A developer needs to grant an Azure Function read access to secrets in Azure Key Vault without storing any credentials in the function code or configuration. Which approach should they use?
Answer choices
Why each option matters
Good practice is not just finding the correct option. The wrong answers often show the exact trap the exam wants you to fall into.
Distractor review
Service principal with a certificate
Using a service principal with a certificate requires storing and rotating the certificate, which adds management overhead.
Best answer
Managed identity
Managed identity eliminates the need for credentials entirely by providing an identity that is automatically managed and can be assigned to the Function app to access Key Vault.
Distractor review
Access policy with a client secret
An access policy with a client secret still requires the client secret to be stored somewhere, violating the requirement of no stored credentials.
Distractor review
Shared access signature (SAS)
SAS tokens are used for delegated access to Azure Storage, not for accessing Key Vault secrets.
Common exam trap
Common exam trap: NAT rules depend on direction and matching traffic
NAT is not only about the public address. The inside/outside interface roles and the ACL or rule that matches traffic are just as important.
Technical deep dive
How to think about this question
NAT questions usually test address translation, overload/PAT behaviour, static mappings and whether the right traffic is being translated. Read the interface direction and address terms carefully.
KKey Concepts to Remember
- Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
- PAT allows many inside hosts to share one public address using ports.
- Inside local and inside global describe the private and translated addresses.
- NAT ACLs identify traffic for translation, not always security filtering.
TExam Day Tips
- Identify inside and outside interfaces first.
- Check whether the scenario needs static NAT, dynamic NAT or PAT.
- Do not confuse NAT matching ACLs with normal packet-filtering intent.
Related practice questions
Related AZ-204 practice-question pages
Use these pages to review the topic behind this question. This is how one missed question becomes focused revision.
More questions from this exam
Keep practising from the same exam bank, or move into a focused topic page if this question exposed a weak area.
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Question 5
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Question 6
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FAQ
Questions learners often ask
What does this AZ-204 question test?
Static NAT maps one inside address to one outside address.
What is the correct answer to this question?
The correct answer is: Managed identity — Managed identities for Azure resources provide an automatically managed identity in Microsoft Entra ID, allowing the function to authenticate to Key Vault without any stored credentials. Service principal with certificate still requires managing the certificate; access policy with client secret stores a secret; SAS tokens are for storage, not Key Vault.
What should I do if I get this AZ-204 question wrong?
Then try more questions from the same exam bank and focus on understanding why the wrong options are tempting.
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