Hello, I'm Master Tang~
What are permissions?
Permissions, simply put, are a set of rules and mechanisms for controlling user behavior in a system that are used to limit the pages, features, and information that each user can access and view in the system.
Permission system controls the functions that users can use and the information they can view in the system by setting different user roles and assigning permissions to these roles. It is an effective tool for organizations to manage permissions.
Permissions are usually set based on the roles and responsibilities of users. For example, in a new retail SaaS system, operations staff need to manage merchandise and orders, but they don't need and shouldn't have access to financial data. On the contrary, finance personnel need to view transactions and financial statements, but they do not need to manipulate merchandise and inventory.
Through authority control, the system ensures that each user can only operate within his or her area of responsibility, which improves work efficiency and protects sensitive information.
Why do you need a permissions system?
In a SaaS system, if there is no rights management, all users can access and modify the data in the system at will, which will lead to confusion and security risks.
The data of a business usually contains sensitive information such as financial statements, customer data, and trade secrets. If all employees have access to this data, it could lead to information leakage or even be sold to the business's competitors, with serious consequences for the organization.
Permission system helps to standardize business processes and improve employee efficiency. Different positions have different duties and permissions, for example, financial staff need to view and process financial data, while sales staff need to manage customer information. If there is no clear division of authority, employees may come into contact with work that has nothing to do with their own duties, leading to unclear duties and affecting work efficiency.
The permission system also facilitates auditing and accountability. When a problem arises, an organization can track down the specific operator through the privilege logs to clarify where the responsibility lies.
In general, the authority system is an important guarantee for enterprise information security and standardized management. It ensures that employees in different positions can only operate within the scope of authorization, which improves work efficiency and protects the core interests of the enterprise.
As a result, building a well-developed permissions system is critical for any organization that focuses on security and efficiency.
Permission modeling scheme
When designing a permissions system, we can draw on a variety of technical models, each with its own unique characteristics and applicable scenarios.
Common permission models includeACL(access control lists),RBAC(role-based access control), etc. Each of these models has its own advantages and disadvantages and is applicable to systems of different sizes and complexity.
In practice, we need to deeply analyze the business requirements, weigh the pros and cons of various models, and flexibly design and adjust according to the specific conditions of the system. Next, let's explore several common permission models.
ACL model
First, let's exploreACLmodel, known asAccess Control List, i.e., access control lists. This is a straightforward and concise way of managing permissions.The ACL model contains two main key elements:
- User: The actual user of the system, which may be an individual, an organization or a system entity.
- Permission: Clearly define the actions that users can perform or the resources they can access, such as viewing reports, editing documents, etc.
ACL model is especially suitable for system environments with relatively simple and direct permission requirements. When the system has fewer function points and a clear and direct correspondence between users and privileges can be established, the ACL model can provide an efficient and easy-to-manage privilege control scheme.
RBAC0 model
Next, an introduction toRBAC0 Model. As the base model for role privilege control, RBAC stands forRole-Based Access ControlThis is role-based access control. This model cleverly solves the complex relationship between users and permissions by introducing the concept of "roles".
In the RBAC0 model, instead of granting permissions directly to users, permissions are assigned through the intermediate layer of roles. This design provides great flexibility and manageability.
For example, when a new employee joins the organization, we only need to assign him or her the appropriate role, rather than setting permissions one by one. Similarly, when a role's permissions need to be adjusted, we only need to change the permissions for that role, and all users with that role will automatically have their permissions updated.The core components of the RBAC0 model:
- User: The actual user of the system, which may be an individual, an organization or a system entity.
- RoleRole is a collection of privileges, which is like a bridge connecting users and privileges. System administrators can create different roles according to business requirements, such as "operation manager", "store manager", etc. A role can have multiple permissions, and a user can be given multiple roles. A role can have multiple permissions, and a user can be given multiple roles, this many-to-many relationship greatly enhances the flexibility of the system.
- Permission: Defines the specific operations that a user can perform in the system. Permissions can be coarse-grained, such as access to a module; can also be fine-grained, such as the addition, deletion, modification and checking of a piece of data. The design of permissions needs to fully consider the business needs and security, not only to ensure that users can work efficiently, but also to prevent overstepping operations. Common types of permissions include page access permissions, function operation permissions, data viewing permissions and so on.
RBAC1 model
The RBAC1 model is an advanced version of the RBAC0 model that introduces the key concept of role inheritance. This extension brings more flexibility and efficiency to the privilege system.
The RBAC1 model allows for a hierarchical relationship between roles. In this structure, a high-level role not only has its own specific permissions, but also automatically inherits all the permissions of a lower-level role.
This design mimics real-world organizational structures, making the permissions system more relevant to real-world needs.
RBAC2 Model
The RBAC2 model introduces a role constraint control mechanism based on the RBAC0 model and adds a separation of responsibility relationship.
This model specifies mandatory rules that must be followed when assigning permissions to roles, giving roles to users, and when users activate a role.The RBAC2 model contains the following three main types of constraints:
1. Mutually exclusive relationship roles
This constraint ensures that the same user cannot have mutually constraining roles at the same time. For example, in an operations department, user operations and channel operations may be set up as mutually exclusive roles.
A user can only be assigned one of these roles, not both. This set-up reflects the principle of segregation of duties and helps to prevent over-centralization of power and potential conflicts of interest.
2. Base constraints
This constraint limits the number and scope of role assignments. It can limit the number of users a role can be assigned to, control the number of roles a single user can have, and the number of permissions a role can have.
In this way, the system can effectively control the distribution of advanced privileges and prevent excessive proliferation of privileges, thus enhancing the security and manageability of the system.
3. Prerequisite roles
This constraint establishes dependencies between roles. If a user wants to gain access to a higher-level role, they must first gain access to their subordinate role. This design ensures that users have the necessary experience and qualifications before they can gain higher privileges.
Overall, different permission models have different application scenarios:
- ACL Model: Suitable for small, simple systems with uncomplicated privilege requirements.
- RBAC0 model: Introduces roles for ease of management and for general permissions needs.
- RBAC1 model: add role inheritance, suitable for systems with well-defined permission hierarchies.
- RBAC2 model: add role constraint control, suitable for systems with high requirements for rights management.
Choosing the right permission model needs to be based on the size, complexity and security needs of the system.
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