How did the power of Augustus differ from the power of Sulla and Caesar?

The reigns of Sulla, Julius Caesar and Octavian Augustus in Rome have a number of similarities, since they all limited the power of the Senate and sought to independently decide state issues. All of them came to power as a result of civil wars. However, the first two, Sulla and Caesar, ruled through their legions. They took Rome by force and established a dictatorship. And Caesar’s successor, Octavian, received power from the Senate, and he was not a dictator, but an emperor who handed over the post to the heir from his family.