Fine-grained Data Permissions
Vendia Share has controls to allow data producers to limit the actions of data consumers on stored data.
Vendia's fine-grained data permissions are designed to be both simple to use and highly flexible. This feature enables administrators to easily limit who can take action on data written to a Uni.
NOTE: Defining fine-grained permissions on data is completely optional. Not including the acl will result in the default behavior of allowing all nodes in a Uni to read, write, update, and delete the data item but not acl entries.
Scope of Fine-grained Data Permissions
Fine-grained data permissions serve to constrain the visibility of data in a Uni. They also set boundaries on the the ability to modify data in a Uni. It does not affect how users interact with Vendia APIs. If you're interested in defining how to control how Vendia Share users create and manage Unis, please refer to Role-based Access Controls.
Key Terms
-
aclInput: aclInput is an object that contains a list of Access Control List (ACL) definitions that are applied when data is added or updated in a Uni.
-
acl: acl is a list of objects that contain the fine-grained definitions that control access to data in a Uni.
-
Principal: Principal is a list of nodes to which the ACL is applied.
-
Path: [Optional] The path defines the attribute of the object to apply the ACL operations. This field is optional. If it is not specified, the specified operations are applied to the entire object.
-
Operations: Operations define what action a Principal can take on data.
Operations
Vendia Share allows the following operations to be assigned to Principals when data is added or updated in a Uni:
READ: Permits the Principal to list and get data.WRITE: Permits the Principal to update, put, and delete data.ALL: Permits the Principal to bothREADandWRITEdata.UPDATE_ACL: Permits the Principal to update the ACL. This permission can only be granted by the Principal who added the data.
NOTE: The ALL operation does not include UPDATE_ACL.
Schema Definition Requirement
In order to take advantage of fine-grained data permissions, the JSON schema must include the x-vendia-acls top-level type. For example, if my JSON schema as two distinct types - Foo and Bar - and I wish to create ACLs on each type, I would set x-vendia-acls as the following:
"x-vendia-acls": {
"FooAcl": {
"type": "Foo"
},
"BarAcl": {
"type": "Bar"
}
}
NOTE: The x-vendia-acls top-level type must be defined when the Uni is created. Schemas cannot be updated to include this definition after the Uni has been created.
Examples
Now that we have a sense of the operations that can be allowed, how to define our list of principals, and the how to specify that our JSON schema types will use fine-grained permissions, let's go through a very simple example to illustrate how to assign controls when adding or updating data in a Uni.
We will provide an example to demonstrate how nodes can share recipe information in a controlled manner in a Uni. We will also demonstrate how to query data that has controls associated with it.
Data Model and Uni Configuration
Below is the JSON schema that will be used as the basis for our queries.
Click to view Recipe Schema
{
"$schema": "http://json-schema.org/draft-07/schema#",
"$id": "http://vendia.net/schemas/blog/fine_grained_control.json",
"title": "Sample schema for setting fine-grained access controls",
"description": "Model bakery recipes",
"x-vendia-acls": {
"RecipeAcl": {
"type": "Recipe"
}
},
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"Recipe": {
"description": "Recipe information",
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": {
"description": "The common name of recipe",
"type": "string"
},
"sku": {
"description": "SKU of the recipe",
"type": "string"
},
"price": {
"description": "Sales price of the recipe in USD",
"type": "number"
},
"recipeType": {
"description": "Type of recipe",
"type": "string",
"enum": ["cake", "cupcake", "pie", "muffin"]
},
"recipeYield": {
"description": "Quanitity yielded by the recipe",
"type": "number"
},
"ingredients": {
"description": "Ingredient listing needed for the recipe",
"type": "array",
"items": {
"type": "object",
"properties": {
"name": {
"description": "Name of the ingredient",
"type": "string"
},
"quantity": {
"description": "Quantity of the ingredient needed for the yield",
"type": "string"
}
}
}
},
"directions": {
"description": "Steps to make the recipe",
"type": "array",
"items": {
"description": "Discrete step",
"type": "string"
}
}
}
}
}
}
}
Click to view sample Recipe node configuration
Note: This example uses a 3-node Uni configuration, which is not viable for Starter tier users given the node limits enforced. See full details on the Pricing page. Starter tier users can still follow this example by omitting one of the nodes in the configuration shown below.
