How Roles Define Permissions and Control Access

Role-based access control (RBAC) is a method for managing who can access specific resources or actions in your system. With RBAC, you assign users to roles, such as admin, user, or manager, and each role has its own set of permissions. This approach makes it easy to control and update access as your system grows. RBAC helps you keep sensitive information safe, limit mistakes, and ensure that users only see and do what they are allowed to. It is widely used in modern applications to simplify security and reduce the risk of unauthorized access.

How Roles Work

• You group permissions into roles based on job functions;
• You assign roles to users depending on what they need to do;
• The system checks a user's role to decide if they can access a resource or perform an action.

Example: Online Bookstore API

Imagine you have an API for an online bookstore. You might create these roles:

• CUSTOMER: can view books, add books to a shopping cart, and place orders;
• ADMIN: can add, update, or delete books, and view all customer orders.

When a user logs in, the system checks their role. If a CUSTOMER tries to delete a book, the API denies the request because that action is only allowed for the ADMIN role. This way, you control access and keep your resources secure.

RBAC keeps your API organized and helps prevent users from accessing data or actions they shouldn't see or use.