GraphQL Access Control

GraphQL access control is essential for securing your API. It determines who can access what data and ensures that sensitive information is protected. Understanding the principles of access control can help you build a robust and secure GraphQL API.

• Authorization: Process of verifying what a user is allowed to do.
• Authentication: Process of identifying who a user is.
• Roles: Defined sets of permissions that can be assigned to users.
• Field-Level Security: Allows control over which fields a user can access in a type.

1. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Users are assigned roles that have specific permissions.
2. Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC): Access is granted based on user attributes and resource characteristics.
3. Field-Level Security: Specific fields in the schema can be restricted per user role.

To implement access control in GraphQL, follow these steps:

 
// Step 1: Define your roles
const roles = {
    ADMIN: 'ADMIN',
    USER: 'USER',
};

// Step 2: Create a middleware to check roles
const authorize = (requiredRole) => {
    return (resolve, parent, args, context, info) => {
        if (context.user.role !== requiredRole) {
            throw new Error('Unauthorized');
        }
        return resolve(parent, args, context, info);
    };
};

// Step 3: Use the middleware in your schema
const resolvers = {
    Query: {
        sensitiveData: authorize(roles.ADMIN)((_, args, context) => {
            return getSensitiveData();
        }),
    },
};
            

Here are some best practices for implementing access control in GraphQL:

• Always authenticate users before authorizing access.
• Implement logging for access control events.
• Regularly review and update role permissions.
• Use a library or framework that supports fine-grained access control.