> **Documentation Update:** Product documentation previously located in `/website` has moved to the [`hashicorp/web-unified-docs`](https://github.com/hashicorp/web-unified-docs) repository, where all product documentation is now centralized. Please make contributions directly to `web-unified-docs`, since changes to `/website` in this repository will not appear on developer.hashicorp.com.
An alias is a globally unique, DNS-like string that is associated with a destination resource. You can establish a session to a target by referencing its alias, instead of having to provide a target ID or target name and scope ID.
For example, if you have an alias `boundary.dev`, you can use it to connect to a target with the following command: `boundary connect ssh boundary.dev`.
When you create a resource in Boundary, it assigns the resource a randomly generated identifier. You must use those IDs to perform actions in Boundary. When you connect to a target using the terminal, you must reference the target ID or target name and scope name.
Aliases simplify this process. When you create an alias and associate it with a target, you can later use the alias `value` instead of the target ID in commands. Boundary automatically resolves to the target that the alias references.
The existence of an alias for a Boundary resource does not change how permissions function. Anyone can attempt to use an alias to access a target, but if you do not have permission to access the target, the attempt fails. You can create an alias for a target, even if you do not have permission to access the target.
Separating the permissions from aliases and destination resources means a different set of people can manage the aliases than the people who have permission to operate on targets. For example, you may have a project with a sensitive set of targets. You can configure Boundary to allow a select few users to manage those targets, while a different group of users manage the aliases.
