authorizationexamples

Authorization examples, sometimes written as authorizationexamples, describe common mechanisms by which access decisions are made after a subject’s identity has been established. They cover the rules, models, and technologies that determine who can do what with which resources, under which conditions.

Common authorization models include role-based access control (RBAC), where permissions are tied to roles assigned to users; attribute-based access control (ABAC), where decisions rely on user, resource, and environment attributes; access control lists (ACLs), which attach explicit permissions to resources; and token- or policy-based approaches such as OAuth scopes and policy engines like XACML. These models can be combined with policy languages or rule engines to support dynamic and context-aware decisions.

Examples span multiple domains. In operating systems, Unix-like file permissions control user, group, and other access. Web services often enforce API access with OAuth 2.0 tokens that carry scopes representing allowed operations. Cloud platforms implement identity and access management (IAM) policies to grant least-privilege permissions. Databases use GRANT and REVOKE statements to control data access. Kubernetes applies RBAC to control who can perform actions on cluster resources. In addition, service-to-service authorization may use mutual TLS and token-based claims to validate calls between components.

Authorization is distinct from authentication, which verifies identity. Policy-based systems may factor in attributes, roles, resource sensitivity, and context such as time or location to make decisions. Common pitfalls include conflating authentication with authorization and granting excessive permissions.

See also RBAC, ABAC, ACL, OAuth, JWT, IAM.