Implement role-based access control (RBAC) #35 Open Feature

[HISSEN2]

Description
This issue proposes the implementation of Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) to enhance the security and permission management of the application. The goal is to restrict system access to authorized users based on their specific roles (e.g., Admin, Moderator, User).

Proposed Changes
Define User Roles: Establish a clear hierarchy of roles and associated permissions.

Backend Middleware: Implement middleware to intercept requests and verify if the authenticated user has the required permissions for the endpoint.

Database Schema: Update the User model or create a new Roles and Permissions table to handle many-to-many relationships.

Frontend Guarding: (If applicable) Implement route guarding to hide or disable UI elements based on the user's role.

Requirements
Users must be assigned at least one role upon registration (default: User).

Unauthorized attempts to access restricted resources should return a 403 Forbidden status.

Admin dashboard access must be strictly limited to the Admin role.

Technical Implementation Ideas
Library/Framework: Consider using integrated libraries (like Passport.js for Node, or built-in Django/Laravel RBAC) or custom logic using JWT claims.

Logic: ```javascript
// Example pseudocode for permission check
if (!user.roles.includes('required_role')) {
return res.status(403).send('Access Denied');
}

Testing Plan
[ ] Verify that a standard user cannot access admin endpoints.

[ ] Verify that an admin can access all designated areas.

[ ] Ensure permissions update correctly when a user's role is modified in the database.

[HISSEN2]

Implementation Logic (Node.js/Express Example)
To keep the system secure and scalable, I propose using a middleware-based approach. This allows us to protect specific routes by simply passing an array of authorized roles.

1. The Authorization Middleware
   /**

• Middleware to restrict access based on user roles.
• @param {...String} allowedRoles - List of roles permitted to access the route.
  */
  const authorize = (...allowedRoles) => {
  return (req, res, next) => {
  // Ensure user is authenticated and has a valid role
  if (!req.user || !allowedRoles.includes(req.user.role)) {
  return res.status(403).json({
  success: false,
  message: "Access Denied: Insufficient permissions."
  });
  }
  next();
  };
  };

2. Applying RBAC to API Routes
   We can now easily define which roles can access which endpoints:
   const express = require('express');
   const router = express.Router();

// Only Admins can delete resources
router.delete('/users/:id', authorize('Admin'), (req, res) => {
// Logic to delete user
});

// Managers and Admins can view sensitive reports
router.get('/reports/financial', authorize('Admin', 'Manager'), (req, res) => {
// Logic to fetch reports
});

Database Schema Change

I recommend updating the User table to include a role column, or for more complex systems, a separate Roles table with a many-to-many relationship:

User ID | Username | Role -- | -- | -- 1 | admin_user | Admin 2 | staff_member | Manager 3 | guest_01 | User 2. Applying RBAC to API Routes We can now easily define which roles can access which endpoints: const express = require('express'); const router = express.Router();

// Only Admins can delete resources
router.delete('/users/:id', authorize('Admin'), (req, res) => {
// Logic to delete user
});

// Managers and Admins can view sensitive reports
router.get('/reports/financial', authorize('Admin', 'Manager'), (req, res) => {
// Logic to fetch reports
});

Database Schema Change

I recommend updating the User table to include a role column, or for more complex systems, a separate Roles table with a many-to-many relationship:

User ID | Username | Role -- | -- | -- 1 | admin_user | Admin 2 | staff_member | Manager 3 | guest_01 | User