cloud metadata service
the address where a cloud server asks who it is
Cloud servers can query a built-in service to learn their own settings and fetch temporary credentials. It answers anything running on that server, without a password. If an attacker runs code there, they can collect those credentials. Blocking containers from reaching it is a common safeguard.
Think of it as
A front desk that hands a keycard to anyone already standing in the lobby.
Ideas that use this term