ReadAccessResult

ReadAccessResult is a data structure used in software systems to represent the outcome of a read operation that is subject to access control. It combines the retrieved data with contextual information about the access decision, enabling callers to distinguish between successful reads, denied access, and other conditions.

Typical fields include: status or outcome (such as success, denied, not found, or partial), value or data retrieved (which may be null when access is not granted), error or message describing any failure, and security context such as grantedPermissions and requiredPermissions. A timestamp or provenance tag may also be included to aid auditing.

Usage: read operations produce a ReadAccessResult after evaluating access policies. Callers check the status, then use value if available, handling denial or errors in a uniform way. The pattern supports consistent handling across layers, improves observability, and facilitates auditing.

Design considerations: prefer immutability to avoid race conditions, design for both synchronous and asynchronous flows, and provide means to extend with additional metadata such as reason codes, audit trails, or provenance.

In practice, ReadAccessResult appears in file systems, databases with row-level security, and APIs enforcing RBAC or OAuth scopes. It is a descriptive term used to model access-controlled read outcomes rather than a single universal standard.