Our Uni is made of 3 nodes - Alice, Bob, and Eve. All queries will make references to these node names.
[
{
"name": "Alice",
"userId": "alice@recipe-creator.com",
"region": "us-east-2"
},
{
"name": "Bob",
"userId": "bob@bobs-bakery.com",
"region": "us-west-2"
},
{
"name": "Eve",
"userId": "eve@eves-bakery.com",
"region": "us-east-1"
}
]
NOTE: Be sure to update the userId and region appropriately if you are deploying the example.
Writing Data with Fine-grained Control
The following mutations should be run from the Alice node.
Sample Mutation - Allow Read-Only Access to a Recipe
In this example, we will specify that all nodes in a Uni will have the ability to READ all attributes of our Red Velvet Cake recipe. However, only the node Alice will have the ability to WRITE changes.
This mutation adds our aclInput in addition to our standard input.
mutation addRedVelvetCake {
addRecipe(
input: {
name: "Red Velvet Cake",
sku: "ca001",
price: 5.00,
recipeType: "cake",
recipeYield: 1,
ingredients: [
{
name: "All-purpose Flour",
quantity: "453 grams"
},
{
name: "Granulated Sugar",
quantity: "680.3 grams"
}
],
directions: [
"Mix dry ingredients",
"Bake",
"Profit"
]
},
aclInput: {
acl: [
{
principal: {
nodes: [ "*" ]
},
operations: [ READ ]
}
]
},
syncMode: ASYNC
) {
transaction {
_id
_owner
}
}
}
Sample Mutation - Allow Different Operators By Node
In this mutation, we will specify that the Bob node has the ability to view all attributes of our Sprinkles Cupcake recipe. Eve will only be able to read the name, price, recipeType, and recipeYield. The attributes ingredients and directions will not be visible in query results from Eve.
This mutation adds our aclInput in addition to our standard input.
mutation addSprinklesCupcake {
add_Recipe(
input: {
name: "Sprinkles Cupcake",
sku: "cc001",
price: 5.99,
recipeType: cupcake,
recipeYield: 100,
ingredients: [
{
name: "All-purpose Flour",
quantity: "783.33 grams"
},
{
name: "Granulated Sugar",
quantity: "833 grams"
}
],
directions: [
"Mix dry ingredients",
"Bake",
"Let cupcakes cool for 20min",
"Make icing",
"Put icing on cupcakes",
"Profit"
]
},
aclInput: {
acl: [
{
principal: {
nodes: ["*"]
},
path: "name",
operations: [READ]
},
{
principal: {
nodes: ["*"]
},
path: "sku",
operations: [READ]
},
{
principal: {
nodes: ["*"]
},
path: "price",
operations: [READ]
},
{
principal: {
nodes: ["*"]
},
path: "recipeType",
operations: [READ]
},
{
principal: {
nodes: ["*"]
},
path: "recipeYield",
operations: [READ]
}
]
},
syncMode: ASYNC
) {
transaction {
_id
_owner
}
}
}
Reading Data with Fine-grained Control
Let's go ahead and issue queries from our nodes and see how the results change depending upon the node from which the query was issued.
query listRecipes {
list_RecipeItems {
_RecipeItems {
... on Self_Recipe {
_id
name
price
sku
recipeType
recipeYield
directions
ingredients {
name
quantity
}
}
... on Self_Recipe_Partial_ {
_id
name
price
sku
recipeType
recipeYield
directions
ingredients {
name
quantity
}
}
}
}
}
Alice
Since Alice added the recipes, the node is the owner of the two Recipes. The query will return all attributes of each Recipe.
Alice Results
NOTE: The _id of each Recipe will be different in your results.
