArgs;
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 WorkstationConfigIamBinding("binding", WorkstationConfigIamBindingArgs.builder()
            .project(default_.project())
            .location(default_.location())
            .workstationClusterId(default_.workstationClusterId())
            .workstationConfigId(default_.workstationConfigId())
            .role("roles/viewer")
            .members("user:jane@example.com")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  binding:
    type: gcp:workstations:WorkstationConfigIamBinding
    properties:
      project: ${default.project}
      location: ${default.location}
      workstationClusterId: ${default.workstationClusterId}
      workstationConfigId: ${default.workstationConfigId}
      role: roles/viewer
      members:
        - user:jane@example.com

The WorkstationConfigIamBinding resource is authoritative for the specified role: it manages the complete list of members who have that role. The members array accepts various identity formats including user emails, service accounts, groups, and domain-wide grants. When you update the members list, Pulumi replaces the entire set of members for that role. Other roles on the same workstation config remain unchanged.

Add a single member to a role incrementally

When you need to add individual users without affecting other members of the same role, WorkstationConfigIamMember provides non-authoritative access control.

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

const member = new gcp.workstations.WorkstationConfigIamMember("member", {
    project: _default.project,
    location: _default.location,
    workstationClusterId: _default.workstationClusterId,
    workstationConfigId: _default.workstationConfigId,
    role: "roles/viewer",
    member: "user:jane@example.com",
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

member = gcp.workstations.WorkstationConfigIamMember("member",
    project=default["project"],
    location=default["location"],
    workstation_cluster_id=default["workstationClusterId"],
    workstation_config_id=default["workstationConfigId"],
    role="roles/viewer",
    member="user:jane@example.com")

package main

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

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := workstations.NewWorkstationConfigIamMember(ctx, "member", &workstations.WorkstationConfigIamMemberArgs{
			Project:              pulumi.Any(_default.Project),
			Location:             pulumi.Any(_default.Location),
			WorkstationClusterId: pulumi.Any(_default.WorkstationClusterId),
			WorkstationConfigId:  pulumi.Any(_default.WorkstationConfigId),
			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.Workstations.WorkstationConfigIamMember("member", new()
    {
        Project = @default.Project,
        Location = @default.Location,
        WorkstationClusterId = @default.WorkstationClusterId,
        WorkstationConfigId = @default.WorkstationConfigId,
        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.workstations.WorkstationConfigIamMember;
import com.pulumi.gcp.workstations.WorkstationConfigIamMemberArgs;
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 WorkstationConfigIamMember("member", WorkstationConfigIamMemberArgs.builder()
            .project(default_.project())
            .location(default_.location())
            .workstationClusterId(default_.workstationClusterId())
            .workstationConfigId(default_.workstationConfigId())
            .role("roles/viewer")
            .member("user:jane@example.com")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  member:
    type: gcp:workstations:WorkstationConfigIamMember
    properties:
      project: ${default.project}
      location: ${default.location}
      workstationClusterId: ${default.workstationClusterId}
      workstationConfigId: ${default.workstationConfigId}
      role: roles/viewer
      member: user:jane@example.com

Unlike WorkstationConfigIamBinding, WorkstationConfigIamMember is non-authoritative: it adds one member to a role without managing the complete member list. Multiple WorkstationConfigIamMember resources can grant the same role to different members, and they won’t conflict with each other. This approach works well when different teams or modules need to grant access independently.

Beyond these examples

These snippets focus on specific IAM binding features: role-based access control and authoritative vs non-authoritative member management. They’re intentionally minimal rather than complete access control solutions.

The examples reference pre-existing infrastructure such as workstation configs and clusters, and a GCP project with location. They focus on configuring IAM bindings rather than provisioning the workstation infrastructure itself.

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

Conditional IAM bindings (condition property)
Policy-level management (WorkstationConfigIamPolicy)
Custom role definitions
Federated identity configuration

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

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Frequently Asked Questions

Resource Selection & Conflicts

What's the difference between WorkstationConfigIamPolicy, Binding, and Member?

WorkstationConfigIamPolicy is fully authoritative and replaces the entire IAM policy. WorkstationConfigIamBinding is authoritative for a specific role, preserving other roles. WorkstationConfigIamMember is non-authoritative, adding a single member while preserving other members for that role.

Can I use these IAM resources together?

WorkstationConfigIamPolicy cannot be used with WorkstationConfigIamBinding or WorkstationConfigIamMember, as they will conflict. However, WorkstationConfigIamBinding and WorkstationConfigIamMember can be used together only if they manage different roles.

Configuration & Identity Formats

What member identity formats are supported?

The members property accepts multiple formats:

allUsers or allAuthenticatedUsers for public/authenticated access
user:{email}, serviceAccount:{email}, group:{email} for specific identities
domain:{domain} for G Suite domains
projectOwner:, projectEditor:, projectViewer: with project ID
Federated identities using principal:// format (see Principal identifiers documentation)

How do I specify custom roles?

Custom roles must use the format [projects|organizations]/{parent-name}/roles/{role-name}. For example, projects/my-project/roles/my-custom-role or organizations/my-org/roles/my-custom-role.

Import & Resource Identification

What formats can I use to import this resource?

Four import formats are supported:

Full path: projects/{{project}}/locations/{{location}}/workstationClusters/{{cluster_id}}/workstationConfigs/{{config_id}}
Without projects: {{project}}/{{location}}/{{cluster_id}}/{{config_id}}
Without project: {{location}}/{{cluster_id}}/{{config_id}}
Config ID only: {{config_id}}

Variables not provided in the import command are taken from the provider configuration.

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