Workload identity federation in GCP - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to create a Workload Identity Pool in Google Cloud.

GCP

gcloud iam workload-identity-pools create [1] --location="global" --display-name="My Pool"

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Amy-pool-123

Bmy-project

Cmy-service-account

Dmy-bucket

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the project ID instead of the pool name.

Using a service account name where a pool name is required.

The command requires the name of the Workload Identity Pool to create. "my-pool-123" is a valid pool name.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to create a Workload Identity Provider inside the pool.

GCP

gcloud iam workload-identity-pools providers create-oidc [1] --workload-identity-pool="my-pool-123" --issuer-uri="https://accounts.google.com" --location="global" --display-name="Google OIDC Provider"

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aoidc-provider

Bmy-pool-123

Cgoogle-provider

Dmy-service-account

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the pool name instead of the provider name.

Using a service account name instead of a provider name.

The provider name must be specified when creating a Workload Identity Provider. "google-provider" is a valid name.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the command to bind a service account to the workload identity pool provider.

GCP

gcloud iam service-accounts add-iam-policy-binding [e-mail] --role="roles/iam.workloadIdentityUser" --member="principalSet://iam.googleapis.com/projects/[1]/locations/global/workloadIdentityPools/my-pool-123/attribute.repository/my-repo"

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Amy-project

Bmy-service-account

Cmy-pool-123

Dglobal

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using the service account name instead of the project ID.

Using the pool name in place of the project ID.

The project number or ID must be used in the member string to correctly identify the project context.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to configure the attribute mapping for the workload identity provider.

GCP

gcloud iam workload-identity-pools providers update-oidc google-provider --workload-identity-pool=my-pool-123 --location=global --attribute-mapping="google.subject=[1],attribute.repository=[2]"

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Aassertion.sub

Bassertion.repository

Cassertion.aud

Dassertion.iss

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'aud' or 'iss' claims incorrectly in place of 'sub' or 'repository'.

Mixing up the attribute mapping keys and values.

The attribute mapping uses OIDC token claims. "assertion.sub" maps to google.subject and "assertion.repository" maps to attribute.repository.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill all three blanks to create a service account key and configure the environment variable for authentication.

GCP

gcloud iam service-accounts keys create [1] --iam-account=[2]@my-project.iam.gserviceaccount.com
export GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=[3]

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

Akey.json

Bmy-service-account

C/home/user/key.json

D/tmp/keyfile.json

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using mismatched file names between key creation and environment variable.

Using incorrect service account names.

The key file is created as 'key.json', the service account is 'my-service-account', and the environment variable points to the key file path '/home/user/key.json'.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of Workload Identity Federation in Google Cloud?

easy

A. Encrypt data stored in Google Cloud Storage

B. Create virtual machines automatically

C. Manage billing accounts for Google Cloud projects

D. Allow external applications to access Google Cloud without using long-lived keys

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand Workload Identity Federation purpose

   It is designed to let external apps access Google Cloud resources securely without needing to manage long-lived service account keys.

2. Step 2: Compare options with this purpose

   Only Allow external applications to access Google Cloud without using long-lived keys matches this purpose. Other options describe unrelated Google Cloud features.

3. Final Answer:

   Allow external applications to access Google Cloud without using long-lived keys -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Workload Identity Federation = Access without keys [OK]

Hint: Remember: federation means access without keys [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing federation with VM creation
• Thinking it manages billing
• Assuming it encrypts storage data

2. Which of the following is the correct way to create a workload identity pool using gcloud CLI?

easy

A. gcloud iam service-accounts create POOL_ID --project=my-project

B. gcloud iam workload-identity-pools create POOL_ID --location=global

C. gcloud compute instances create POOL_ID --zone=global

D. gcloud storage buckets create POOL_ID --location=global

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify the correct gcloud command for workload identity pools

   The command to create a workload identity pool is under 'gcloud iam workload-identity-pools create' with a pool ID and location.

2. Step 2: Check each option

   gcloud iam workload-identity-pools create POOL_ID --location=global matches the correct syntax. Options A, B, and D relate to other services like service accounts, compute instances, and storage buckets.

3. Final Answer:

   gcloud iam workload-identity-pools create POOL_ID --location=global -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Workload identity pool creation uses 'gcloud iam workload-identity-pools create' [OK]

Hint: Look for 'iam workload-identity-pools create' command [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using compute or storage commands instead
• Confusing service account creation with pool creation
• Missing the --location flag

3. Given this snippet to configure a workload identity provider:

gcloud iam workload-identity-pools providers create-oidc my-provider \
  --workload-identity-pool=my-pool \
  --issuer-uri=https://accounts.example.com \
  --allowed-audiences=example-audience

What is the expected behavior after this command?

medium

A. It creates an OIDC provider in the specified pool trusting identities from the issuer URI

B. It deletes the workload identity pool named my-pool

C. It creates a service account named my-provider

D. It sets IAM permissions for the service account

Solution

1. Step 1: Analyze the command purpose

   The command creates an OIDC identity provider inside a workload identity pool, specifying the issuer URI and allowed audiences.

2. Step 2: Match behavior to options

   It creates an OIDC provider in the specified pool trusting identities from the issuer URI correctly describes creating a provider trusting external identities. Other options describe unrelated actions.

3. Final Answer:

   It creates an OIDC provider in the specified pool trusting identities from the issuer URI -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Provider creation = trust external issuer [OK]

Hint: OIDC provider means trusting external issuer [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Thinking it deletes pools
• Confusing provider with service account creation
• Assuming it sets IAM permissions directly

4. You run this command to grant an external identity access to a service account:

gcloud iam service-accounts add-iam-policy-binding [e-mail] \
  --role roles/iam.workloadIdentityUser \
  --member "principalSet://iam.googleapis.com/projects/123456789012/locations/global/workloadIdentityPools/my-pool/attribute.subject/my-app"

But the external app still cannot access the service account. What is the most likely error?

medium

A. The service account does not exist

B. The role roles/iam.workloadIdentityUser is invalid

C. The member string format is incorrect or does not match the external identity

D. The workload identity pool was deleted

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the member string format

   The member string must exactly match the external identity's attributes. A mismatch or typo will block access.

2. Step 2: Verify other options

   The service account likely exists if the command ran. The role is valid. Pool deletion would cause different errors.

3. Final Answer:

   The member string format is incorrect or does not match the external identity -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Member string must match identity exactly [OK]

Hint: Check member string matches external identity exactly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using wrong member string format
• Assuming role is invalid
• Ignoring pool existence

5. You want to allow an external CI/CD system to deploy to your Google Cloud project using workload identity federation. Which combination of steps is required to set this up securely?

hard

A. Create a workload identity pool and provider for the CI/CD system, then grant the provider access to a service account with minimal roles

B. Create a service account key and share it with the CI/CD system, then assign owner role to the service account

C. Create a VM instance and install the CI/CD system there with full project permissions

D. Enable billing API and assign billing admin role to the CI/CD system

Solution

1. Step 1: Create workload identity pool and provider

   This lets the external CI/CD system authenticate without keys by trusting its identity.

2. Step 2: Grant minimal permissions to a service account

   Assign only needed roles to the service account and allow the provider to impersonate it, following least privilege.

3. Final Answer:

   Create a workload identity pool and provider for the CI/CD system, then grant the provider access to a service account with minimal roles -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Use federation + minimal roles for secure access [OK]

Hint: Use federation and least privilege roles [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Sharing long-lived keys
• Assigning overly broad roles
• Using VM instead of federation
• Confusing billing roles with access