Skip to Content

AZ-500: What Are the Programmatic and GUI Methods for Creating Azure AD Custom Roles?

How Can You Configure Custom RBAC Roles in Azure AD Using the Portal, PowerShell, and Graph API?

Master the creation of custom RBAC roles in Azure AD for your AZ-500 exam. Learn how to configure roles using the Azure Portal for a graphical experience, and programmatically with PowerShell and the Microsoft Graph REST API for automation and integration.

Question

What are the options for configuring a custom RBAC role in Azure AD? (choose the best answer)

A. PowerShell
B. Azure Portal
C. REST API
D. All the above

Answer

D. All the above

Explanation

The correct answer is D. All the above. Azure provides multiple methods for creating custom Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) roles, offering flexibility for both interactive and automated management through the Azure Portal, PowerShell, and the Microsoft Graph REST API.

Custom RBAC roles can be configured both in the Azure portal and programmatically.

Azure Portal (GUI Method)

The Azure Portal provides a user-friendly, wizard-driven interface for creating custom roles. This method is ideal for administrators who prefer a graphical experience or for creating one-off roles quickly.

  • Process: To create a role, you navigate to Azure AD > Roles and administrators and select New custom role. You can either start from scratch or clone an existing built-in or custom role to use as a template. You then select the specific permissions you want to include from a predefined list of available permissions.
  • Use Case: Best suited for manual role creation, exploration of available permissions, and administrators less familiar with scripting.

PowerShell (Programmatic Method)

PowerShell allows for the programmatic and repeatable creation of custom Azure AD roles, which is essential for automation and adhering to Infrastructure as Code (IaC) principles.

  • Module: The modern and recommended approach is to use the Microsoft Graph PowerShell SDK. The New-MgRoleManagementDirectoryRoleDefinition cmdlet is used to create the role definition.
  • Process: You define the role’s properties, including its display name, description, and the specific rolePermissions in a script. This script can then be executed to create the role consistently across different environments.
  • Use Case: Ideal for automating role deployments, integrating role creation into CI/CD pipelines, and managing roles at scale.

Microsoft Graph REST API (Programmatic Method)

For ultimate flexibility and integration with custom applications or third-party systems, you can create custom roles directly using the Microsoft Graph REST API.

  • Endpoint: You send a POST request to the /roleManagement/directory/roleDefinitions endpoint.
  • Process: The body of the request contains a JSON object that defines all the properties of the custom role, similar to the information provided in the PowerShell script. This allows any application capable of making authenticated HTTP requests to manage custom roles.
  • Use Case: Perfect for developers building custom management portals, integrating with other identity management systems, or for workflows where PowerShell is not the primary scripting tool.

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.