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How Can You Create an AKS Service Principal Automatically vs Manually?
Learn the methods for creating a service principal for Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) for your AZ-500 exam. Understand the difference between automatic creation via Azure CLI during deployment and manual creation, and see why managed identities are now the preferred option.
Question
The service principal required by Azure Kubernetes Service can be created by the following methods?
A. Automatically by the AKS deployment process via the Azure CLI
B. Manually using the Azure CLI before AKS deployment
C. No service principal is required for AKS
D. A and B
Answer
D. A and B
Explanation
The correct answer is D. The Azure Kubernetes Service (AKS) cluster requires an identity to interact with other Azure resources, and this identity can be created either automatically during cluster deployment or manually beforehand.
The service principal required by AKS can be configured manually prior to deployment or automatically as part of the deployment process.
Automatic Service Principal Creation
This is the simplest and most common method for creating a service principal for an AKS cluster.
- Process: When you deploy an AKS cluster using the Azure CLI (az aks create) and do not specify an existing identity, the deployment process automatically creates a new service principal in your Azure Active Directory tenant.
- Permissions: The process also grants this newly created service principal the necessary Contributor role on the node resource group, allowing it to manage resources like virtual machines, load balancers, and storage on behalf of the cluster.
- Use Case: This method is ideal for quick deployments, development environments, and scenarios where granular control over the identity’s creation is not required.
Manual Service Principal Creation
For more control, you can create the service principal manually before deploying the AKS cluster.
- Process: You would use the Azure CLI command az ad sp create-for-rbac to generate a service principal and its secret. You would then provide the service principal’s appId and password as parameters during the az aks create command.
- Permissions: You are responsible for assigning the required roles to this service principal.
- Use Case: This approach is preferred in enterprise environments with strict security policies. It allows security teams to create and manage the identity according to organizational standards, control its lifecycle, and assign least-privilege permissions before the cluster even exists.
Modern Approach: Managed Identities
It is critical to note for the AZ-500 exam that while service principals are supported, managed identities are now the default and recommended authentication method for AKS clusters.
- Benefits: Managed identities eliminate the need for you to create and manage credentials (like service principal secrets). Azure handles the lifecycle of the identity automatically, which simplifies operations and significantly improves security by removing the risk of credential leakage.
- Types: AKS can use either a system-assigned managed identity (created and tied to the cluster’s lifecycle) or a user-assigned managed identity (a standalone resource that can be shared). Using a managed identity is the modern best practice for AKS deployments.
Microsoft Certified Azure Security Engineer Associate AZ-500 certification exam assessment practice question and answer (Q&A) dump including multiple choice questions (MCQ) and objective type questions, with detail explanation and reference available free, helpful to pass the Microsoft Certified Azure Security Engineer Associate AZ-500 exam and earn Microsoft Certified Azure Security Engineer Associate AZ-500 certification.