// compare · azure roles

Network Contributor vs Contributor

Two Azure built-in roles that are often confused, compared permission by permission.

In short: Network Contributor has 7 actions. Contributor has 1 actions, 11 NotActions. Assign the one with less access that still covers the job.

Detail	Network Contributor	Contributor
What Microsoft says	Lets you manage networks, but not access to them.	Grants full access to manage all resources, but does not allow you to assign roles in Azure RBAC, manage assignments in Azure Blueprints, or share image galleries.
Size	7 actions	1 actions, 11 NotActions

Permissions only Network Contributor lists (7)

Microsoft.Authorization/*/read
Microsoft.Insights/alertRules/*
Microsoft.Network/*
Microsoft.ResourceHealth/availabilityStatuses/read
Microsoft.Resources/deployments/*
Microsoft.Resources/subscriptions/resourceGroups/read
Microsoft.Support/*

Permissions only Contributor lists (1)

Azure roles use wildcards such as *, and NotActions take permissions away, so a role can cover an action without listing it. Check the role pages for the full picture.

Network Contributor explained Contributor explained

Sources

Microsoft Learn: Azure built-in roles

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