# Authenticate with Amazon Location Service
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To use Amazon Location Service, a user must be granted access to the resources and APIs that make up Amazon Location. There are three strategies you can use to grant access to your resources:
+ **API keys** – Grant read-only access to unauthenticated users for Maps, Places, and Routes APIs. API keys are the simplest option when you don't need to authenticate every user, such as a public web application. For more information, see [Use API keys to authenticate](using-apikeys.md).
+ **Amazon Cognito** – Grant anonymous or authenticated access to all Amazon Location Service APIs. With Amazon Cognito, you can define richer authorization policies, combine multiple authentication methods, and use your own sign-in flow. For more information, see [Use Amazon Cognito to authenticate](authenticating-using-cognito.md).
+ **AWS Identity and Access Management (IAM)** – Grant access to users authenticated with AWS IAM Identity Center or IAM. Use IAM for server-side applications, internal tools, and any scenario requiring full control over permissions. For more information, see [Use AWS Identity and Access Management to authenticate](security-iam.md).