What primary function does Amazon Cognito serve?

Amazon Cognito's primary function is user authentication and access control. It is a service that simplifies the process of adding sign-up, sign-in, and access control features to applications. With Amazon Cognito, developers can easily manage user identities and synchronize user data across devices, enabling them to build secure applications.

Cognito supports various authentication methods, including social identity providers (like Google, Facebook, and Amazon), as well as SAML-based and OpenID Connect providers. This flexibility allows applications to cater to a wide range of user preferences and security requirements.

Additionally, Cognito provides features like secure token generation, which helps ensure that access to AWS resources is granted only to authenticated users. This functionality is critical for maintaining the security of applications, as it enables developers to implement fine-grained access control based on user identities and attributes. Overall, Amazon Cognito plays a vital role in securing applications by managing user identities and controlling access to resources.