How to implement role-based access control in Django



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In Django, you can implement role-based access control (RBAC) by using a combination of built-in features such as Django's authentication system and custom permissions. Here's a step-by-step guide on how to implement RBAC in Django:

  1. Define Roles:

    • Identify the roles in your application, such as Admin, Manager, and User.

  2. Extend User Model or Use Groups:

    • You can either extend the built-in User model or use Django's Group model to represent roles.

    • To extend the User model, create a model that inherits from AbstractUser:

      python
      # models.py
from django.contrib.auth.models import AbstractUser

class CustomUser(AbstractUser):
    roles = models.ManyToManyField('Role')

    • Alternatively, you can use Django's built-in Group model:

      python
      # models.py
from django.contrib.auth.models import Group, User

class Role(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=50, unique=True)

class UserProfile(models.Model):
    user = models.OneToOneField(User, on_delete=models.CASCADE)
    roles = models.ManyToManyField(Role)

  3. Create a Custom Middleware (Optional):

    • You can create a custom middleware to check user roles and permissions before processing a request.

    • Middleware example:

      python
      # middleware.py
from django.http import HttpResponseForbidden

class RoleMiddleware:
    def __init__(self, get_response):
        self.get_response = get_response

    def __call__(self, request):
        # Check user roles and permissions here
        if not request.user.has_perm('app_name.can_do_something'):
            return HttpResponseForbidden("You don't have permission to access this page.")
        
        response = self.get_response(request)
        return response

  4. Define Permissions:

    • Use Django's built-in Permission model to define specific permissions for each role.

      python
      # models.py
from django.contrib.auth.models import Permission

class Role(models.Model):
    name = models.CharField(max_length=50, unique=True)
    permissions = models.ManyToManyField(Permission)

  5. Assign Roles and Permissions:

    • Assign roles and permissions to users or groups through the Django admin interface or programmatically.

      python
      # views.py
from django.contrib.auth.models import User, Group, Permission

# Assign user to a group (role)
user = User.objects.get(username='example_user')
group = Group.objects.get(name='Admin')
user.groups.add(group)

# Assign specific permissions to a role
role = Role.objects.get(name='Admin')
permission = Permission.objects.get(codename='can_do_something')
role.permissions.add(permission)

  6. Check Permissions in Views:

    • In your views, use the user.has_perm() method to check if a user has the required permissions.

      python
      # views.py
from django.contrib.auth.decorators import permission_required

@permission_required('app_name.can_do_something', raise_exception=True)
def my_view(request):
    # View logic here

By following these steps, you can implement role-based access control in Django using the built-in authentication system and custom permissions. Remember to adapt the solution based on your specific requirements and project structure.

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