3 navsection: architecture
5 title: "Permission model"
8 Copyright (C) The Arvados Authors. All rights reserved.
10 SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-3.0
13 There are four levels of permission: *none*, *can_read*, *can_write*, and *can_manage*.
15 * *none* is the default state when there are no other permission grants.
16 ** the object is not included in any list query response.
17 ** direct queries of the object by uuid return 404 Not Found.
18 ** Link objects require valid identifiers in @head_uuid@ and @tail_uuid@, so an attempt to create a Link that references an unreadable object will return an error indicating the object is not found.
19 * *can_read* grants read-only access to the record. Attempting to update or delete the record returns an error.
20 ** *can_read* does not allow a reader to see any permission grants on the object except the object's owner_uuid and the reader's own permissions.
21 * *can_write* permits changes to the record, including changing ownership and deleting the object.
22 ** *can_write* cannot read, create, update or delete permission links associated with the object.
23 ** *can_write* also implies *can_read*.
24 * *can_manage* permits the user to read, create, update and delete permission links whose @head_uuid@ is this object's @uuid@.
25 ** *can_manage* also implies *can_write* and *can_read*.
29 All Arvados objects have an @owner_uuid@ field. Valid uuid types for @owner_uuid@ are "User" and "Group". In the case of a Group, the @group_class@ must be "project".
31 The User or Group specified by @owner_uuid@ has *can_manage* permission on the object. This permission is one way: an object that is owned does not get any special permissions on the User or Group that owns it.
33 To change the @owner_uuid@ field, it is necessary to have @can_write@ permission on both the current owner and the new owner.
35 h2(#links). Permission links
37 A permission link is a link object with:
39 * @owner_uuid@ of the system user.
40 * @link_class@ "permission"
41 * @name@ one of *can_read*, *can_write*, *can_manage* or *can_login*
42 * @head_uuid@ of some Arvados object
43 * @tail_uuid@ of a User or Group. For Group, the @group_class@ must be a "role".
45 This grants the permission in @name@ for @tail_uuid@ accessing @head_uuid@.
47 If a User has *can_manage* permission on some object, the user has the ability to read, create, update and delete permission links with @head_uuid@ of the managed object. In other words, the user has the ability to modify the permission grants on the object.
49 The *can_login* @name@ is only meaningful on a permission link with with @tail_uuid@ a user UUID and @head_uuid@ a Virtual Machine UUID. A permission link of this type gives the user UUID permission to log into the Virtual Machine UUID. The username for the VM is specified in the @properties@ field. Group membership can be specified that way as well, optionally. See the "VM login section on the CLI cheat sheet":/install/cheat_sheet.html#vm-login for an example.
51 h3. Transitive permissions
53 Permissions can be obtained indirectly through nested ownership (*can_manage*) or by following multiple permission links.
55 * If a User X owns project A, and project A owns project B, then User X *can_manage* project B.
56 * If a User X *can_read* role A, and role A *can_read* Object B, then User X *can_read* Object B.
57 * Permissions are narrowed to the least powerful permission on the path.
58 ** If User X *can_write* role A, and role A *can_read* Object B, then User X *can_read* Object B.
59 ** If User X *can_read* role A, and role A *can_write* Object B, then User X *can_read* Object B.
61 h2. Projects and Roles
63 A "project" is a subtype of Group that is displayed as a "Project" in Workbench, and as a directory by @arv-mount@.
64 * A project can own things (appear in @owner_uuid@)
65 * A project can be owned by a user or another project.
66 * The name of a project is unique only among projects and filters with the same owner_uuid.
67 * Projects can be targets (@head_uuid@) of permission links, but not origins (@tail_uuid@). Putting a project in a @tail_uuid@ field is an error.
69 A "filter" is a subtype of Group that is displayed as a "Project" in Workbench, and as a directory by @arv-mount@. See "the groups API documentation":/api/methods/groups.html for more information.
70 * A filter group cannot own things (cannot appear in @owner_uuid@). Putting a filter group in an @owner_uuid@ field is an error.
71 * A filter group can be owned by a user or a project.
72 * The name of a filter is unique only among projects and filters with the same owner_uuid.
73 * Filters can be targets (@head_uuid@) of permission links, but not origins (@tail_uuid@). Putting a filter in a @tail_uuid@ field is an error.
75 A "role" is a subtype of Group that is treated in Workbench as a group of users who have permissions in common (typically an organizational group).
76 * A role cannot own things (cannot appear in @owner_uuid@). Putting a role in an @owner_uuid@ field is an error.
77 * All roles are owned by the system user.
78 * The name of a role is unique across a single Arvados cluster.
79 * Roles can be both targets (@head_uuid@) and origins (@tail_uuid@) of permission links.
81 h3. Access through Roles
83 A "role" consists of a set of users or other roles that have that role, and a set of permissions (primarily read/write/manage access to projects) the role grants.
85 If there is a permission link stating that user A *can_write* role R, then we say A has role R. This means user A has up to *can_write* access to everything the role has access to.
87 Because permissions are one-way, the links A *can_write* R and B *can_write* R does not imply that user A and B will be able to see each other. For users in a role to see each other, read permission should be added going in the opposite direction: R *can_read* A and R *can_read* B.
89 If a user needs to be able to manipulate permissions of objects that are accessed through the role (for example, to share project P with a user outside the role), then role R must have *can_manage* permission on project P (R *can_manage* P) and the user must be granted *can_manage* permission on R (A *can_manage* R).
93 Log table objects are additionally readable based on whether the User has *can_read* permission on @object_uuid@ (User can access log history about objects it can read). To retain the integrity of the log, the log table denies all update or delete operations.
95 Permission links where @tail_uuid@ is a User allow *can_read* on the link record by that user (User can discover her own permission grants.)
97 At least *can_read* on a Collection grants permission to read the blocks that make up the collection (API server returns signed blocks).
99 A user can only read a container record if the user has read permission to a container_request with that container_uuid.
101 *can_read* and *can_write* access on a user grants access to the user record, but not anything owned by the user.
102 *can_manage* access to a user grants can_manage access to the user, _and everything owned by that user_ .
103 If a user A *can_read* role R, and role R *can_manage* user B, then user A *can_read* user B _and everything owned by that user_ .
105 h2(#system). System user and group
107 A privileged user account exists for the use by internal Arvados components. This user manages system objects which should not be "owned" by any particular user. The system user uuid is @{siteprefix}-tpzed-000000000000000@.
109 h2. Anoymous user and group
111 An Arvados site may be configured to allow users to browse resources without requiring a login. In this case, permissions for non-logged-in users are associated with the "anonymous" user. To make objects visible to anyone (both logged-in and non-logged-in users), they can be shared with the "anonymous" role. Note that objects shared with the "anonymous" user will only be visible to non-logged-in users!
113 The anonymous user uuid is @{siteprefix}-tpzed-anonymouspublic@. The anonymous group uuid is @{siteprefix}-j7d0g-anonymouspublic@.
117 !(full-width){{site.baseurl}}/images/Arvados_Permissions.svg!