AWS KMS or AWS CloudHSM: Choose the Right Key Management Solution
AWS, Tuesday, July 28th, 2026
AWS sets out when hardware-backed CloudHSM is warranted versus the fully managed KMS service.
Both AWS Key Management Service and AWS CloudHSM provide key storage backed by hardware security modules, but they serve different needs.
KMS is fully managed and integrates natively with the broadest set of AWS services, making it the default for most encryption-at-rest and envelope encryption patterns. CloudHSM gives customers single-tenant, FIPS-validated HSMs with direct control over the cluster and key material, which some regulatory regimes require.
AWS lays out the decision criteria including compliance mandates, key ceremony requirements, latency, and operational overhead. The post also covers hybrid patterns where CloudHSM backs a KMS custom key store.