{
"data": {
"listRecipes": {
"Recipes": [
{
"_id": "017b3bc0-fe35-893f-5c88-ac73eddd88df",
"name": "Sprinkles Cupcake",
"sku": "cc001",
"price": 5.99,
"recipeType": "cupcake",
"ingredients": [
{
"name": "All-purpose Flour",
"quantity": "783.33 grams"
},
{
"name": "Granulated Sugar",
"quantity": "833 grams"
}
],
"directions": [
"Mix dry ingredients",
"Bake",
"Profit"
]
},
{
"_id": "017b3bf0-43e6-26ac-119f-81d5a60ef574",
"name": "Red Velvet Cake",
"sku": "ca001",
"price": 5,
"recipeType": "cake",
"ingredients": [
{
"name": "All-purpose Flour",
"quantity": "453 grams"
},
{
"name": "Granulated Sugar",
"quantity": "680.3 grams"
}
],
"directions": [
"Mix dry ingredients",
"Bake",
"Profit"
]
}
]
}
}
}
Bob Results
Bob has been granted READ access to all attributes of both Recipes - implicitly for Red Velvet Cake and explicitly for Sprinkles Cupcake. The results of our query will match the results of Alice.
Bob Results
NOTE: The _id of each Recipe will be different in your results.
{
"data": {
"listRecipes": {
"Recipes": [
{
"_id": "017b3bc0-fe35-893f-5c88-ac73eddd88df",
"name": "Sprinkles Cupcake",
"sku": "cc001",
"price": 5.99,
"recipeType": "cupcake",
"ingredients": [{
"name": "All-purpose Flour",
"quantity": "783.33 grams"
},
{
"name": "Granulated Sugar",
"quantity": "833 grams"
}
],
"directions": [
"Mix dry ingredients",
"Bake",
"Profit"
]
},
{
"_id": "017b3bf0-43e6-26ac-119f-81d5a60ef574",
"name": "Red Velvet Cake",
"sku": "ca001",
"price": 5,
"recipeType": "cake",
"ingredients": [{
"name": "All-purpose Flour",
"quantity": "453 grams"
},
{
"name": "Granulated Sugar",
"quantity": "680.3 grams"
}
],
"directions": [
"Mix dry ingredients",
"Bake",
"Profit"
]
}
]
}
}
}
Eve Results
Eve has been granted READ access to all attributes of Red Velvet Cake but can only view a subset of Sprinkles Cupcake attributes. Eve cannot view the data for sku, ingredients, or directions.
Eve Results
NOTE: The _id of each Recipe will be different in your results.
{
"data": {
"listRecipes": {
"Recipes": [
{
"_id": "017b3bc0-fe35-893f-5c88-ac73eddd88df",
"name": "Sprinkles Cupcake",
"sku": null,
"price": 5.99,
"recipeType": "cupcake",
"ingredients": null,
"directions": null
},
{
"_id": "017b3bf0-43e6-26ac-119f-81d5a60ef574",
"name": "Red Velvet Cake",
"sku": "ca001",
"price": 5,
"recipeType": "cake",
"ingredients": [
{
"name": "All-purpose Flour",
"quantity": "453 grams"
},
{
"name": "Granulated Sugar",
"quantity": "680.3 grams"
}
],
"directions": [
"Mix dry ingredients",
"Bake",
"Profit"
]
}
]
}
}
}
Updating Data with Fine-grained Control
Since Alice created both Recipe records, Alice has full access and can run a updateRecipe mutation to update any of the attributes of both records.
Since neither Bob nor Eve have the ability to write data for either record, both will receive an Unauthorized exception when running the updateRecipe mutation.
mutation updateSprinklesCupcake {
updateRecipe(
id: "017b3bc0-fe35-893f-5c88-ac73eddd88df",
input: {
name: "Super Awesome Sprinkles Cupcake"
},
syncMode: ASYNC
) {
transaction {
_id
_owner
}
}
}
NOTE: The _id you use will be different in your Uni.
