The answer is to create a custom role that includes only the restart permission and assign it at the RG-App resource group scope. This is correct because the built-in Virtual Machine Contributor role grants the Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action, but it also includes broader permissions like create, delete, and resize, which violates the requirement for a restart-only VM permission. On the AZ-104 exam, this scenario tests your understanding of the principle of least privilege and the need to scope custom roles precisely—a common trap is choosing Virtual Machine Contributor because it technically allows restarts, but it fails the restriction criteria. Remember that custom roles let you cherry-pick individual actions from the resource provider, so for this task you isolate just the restart action. A helpful memory tip: “Restart only? Custom role, not Contributor—keep it lean with a single action.”
AZ-104 Manage Azure Identities and Governance Practice Question
This AZ-104 practice question tests your understanding of manage azure identities and governance. 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.
You need to allow a support engineer to restart virtual machines in the RG-App resource group, but the engineer must not be able to create, delete, or resize the virtual machines. What should you do?
Answer the question above first, then reveal the full breakdown to understand why each option is right or wrong.
Correct answer & explanation
✓
Create a custom role that includes restart permissions and assign it at the RG-App scope
The Virtual Machine Contributor role includes permissions to restart VMs but also allows creating, deleting, and resizing VMs, which violates the requirement. A custom role with only the Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action permission assigned at the RG-App scope grants the exact restart capability without broader management rights.
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.
✗
Assign the Virtual Machine Contributor role at the RG-App scope
Why it's wrong here
Virtual Machine Contributor grants broader VM management permissions than only restart.
✓
Create a custom role that includes restart permissions and assign it at the RG-App scope
Why this is correct
A custom role can be limited to the exact action required and scoped to the target resource group.
Related concept
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
✗
Assign the Contributor role at the subscription scope
Why it's wrong here
Contributor at subscription scope is far broader than required.
✗
Assign the Reader role at the RG-App scope
Why it's wrong here
Reader does not allow restarting virtual machines.
Common exam traps
Common exam trap: answer the scenario, not the keyword
The trap here is that candidates often assume the Virtual Machine Contributor role is restrictive enough for restart-only tasks, but it actually includes full VM management permissions, making a custom role necessary for precise access control.
Detailed technical explanation
How to think about this question
Azure RBAC custom roles are defined using a JSON role definition that specifies Actions, NotActions, and AssignableScopes. For restart-only access, the custom role must include Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action in the Actions list and exclude any write or delete actions. This granular control is essential in production environments where support staff need to perform specific operations like restarting VMs for troubleshooting without risking accidental modifications or resource sprawl.
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 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.
Related glossary terms
Concepts from this question explained
These glossary pages explain the core terms tested in this AZ-104 question in full detail.
Manage Azure Identities and Governance — This question tests Manage Azure Identities and Governance — Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer..
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Create a custom role that includes restart permissions and assign it at the RG-App scope — The Virtual Machine Contributor role includes permissions to restart VMs but also allows creating, deleting, and resizing VMs, which violates the requirement. A custom role with only the Microsoft.Compute/virtualMachines/restart/action permission assigned at the RG-App scope grants the exact restart capability without broader management rights.
What should I do if I get this AZ-104 question wrong?
Identify which exam domain this question belongs to, review the core concept, then practise similar questions from the same domain.
What is the key concept behind this question?
Read the scenario before looking for a memorised answer.
About these practice questions
Courseiva creates original exam-style practice questions with explanations and wrong-answer analysis. It does not publish real exam questions, exam dumps, or protected exam content. Learn why practice questions differ from exam dumps →
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
This AZ-104 practice question is part of Courseiva's free Microsoft 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 AZ-104 exam.
Question Discussion
Share a tip, memory trick, or ask about the reasoning behind this question. Do not post real exam questions, leaked content, braindumps, or copyrighted exam material. Comments are moderated and may be removed without notice.
Sign in to join the discussion.