Compare open source agent identity management with Google Cloud IAM's resource access control. Different scopes, different purposes.
by OpenA2A
Purpose-built for AI agents. Cryptographic identity, capability-based access, and continuous trust scoring. Open source and self-hosted.
by Google Cloud
Resource-level access control for Google Cloud. Manage who (identity) can do what (roles) on which resources. Service accounts for workloads.
Google Cloud IAM controls access to GCP resources (who can access what in your cloud). AIM manages AI agent identity (cryptographic proof, behavioral trust, capabilities). GCP IAM asks "can this principal access this resource?" while AIM asks "is this agent trustworthy?" Service accounts provide machine identity for GCP access, but not AI-specific trust scoring or capability enforcement.
| Feature | AIM | Google Cloud IAM |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Focus | AI agent identity | GCP resource access control |
| Licensing | Apache-2.0 (Free) | Included with GCP (pay for resources) |
| Deployment | Self-hosted or Cloud | GCP managed only |
| Cryptographic Agent Identity | Ed25519 per agent | Service account keys (not agent-specific) |
| Continuous Trust Scoring | 8-factor real-time | Not available |
| Capability-Based Access | Code-level enforcement | Role-based (predefined + custom) |
| MCP Server Attestation | Native support | Not supported |
| AI Framework Integration | LangChain, CrewAI, etc. | Not applicable |
| Service Accounts | Not applicable | Core feature |
| Workload Identity Federation | Not applicable | AWS, Azure, OIDC |
| Resource Hierarchy Policies | Not applicable | Org, folder, project |
| Vendor Lock-in | None (portable) | GCP ecosystem |
| Source Code Access | Full access | Closed source |
| Cost Model | Free forever | Free (pay for GCP resources) |
AIM asks: "Is this AI agent trustworthy?"
GCP IAM asks: "Can this principal access this resource?"
with AIM
with GCP IAM
AIM secures the agent itself. GCP IAM controls what resources it can access.
from aim_sdk import secure
# Secure the AI agent itself
# Cryptographic identity + trust
agent = secure(
"data-processor",
capabilities=[
"database:read",
"api:call"
]
)
# Agent identity is verified
# before any action# Grant access to GCP resources
# via service account
gcloud iam service-accounts \
create my-agent-sa
gcloud projects add-iam-policy \
--member="sa:my-agent-sa" \
--role="roles/bigquery.user"
# Controls GCP resource access
# Not agent-level identityAIM and GCP IAM operate at different layers and complement each other:
Agent identity (AIM) + Resource access (GCP IAM) = Defense in depth for AI agents on Google Cloud.
If you're building AI agents with Vertex AI, GCP IAM controls access to Vertex AI resources, but it doesn't manage the identity of the AI agents themselves. AIM provides the missing layer: cryptographic identity, capability enforcement, and trust scoring for your Vertex-powered agents.
AIM provides what GCP IAM can't: purpose-built identity for AI agents. Open source, self-hosted, free forever.
Apache-2.0 license • Self-hosted • Works alongside GCP IAM