Bob Results
{
"data": {
"updateRecipe": null
},
"errors": [
{
"message": "unauthorized",
"locations": [
{
"line": 2,
"column": 5
}
],
"path": [
"updateRecipe"
]
}
]
}
Eve Results
{
"data": {
"updateRecipe": null
},
"errors": [
{
"message": "unauthorized",
"locations": [
{
"line": 33,
"column": 5
}
],
"path": [
"updateRecipe"
]
}
]
}
Effects of Fine-grained Controls on Blocks
Vendia Share will take fine-grained permissions into account when writing transactions into a block. The block record for each node will reflect the operations permitted.
If a node has permission to the data then it will be visible in the transactions. The list of mutations will contain clear transparency regarding what was changed in the Uni. The redactedTxHash value will be null. If, however, a node does not have full visibility into the data that is part of the block then it will be reflected. The mutations will only display the subset of data to which the node should have access. The redactedTxHash will not be null.
For example, if the following list_Blocks query is run from Eve, we will only see the transaction data that should be visible.
query listBlocks {
listVendia_BlockItems {
Vendia_BlockItems {
_id
redactedBlockHash
previousRedactedBlockHash
previousBlockHash
previousBlockId
transactions {
mutations
owner
redactedTxHash
}
}
}
}
Eve Results
The Mutations for the addition of the Sprinkles Cupcake only includes data Eve has access to.
{
"data": {
"listVendia_BlockItems": {
"Vendia_BlockItems": [
...
{
"_id": "000000000000002",
"redactedBlockHash": "20d1968ddf5bee2831830c7353e62aefb33cbbd4b726cb9a0524508593af810d",
"previousRedactedBlockHash": "7b4ebbf3052b5300bf4315364c00d1582abc892bf94d1abd9c7ff6ec09d698d2",
"previousBlockHash": "ff0b499d269bbd5e2255c340da466f22376dc32b3429a7d324a00a49c8db53a9",
"previousBlockId": "000000000000001",
"transactions": [
{
"mutations": [
"mutation m{addRecipe(id:\"017b3bc0-fe35-893f-5c88-ac73eddd88df\",input: {name: \"Sprinkles Cupcake\", price: 5.99, recipeType: \"cupcake\", recipeYield: 100},aclInput: {acl: [{principal: {nodes: [\"Bob\"]}, operations: [READ]}, {principal: {nodes: [\"Eve\"]}, path: \"name\", operations: [READ]}, {principal: {nodes: [\"Eve\"]}, path: \"price\", operations: [READ]}, {principal: {nodes: [\"Eve\"]}, path: \"recipeType\", operations: [READ]}, {principal: {nodes: [\"Eve\"]}, path: \"recipeYield\", operations: [READ]}]}){error}}"
],
"_owner": "Alice",
"redactedTxHash": "2fc17018d68bc5852d4912cf95f55a82d0e04a18e94ef7dd2bb629f9eb12136b"
}
]
},
{
"_id": "000000000000003",
"redactedBlockHash": "d83b3edde7b0079bae9fc3dbc814891f11a85d0104d12b7c6ad3f63b10466272",
"previousRedactedBlockHash": "20d1968ddf5bee2831830c7353e62aefb33cbbd4b726cb9a0524508593af810d",
"previousBlockHash": "5bb22779e063938fed2cc32f335dab2f3b0092881874b328c9c3bd7a359a2245",
"previousBlockId": "000000000000002",
"transactions": [
{
"mutations": [
"addRecipe(id:\"017b3bf0-43e6-26ac-119f-81d5a60ef574\",input: {directions: [\"Mix dry ingredients\", \"Bake\", \"Profit\"], ingredients: [{name: \"All-purpose Flour\", quantity: \"453 grams\"}, {name: \"Granulated Sugar\", quantity: \"680.3 grams\"}], name: \"Red Velvet Cake\", price: 5, recipeType: \"cake\", recipeYield: 1, sku: \"ca001\"},aclInput: {acl: [{principal: {nodes: [\"*\"]}, operations: [READ]}]}){error}"
],
"_owner": "Alice",
"redactedTxHash": null
}
]
}
]
}
}
}