Rustelo/summary/rbac_summary.md

RBAC System Summary - Optional Feature for Rustelo

🎯 Overview

RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) is an optional feature in Rustelo that provides advanced access control beyond basic role-based authentication. It's disabled by default and can be enabled incrementally based on your application's needs.

🚦 Feature Status

Default State: ❌ DISABLED
Purpose: Enhanced security and granular access control
Complexity: Moderate to High
Performance Impact: Low (when caching enabled)

🔧 When to Use RBAC

✅ Use RBAC When You Need:

• Database-level access restrictions
• File system access control
• Content management with complex permissions
• User categorization (departments, teams, clearance levels)
• Audit logging for compliance
• Multi-tenant applications
• Enterprise-grade security

❌ Skip RBAC When You Have:

• Simple applications with basic user roles
• Single-tenant applications
• Prototypes or MVPs
• Teams preferring simplicity
• Limited security requirements

📊 Configuration Options

1. Disabled (Default)

# No RBAC configuration needed
ENABLE_RBAC=false

• Uses basic role-based authentication (Admin, Moderator, User, Guest)
• Simple and fast
• Perfect for most applications

2. Basic RBAC

# Minimal RBAC with user categories
ENABLE_RBAC=true
ENABLE_RBAC_CATEGORIES=true
ENABLE_RBAC_CACHING=true

• Adds user categories (admin, editor, viewer, finance, hr, it)
• Maintains simplicity while adding flexibility
• Good for small to medium organizations

3. Resource-Specific RBAC

# RBAC for specific resource types
ENABLE_RBAC=true
ENABLE_RBAC_DATABASE=true    # Database access control
ENABLE_RBAC_FILES=true       # File access control  
ENABLE_RBAC_CONTENT=true     # Content access control
ENABLE_RBAC_CATEGORIES=true
ENABLE_RBAC_CACHING=true

• Granular control over specific resources
• Ideal for applications with mixed access patterns

4. Full RBAC

# All RBAC features enabled
ENABLE_RBAC=true
ENABLE_RBAC_DATABASE=true
ENABLE_RBAC_FILES=true
ENABLE_RBAC_CONTENT=true
ENABLE_RBAC_API=true
ENABLE_RBAC_CATEGORIES=true
ENABLE_RBAC_TAGS=true
ENABLE_RBAC_CACHING=true
ENABLE_RBAC_AUDIT=true
ENABLE_RBAC_TOML_CONFIG=true
ENABLE_RBAC_HIERARCHICAL=true
ENABLE_RBAC_DYNAMIC_RULES=true

• Enterprise-grade access control
• Complete audit trail
• Maximum flexibility and security

🏗️ Architecture Impact

Without RBAC (Default)

Request → Auth Middleware → Role Check → Handler

• Simple and fast
• Uses existing User.roles field
• Basic permission checks in handlers

With RBAC Enabled

Request → Auth Middleware → RBAC Middleware → Access Rules → Handler

• Advanced permission evaluation
• Database-driven access rules
• Cached results for performance
• Comprehensive audit logging

📈 Migration Strategy

Phase 1: Start Simple

# Begin with default authentication
ENABLE_RBAC=false

Phase 2: Add Categories

# When you need user organization
ENABLE_RBAC=true
ENABLE_RBAC_CATEGORIES=true

Phase 3: Add Resource Control

# When you need granular access
ENABLE_RBAC_DATABASE=true  # or FILES, CONTENT, API

Phase 4: Production Features

# When you need enterprise features
ENABLE_RBAC_CACHING=true
ENABLE_RBAC_AUDIT=true

🛠️ Implementation Examples

Basic Usage (No RBAC)

// Simple role-based check
if user.has_role(&Role::Admin) {
    // Allow admin operations
}

RBAC Usage (When Enabled)

// Advanced access control
let access_result = rbac_service
    .check_database_access(&user, "analytics", "read")
    .await?;

match access_result {
    AccessResult::Allow => { /* proceed */ }
    AccessResult::Deny => { /* forbidden */ }
    AccessResult::RequireAdditionalAuth => { /* 2FA required */ }
}

Conditional Middleware

// Middleware is applied only when RBAC is enabled
let app = Router::new()
    .route("/api/database/:db", get(handler))
    .apply_rbac_if_enabled(&rbac_service);

📊 Performance Considerations

Without RBAC

• Latency: ~1ms per request
• Memory: Minimal overhead
• Database: No additional queries

With RBAC (Caching Enabled)

• Latency: ~2-3ms per request (first access)
• Latency: ~1ms per request (cached)
• Memory: ~50MB for cache (10k users)
• Database: 1 query per unique permission check

With RBAC (No Caching)

• Latency: ~5-10ms per request
• Database: 2-5 queries per request

🔍 Comparison Matrix

Feature	Basic Auth	Basic RBAC	Full RBAC
Setup Complexity	⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐
Learning Curve	⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Performance	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐
Flexibility	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Security	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Audit Capability	⭐	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Enterprise Ready	⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐	⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

🚀 Getting Started

Step 1: Choose Your Level

• Prototype/MVP: Keep RBAC disabled
• Small Team: Enable basic RBAC with categories
• Growing Business: Add resource-specific controls
• Enterprise: Enable full RBAC

Step 2: Configure Environment

Copy the relevant configuration from config/rbac.env.example:

# For basic RBAC
cp config/rbac.env.example .env
# Edit .env and set ENABLE_RBAC=true

Step 3: Run Migrations

# RBAC migrations run automatically when enabled
cargo run

Step 4: Configure Access Rules

# Edit config/rbac.toml (if TOML config enabled)
# Or use the API endpoints to manage rules

❓ Decision Tree

Do you need access control beyond basic roles?
├─ No → Keep RBAC disabled ✅
└─ Yes → Do you need database/file-level control?
   ├─ No → Enable basic RBAC with categories
   └─ Yes → Do you need audit logging?
      ├─ No → Enable resource-specific RBAC
      └─ Yes → Enable full RBAC

🔗 Related Documentation

• Full RBAC Documentation - Complete implementation guide
• Configuration Reference - All environment variables
• API Documentation - Usage examples
• Migration Guide - How to upgrade existing apps

💡 Best Practices

1. Start Simple: Begin without RBAC, add when needed
2. Incremental Adoption: Enable features one at a time
3. Performance First: Always enable caching in production
4. Security Review: Audit rules regularly when using full RBAC
5. Documentation: Document your access patterns and rules

🎯 Summary

RBAC in Rustelo is designed to be:

• Optional - Use it only when you need it
• Incremental - Add features gradually
• Performance-conscious - Optimized for production use
• Flexible - Adapts to your security requirements
• Backward-compatible - Existing apps work without changes

Choose the level that fits your application's complexity and security requirements. You can always upgrade later as your needs evolve.