The answer is the Artifact Registry Writer role. This role is the correct choice because it grants the minimum required permission—specifically the `artifactregistry.writer` permission—needed to push container images to Artifact Registry, while adhering to the principle of least privilege by excluding broader administrative or read-only access. On the Google Associate Cloud Engineer exam, this scenario tests your understanding of IAM roles for CI/CD pipelines, often appearing as a trap where candidates might mistakenly choose roles like Artifact Registry Admin (too broad) or Storage Object Admin (incorrect service). A common memory tip is to think of the Writer role as the "push-only" key for your pipeline—it can write artifacts but cannot delete or view them, making it ideal for automated builds. Remember: if the task is to push images, Writer is the leanest fit.
Google ACE Configuring access and security Practice Question
This ACE practice question tests your understanding of configuring access and security. Match the stated requirement to the specific cloud service, access model, or configuration option — many options are valid in isolation but not for this scenario. 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 DevOps engineer creates a service account for a CI/CD pipeline. The pipeline needs to push container images to Artifact Registry. Which role grants the minimum required permission?
Clue words in this question
Noticing these words before you look at the options changes how you read each choice.
Clue: "minimum / minimize"
Why it matters: Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
Why wrong: Artifact Registry Administrator includes repository creation and deletion — far more than a CI/CD pipeline needs for pushing images.
B
Artifact Registry Writer
Artifact Registry Writer grants the minimum permissions to push (write) artifacts to existing Artifact Registry repositories — the appropriate role for CI/CD pipelines.
C
Storage Object Creator on the underlying Cloud Storage bucket
Why wrong: Artifact Registry has its own IAM roles separate from Cloud Storage — Storage Object Creator doesn't grant Artifact Registry push permissions.
D
Artifact Registry Reader
Why wrong: Artifact Registry Reader grants pull (read) access — not write/push access needed by a CI/CD pipeline.
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Artifact Registry Writer
Option B is correct because the Artifact Registry Writer role provides the minimal permissions needed to push container images to Artifact Registry, specifically the `artifactregistry.writer` permission. This role allows writing artifacts without granting broader administrative or read-only access, aligning with the principle of least privilege.
Key principle: Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Answer analysis
Option-by-option breakdown
For each option: why learners choose it and why it is or isn't the right answer here.
✗
Artifact Registry Administrator
Why it's wrong here
Artifact Registry Administrator includes repository creation and deletion — far more than a CI/CD pipeline needs for pushing images.
✓
Artifact Registry Writer
Why this is correct
Artifact Registry Writer grants the minimum permissions to push (write) artifacts to existing Artifact Registry repositories — the appropriate role for CI/CD pipelines.
Clue confirmation
The clue word "minimum / minimize" in the question point toward this answer.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Storage Object Creator on the underlying Cloud Storage bucket
Why it's wrong here
Artifact Registry has its own IAM roles separate from Cloud Storage — Storage Object Creator doesn't grant Artifact Registry push permissions.
✗
Artifact Registry Reader
Why it's wrong here
Artifact Registry Reader grants pull (read) access — not write/push access needed by a CI/CD pipeline.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
Google Cloud often tests the misconception that Artifact Registry is just a wrapper around Cloud Storage, leading candidates to choose Storage Object Creator, but in reality, Artifact Registry uses its own IAM roles and does not expose the underlying bucket for direct permission assignment.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Artifact Registry stores container images in a managed backend that may use Cloud Storage, but access is controlled via Artifact Registry IAM roles, not direct bucket permissions. The Writer role includes the `artifactregistry.writer` permission, which is required for `gcloud artifacts docker push` or similar operations, and it implicitly handles the underlying storage writes without exposing bucket-level IAM. In a real-world scenario, if a pipeline needs to push to multiple repositories, the Writer role can be scoped at the repository level to further restrict access.
KKey Concepts to Remember
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
Find the constraint that changes the correct option.
Eliminate answers that are true in general but not in this case.
TExam Day Tips
→Watch for words such as best, first, most likely and least administrative effort.
→Review why wrong options are wrong, not only why the correct option is correct.
Key takeaway
Answer the scenario, not the keyword: identify the specific constraint before choosing the most familiar-sounding option.
Real-world example
How this comes up in practice
A media company stores terabytes of video archives that are accessed once a year for audit purposes. Moving these objects to a cold storage tier (Azure Archive, S3 Glacier, or Google Nearline) costs a fraction of hot storage. Questions like this test whether you understand storage tiers, access frequency tradeoffs, and retrieval latency requirements.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this ACE question in full detail.
Configuring access and security — This question tests Configuring access and security — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Artifact Registry Writer — Option B is correct because the Artifact Registry Writer role provides the minimal permissions needed to push container images to Artifact Registry, specifically the `artifactregistry.writer` permission. This role allows writing artifacts without granting broader administrative or read-only access, aligning with the principle of least privilege.
What should I do if I get this ACE question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
Are there clue words in this question I should notice?
Yes — watch for: "minimum / minimize". Asks for the least resource use — fewest addresses, smallest subnet, lowest overhead. Eliminate over-provisioned options even if they would technically work.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
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