Software → Security
RBAC
An access-control model that assigns permissions to roles and roles to users, services, or groups.
What it is
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) grants permissions through roles such as reader, editor, operator, or administrator. Subjects receive one or more roles, and each role groups the actions allowed on resources.
Main elements
- Subjects: users, services, groups, or workloads.
- Roles: named job or responsibility groupings.
- Permissions: allowed operations on resource types or instances.
- Role assignments: mappings from subjects to roles, often scoped to a tenant, project, or resource hierarchy.
RBAC is understandable and auditable, but role explosion can occur when teams create a new role for every exceptional combination. Good designs apply least privilege, separate incompatible duties, review assignments, and distinguish global roles from scoped roles.