Cursor vs Amazon Q: secrets handling and enterprise rollout

Cursor vs Amazon Q: secrets handling and enterprise rollout

August 29, 2025

Amazon Q Developer provides AWS-native security with verified SOC 2 Type II compliance through AWS Artifact, while Cursor's VS Code fork delivered superior developer experience despite four documented RCE vulnerabilities in 2025. Enterprise teams evaluating AI coding assistants must verify both security incident response patterns and IDE migration requirements before committing production deployment resources.

Amazon Q Developer vs Cursor: Core Comparison

FeatureAmazon Q DeveloperCursor
ArchitectureAWS-native AI assistant with IDE pluginsStandalone VS Code fork
Enterprise SecuritySOC 2 Type II (verified), AWS infrastructureSOC 2 Type II (claimed), 4 RCE CVEs in 2025
IDE SupportVS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, EclipseCursor IDE only (VS Code fork)
Connector Coverage40+ enterprise connectors via Q BusinessNo enterprise connectors
Administrative ControlsAWS IAM Identity Center, CloudTrailNative SCIM 2.0, Admin API
Deployment ScaleAWS Organizations integrationUnlimited users
PricingFree tier + $19/user/month ProFree tier + $20-$40/user/month

Augment Code's Context Engine processes 400,000+ files through semantic dependency analysis, enabling architectural-level code understanding that both Amazon Q Developer and Cursor lack when evaluating enterprise codebases. Explore Context Engine capabilities →

Ship features 10x faster with Augment Code

What to Consider When Deciding Between Amazon Q Developer and Cursor

Integration Architecture

Amazon Q Developer's AWS-native architecture integrates with Secrets Manager for enterprise-grade credential management, while Cursor provides limited Cloud Agents secrets UI requiring third-party vault solutions. When using Augment Code's Context Engine for secrets management workflows, teams implementing credential rotation policies see reduced security incidents through semantic dependency analysis that identifies hardcoded secrets across 400,000+ files.

AWS Secrets Manager integration enables storage with encryption at rest and in transit, automated rotation through Lambda-triggered events, and audit logging through CloudTrail integration:

python
# AWS Secrets Manager integration for Amazon Q Developer
import boto3
from botocore.exceptions import ClientError
def get_secret(secret_name, region_name="us-east-1"):
session = boto3.session.Session()
client = session.client(
service_name='secretsmanager',
region_name=region_name
)
try:
response = client.get_secret_value(SecretId=secret_name)
return response['SecretString']
except ClientError as e:
# Common failure: InvalidRequestException for deleted secrets
raise e

Enterprise Rollout Considerations

Deploying AI assistants to thousands of engineers requires SSO, SCIM, and proven scalability. Cursor provides superior native controls including SCIM 2.0, Admin API, usage analytics, and organization-wide Privacy Mode enforcement, but requires IDE migration. Amazon Q Developer preserves existing IDE investments through plugins and integrates with AWS Organizations for enterprise-scale deployments.

Cursor provides verified SAML 2.0 authentication with Okta support, automated user provisioning through SCIM 2.0, programmatic access via Admin API, and per-commit AI usage metrics through AI Code Tracking API. Enterprise customers can enforce Privacy Mode organization-wide ensuring zero data retention with AI providers.

Amazon Q Developer implements SSO through AWS IAM Identity Center with SAML 2.0 support for Microsoft Entra ID and any SAML-compatible provider. The platform leverages AWS CloudTrail for comprehensive audit logging and IAM policies for access control.

Augment Code's enterprise deployment achieves SOC 2 Type II and ISO/IEC 42001 certification (first AI coding assistant with ISO/IEC 42001), providing verified compliance documentation that streamlines procurement for security-conscious organizations. Evaluate enterprise deployment options →

Customer Success Stories

Enterprise case studies from AWS re:Invent 2024 featured DTCC (Depository Trust & Clearing Corporation) demonstrating how they use Amazon Q to streamline development processes while maintaining regulatory compliance in financial services. The presentation highlighted integration patterns for compliance-critical workflows.

According to Cursor's official documentation, the platform is "used by over half of the Fortune 500," including NVIDIA, Uber, and Adobe, with substantial enterprise adoption validating the developer experience focus.

Enterprise teams using Augment Code's Context Engine report 70% developer preference win rates through comprehensive codebase understanding, with the platform's semantic dependency analysis enabling faster onboarding and reduced code review cycles for large-scale development organizations.

Who Is Amazon Q Developer For?

Amazon Q UI

Who Is Cursor For?

Cursor AI UI

FAQ: Enterprise AI Coding Assistant Selection

What to Do Next

Both Amazon Q Developer and Cursor serve specific use cases, but neither provides the architectural-level context analysis required for large-scale enterprise codebases. Amazon Q Developer suits AWS-native environments with verified compliance through AWS Artifact. Cursor delivers developer velocity but requires IDE migration and ongoing security vulnerability management.

Enterprise teams should prioritize three evaluation criteria this week:

  1. Verify security certifications: Request SOC 2 Type II reports directly. Amazon Q Developer provides verification through AWS Artifact; Cursor requires Trust Center access.
  2. Assess IDE migration requirements: Amazon Q Developer preserves existing IDE investments across VS Code, JetBrains, Visual Studio, and Eclipse. Cursor requires complete migration to its VS Code fork.
  3. Evaluate context understanding depth: Test each tool against your actual codebase complexity. Neither Amazon Q nor Cursor processes architectural dependencies across 400,000+ files like Augment Code's Context Engine.

For enterprise teams requiring verified compliance and comprehensive codebase understanding, Augment Code's Context Engine achieves 70.6% SWE-bench score through semantic dependency analysis across 400,000+ files, reducing developer onboarding from 6 weeks to 6 days. ISO/IEC 42001 certification (first AI coding assistant certified) and SOC 2 Type II compliance streamline enterprise procurement.

Evaluate enterprise-grade AI coding with verified compliance →

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Molisha Shah

Molisha Shah

GTM and Customer Champion


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