Azure Managed Identities (technical service accounts)

Explaination

• Azure Managed Identities = technical service accounts
• Password is automatically managed, as it was the case in managed service accounts in OnPrem ActiveDirectory
• Managed Identity types:
• System Managed Idendity ==> strictly assigned to a single Azure system (like a VM), cant be shared with another system
• User Managed Identity ==> for example for HA-clusters, in which all HA-nodes need the same user

Managed Identities dont use a password, instead they use OAuth2 and its token --> https://169.254.169.254/metadata/identity/oauth2/token 

Source: https://medium.com/@siddiquimohammad0807/azure-managed-identity-types-and-importance-c64f6292577d

Example

• When using PowerShell Connect-AzAccount --> a new window for username+password+mfa is opened --> these will be used as credentials
  
  
  
• When using PowerShell Connect-AzAccount - Identity --> no new window is opened, instead the managed identity is used --> Powershell sends HTTPS OAuth2 Query to Azure IMDS "Instance Meta Data Service" and received a token, which is then used
  

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PS C:\Users\Administrator20>
PS C:\Users\Administrator20> Install-Module Az 
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PS C:\Users\Administrator20>
PS C:\Users\Administrator20>
PS C:\Users\Administrator20> Connect-AzAccount -Identity
 
Subscription name Tenant
----------------- ------
274102ec-cd24-4af2-a4c2-832941ce526f
 
 
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PS C:\Users\Administrator20>