Managed identity integration in Azure - Cheat Sheet & Quick Revision

Recall & Review

beginner

What is a managed identity in Azure?

A managed identity is a feature in Azure that provides an automatically managed identity in Azure Active Directory for applications to use when connecting to resources. It removes the need to manage credentials manually.

beginner

What are the two types of managed identities in Azure?

The two types are:<br>1. System-assigned managed identity: Enabled directly on an Azure resource and tied to its lifecycle.<br>2. User-assigned managed identity: Created as a standalone Azure resource and can be assigned to multiple resources.

intermediate

How does a managed identity improve security compared to using service principals with secrets?

Managed identities eliminate the need to store credentials in code or configuration. Azure handles credential rotation automatically, reducing the risk of leaked or expired secrets.

beginner

Which Azure service can use managed identities to authenticate without credentials?

Many Azure services can use managed identities, including Azure Virtual Machines, Azure App Service, Azure Functions, and Azure Logic Apps, to authenticate securely to other Azure services like Key Vault or Storage.

beginner

What is the main step to enable a system-assigned managed identity on an Azure resource?

You enable the system-assigned managed identity in the Azure portal or via CLI by turning on the identity feature for the resource. Azure then creates an identity tied to that resource's lifecycle.

What happens to a system-assigned managed identity when its Azure resource is deleted?

A The managed identity is transferred to another resource.

B The managed identity remains and must be deleted manually.

C The managed identity is deleted automatically.

D The managed identity becomes inactive but stays in Azure AD.

System-assigned managed identities are tied to the lifecycle of the resource and are deleted automatically when the resource is deleted.

Which of the following is NOT a benefit of using managed identities?

A No need to store secrets in code

B Manual rotation of credentials required

C Automatic credential management

D Simplified authentication to Azure services

Managed identities handle credential rotation automatically, so manual rotation is not required.

Which Azure CLI command enables a system-assigned managed identity on a virtual machine named 'vm1'?

A az vm identity assign --name vm1 --resource-group myGroup

B az identity create --name vm1 --resource-group myGroup

C az vm create --name vm1 --assign-identity

D az vm identity enable --name vm1 --resource-group myGroup

The command 'az vm identity assign' enables a system-assigned managed identity on the specified VM.

User-assigned managed identities can be:

A Tied to only one resource's lifecycle

B Used only with Azure Functions

C Automatically deleted with the resource

D Assigned to multiple Azure resources

User-assigned managed identities are standalone resources and can be assigned to multiple Azure resources.

Which Azure service is commonly accessed using managed identities for secret retrieval?

A Azure Key Vault

B Azure Cosmos DB

C Azure DevOps

D Azure Monitor

Azure Key Vault is commonly accessed using managed identities to securely retrieve secrets without storing credentials.

Explain what a managed identity is and why it is useful in Azure.

Think about how apps connect securely without passwords.

Describe the difference between system-assigned and user-assigned managed identities.

Consider how each identity is created and managed.