To-do App Build Along (PART 1): Security & Premiddleware for Role Based Access

In this guide, we'll learn how to set up role-based access control in Xano, a no-code platform for building backend services. This system will manage user permissions and resource access in our application, ensuring that only authorized users can perform certain actions.

Understanding User Roles

Before we dive into the implementation, let's define the user roles we'll be working with:

1. Admin: An admin user can create, edit, delete, and modify all resources in the application.
2. User Owner: A user owner can only perform actions on resources they own.
3. Guest: A guest user can only view resources, without the ability to create, edit, or delete them.

Setting Up User Roles

To set up user roles, we'll create two data tables: one for users and another for roles.

Users Table

In the users table, we'll have columns for name, email, password, roles_id, and username. The roles_id column will be a reference to the id column in the roles table, allowing us to associate each user with a specific role.

We'll set a default value of 1 for the roles_id column, which will assign the "User Owner" role to new users by default.

To ensure uniqueness, we'll create a unique index on the username and email columns.

Roles Table

In the roles table, we'll have two columns: enum_list and description. The enum_list column will contain the role names (e.g., "admin", "user", "guest"), and the description column will provide a brief explanation of each role.

Implementing Pre-Middleware

Pre-middleware in Xano allows us to execute logic before our endpoint functions, making it the perfect tool for enforcing access control rules.

We'll create a new pre-middleware called "Access Control" with the following functionality:

1. Query the users table to retrieve the authenticated user's information.
2. Check if the user is an admin. If so, grant access to the requested resource.
3. If the user is not an admin, check if they are the owner of the requested resource.
4. If the user is not the resource owner and is not a guest, throw an "Unauthorized" error, preventing further execution of the endpoint.

Here's a step-by-step guide to implementing this pre-middleware:

1. In the Xano dashboard, navigate to the "Middleware" tab and click "Add Middleware".
2. Name the middleware "Access Control" and provide a description: "Checks if the user requesting this resource is the resource owner."
3. Set the "Response Type" to "Replace" and the "Exception" to "Critical".
4. In the function stack, add a "Get Record" database request to retrieve the authenticated user's information using the auth_id value.
5. Add a conditional statement to check if the user is an admin by comparing the roles_id column value to the admin role ID (e.g., 3).
6. If the user is an admin, no further action is needed (leave the "Then" statement blank).
7. In the "Else" block, add another conditional statement to check if the user is the resource owner.
8. To check if the user is the resource owner, compare the id column value of the user record with the user_id column value of the requested resource (e.g., task or to-do_list).
9. If the user is not the resource owner, add a "Precondition" utility function with a false condition (e.g., 1 = 2) and set the error message to "This resource doesn't belong to you" with an "Unauthorized" error type.
10. Publish the pre-middleware.

Assigning Pre-Middleware to Endpoints

After creating the pre-middleware, we need to assign it to the appropriate endpoints that require access control. These will typically be the endpoints responsible for creating, updating, or deleting resources.

To assign the pre-middleware to an endpoint:

1. Navigate to the "API" tab and select the endpoint you want to protect.
2. Click on the "Settings" icon and navigate to the "Middleware" section.
3. In the "Pre-Middleware" section, select the "Access Control" middleware from the dropdown.
4. Save and publish the changes.

Repeat these steps for all endpoints that require access control based on user roles and resource ownership.

Testing the Access Control System

To test the access control system, you can create sample users with different roles and attempt to perform actions on resources they don't own. For example:

1. Create a "User Owner" and an "Admin" user in the users table.
2. Create a sample resource (e.g., a task or a to-do list) associated with the "User Owner".
3. Attempt to delete or modify the resource using the "User Owner" account. The request should succeed.
4. Attempt to delete or modify the same resource using a different "User Owner" account. The request should fail with an "Unauthorized" error.
5. Attempt to delete or modify the resource using the "Admin" account. The request should succeed, as admins have unrestricted access.

By following this guide, you've successfully implemented a role-based access control system in Xano, ensuring that your application's resources are secured and accessible only to authorized users based on their assigned roles and resource ownership.