This ACE practice question tests your understanding of configuring access and security. This is a configuration task: choose the command set that satisfies every stated requirement. Small differences — like 'secret' vs 'password' or 'transport input ssh' vs 'all' — change whether the answer is correct. After answering, compare your reasoning against the explanation and wrong-answer breakdown below. Once you have made your selection, read the full explanation to reinforce the concept and understand why each distractor is designed to mislead on exam day.
A user needs to view the list of firewall rules in a project but should not be able to create or modify them. Which predefined IAM role should you grant?
roles/editor
Why wrong: Editor role grants modify permissions on all resources, too broad.
roles/compute.securityAdmin
Why wrong: This role allows full management of firewall rules, not just viewing.
roles/compute.viewer
Viewer provides read-only permissions for Compute Engine resources.
roles/owner
Why wrong: Owner provides full access including IAM management, too permissive.
Answer choices
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
roles/compute.viewer
The roles/compute.viewer role grants read-only access to Compute Engine resources, including the ability to list firewall rules, without permitting create, update, or delete operations. This aligns with the principle of least privilege for a user who only needs to view firewall configurations.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
roles/editor
Why it's wrong here
Editor role grants modify permissions on all resources, too broad.
roles/compute.securityAdmin
Why it's wrong here
This role allows full management of firewall rules, not just viewing.
roles/compute.viewer
Why this is correct
Viewer provides read-only permissions for Compute Engine resources.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
roles/owner
Why it's wrong here
Owner provides full access including IAM management, too permissive.
Common exam traps
Google Cloud often tests the distinction between roles/compute.viewer and roles/compute.securityAdmin, where candidates mistakenly choose securityAdmin thinking it is needed for viewing, but it actually grants full write access to firewall rules.
Detailed technical explanation
Under the hood, the roles/compute.viewer role includes the compute.firewalls.list permission, which allows listing firewall rules via the Cloud Console, gcloud CLI, or API. It does not include compute.firewalls.create, compute.firewalls.update, or compute.firewalls.delete, ensuring strict read-only access. In a real-world scenario, this role is ideal for auditors or security analysts who need to review firewall policies without risk of accidental changes.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
A company's IT admin needs to give a contractor read-only access to production logs without sharing account credentials. Using role-based access control (RBAC) and temporary scoped permissions — not a permanent shared password — is the correct pattern. Questions like this test whether you can apply least-privilege access across cloud identity services.
What to study next
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FAQ
Configuring access and security — This question tests Configuring access and security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
The correct answer is: roles/compute.viewer — The roles/compute.viewer role grants read-only access to Compute Engine resources, including the ability to list firewall rules, without permitting create, update, or delete operations. This aligns with the principle of least privilege for a user who only needs to view firewall configurations.
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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Last reviewed: Jun 30, 2026
This ACE practice question is part of Courseiva's free Google Cloud certification practice question bank. Courseiva provides original exam-style practice questions with explanations, topic-based practice, mock exams, readiness tracking, and study analytics to help learners prepare for the ACE exam.
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