Azure Containers built-in role

Azure Kubernetes Service RBAC Writer

Azure Kubernetes Service RBAC Writer grants read and write access to most Kubernetes objects, excluding role and role-binding management on the AKS cluster. The effective workload authority is expressed as Kubernetes API DataActions under the Microsoft.ContainerService managed-cluster resource provider.

Role-definition permissions are imported from Microsoft Learn. Practical scope, use cases, prerequisites, best practices, security considerations, assignment guidance, and relationships have been reviewed against the official sources below.

Role definition ID: a7ffa36f-339b-4b5c-8bdf-e2c188b2c0eb

Control-plane actions (4)

Data-plane actions (35)

Excluded actions (0)

None

Assignable scopes (1)

Practical scope

Assign at the Kubernetes namespace sub-scope whenever the workflow is namespace-bound. Assigning at the the AKS cluster resource or an inherited parent Azure scope applies the Kubernetes API DataActions across all namespaces available through each inherited cluster.

Common use cases (1)

Prerequisites (1)

Best practices (2)

Security considerations (2)

Assignment guidance

Assign Azure Kubernetes Service RBAC Writer at the narrowest documented namespace scope to the principal that needs read and write access to most Kubernetes objects, excluding role and role-binding management. Test access with the intended identity and avoid using this role as a substitute for Azure control-plane cluster administration.

Common questions

When should I assign the Azure Kubernetes Service RBAC Writer Azure role?

Assign Azure Kubernetes Service RBAC Writer when you need to: Let an application team deploy and operate workloads in an AKS namespace without directly managing Kubernetes roles or role bindings.. Practical scope: Assign at the Kubernetes namespace sub-scope whenever the workflow is namespace-bound. Assigning at the the AKS cluster resource or an inherited parent Azure scope applies the Kubernetes API DataActions across all namespaces available through each inherited cluster.

What permissions does the Azure Kubernetes Service RBAC Writer Azure role grant?

The role definition grants 39 combined control-plane and data-plane actions. Representative operations include: Microsoft.Authorization/*/read; Microsoft.Resources/subscriptions/operationresults/read; Microsoft.Resources/subscriptions/read; Microsoft.Resources/subscriptions/resourceGroups/read; Microsoft.ContainerService/managedClusters/apps/controllerrevisions/read; and Microsoft.ContainerService/managedClusters/apps/daemonsets/*. Review the permission sections above for the complete definition and exclusions.

What are the security risks of the Azure Kubernetes Service RBAC Writer Azure role?

Key considerations when assigning Azure Kubernetes Service RBAC Writer: The role can read Secrets and run pods as any ServiceAccount in scope, so it can inherit the Kubernetes API permissions of those ServiceAccounts even though it cannot edit role bindings directly.; and An Azure role assignment at a parent scope is inherited by child cluster resources; Kubernetes namespace semantics do not prevent a broad Azure assignment from reaching multiple clusters.. Follow the assignment guidance above and use the narrowest practical scope.

Editorial sources (6)

Official Microsoft Learn documentation →