Role-Based Access Control

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a security model that restricts system access based on defined roles within an organization. Instead of assigning permissions directly to individual users, permissions are assigned to roles (e.g., Admin, Analyst, Viewer), and users are assigned to roles. This simplifies permission management, especially in large organizations. In databases, RBAC controls which tables, views, or columns a user can access and what operations (SELECT, INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) they can perform. RBAC supports the principle of least privilege—users get only the minimum access needed for their role. Implementation varies by database but typically involves GRANT/REVOKE SQL statements, row-level security policies, and column-level encryption.