Azure Internet of Things built-in role

Device Update Reader

Device Update Reader provides all update and deployment viewing in Device Update for IoT Hub. Its definition combines Azure control-plane reads with Device Update data-plane operations; it does not by itself grant the Device Update service principal access to the linked IoT hub.

Control-plane actions (6)

• Microsoft.Authorization/*/read
• Microsoft.Resources/subscriptions/resourceGroups/read
• Microsoft.Support/*
• Microsoft.Insights/alertRules/*
• Microsoft.DeviceUpdate/accounts/read
• Microsoft.DeviceUpdate/accounts/instances/read

Data-plane actions (2)

• Microsoft.DeviceUpdate/accounts/instances/updates/read
• Microsoft.DeviceUpdate/accounts/instances/management/read

Excluded actions (0)

None

Assignable scopes (1)

• /

Practical scope

Assign through Access control (IAM) on the Device Update account and its instance. A parent resource-group or subscription assignment is inherited by other Device Update resources and is broader than the documented account-level workflow.

Common use cases (1)

• Give an auditor, support engineer, or reporting application combined read-only visibility into update content and fleet deployment status.

Prerequisites (2)

• A Device Update account and instance must be configured with an IoT hub, and the user, group, application, service principal, or managed identity must be identified.
• The Device Update service principal separately needs IoT Hub Data Contributor on the linked hub so the service can create, cancel, and retry deployments and retrieve device information.

Best practices (2)

• Separate content administration from deployment administration when one principal does not need both capabilities, and combine a content role with a deployment reader only when progress visibility is required.
• Use system-assigned managed identities for service integrations where supported and assign the role directly on the Device Update account rather than a parent scope.

Security considerations (2)

• The role exposes the complete update catalog and deployment state across the assigned Device Update resources, including device rollout and failure information.
• Device Update access and the linked IoT Hub service-principal assignment are separate trust boundaries; removing or overgranting either assignment changes the end-to-end update workflow.

Assignment guidance

Assign Device Update Reader on the Device Update account to the operator or application that needs all update and deployment viewing. Add only the complementary content or deployment role required by the workflow, and configure the service principal's IoT Hub Data Contributor assignment separately on the linked hub.

Related roles (3)

• Device Update Content Reader: Narrows visibility to update content.
• Device Update Deployments Reader: Narrows visibility to deployments and referenced updates.
• Device Update Administrator: Adds complete content and deployment mutation authority.

Editorial sources (7)

• Azure built-in roles for Internet of Things - Azure RBAC | Microsoft Learn →

  Supports: Description, Security considerations. Retrieved 2026-07-17.

• Understand Azure role definitions →

  Supports: Description, Security considerations. Retrieved 2026-07-17.

• Steps to assign an Azure role →

  Supports: Assignment guidance. Retrieved 2026-07-17.

• Understand scope for Azure RBAC →

  Supports: Practical scope, Assignment guidance. Retrieved 2026-07-17.

• Best practices for Azure RBAC →

  Supports: Best practices, Assignment guidance. Retrieved 2026-07-17.

• Azure RBAC and Azure Device Update for IoT Hub →

  Supports: Description, Practical scope, Common use cases, Prerequisites, Best practices, Security considerations, Assignment guidance, Related roles. Retrieved 2026-07-17.

• Configure access control for Device Update resources →

  Supports: Description, Practical scope, Common use cases, Prerequisites, Best practices, Security considerations, Assignment guidance, Related roles. Retrieved 2026-07-17.

Official Microsoft Learn documentation →