Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs · Lesson

Role-Based Access Control

Configure role-based authorization to define granular access permissions for different user roles.

Role-Based Access Control is a free Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs lesson on CoddyKit — lesson 3 of 3. You can read the complete lesson below for free — then practise it hands-on in the browser with a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor. It is part of the Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs learning path, one of 3 lessons in the course, and your progress syncs across the web and the CoddyKit app.

Intro to Role-Based Access

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a method of restricting system access based on the roles of individual users.

Instead of assigning permissions directly to users, you assign permissions to roles, and then assign roles to users.

Simplifies security management.
Improves security policy enforcement.
Easier to audit and maintain.

Benefits of RBAC

RBAC offers several advantages for securing your applications:

Scalability: Easily manage access for many users and resources as your application grows.
Flexibility: Roles can be changed or updated without modifying individual user permissions.
Compliance: Helps meet regulatory requirements by clearly defining who can do what.

Representing User Roles

In Spring Security, roles are typically represented as simple strings, often prefixed with ROLE_ (e.g., ROLE_ADMIN, ROLE_USER).

It's good practice to define these as constants or enums to avoid typos.

public enum UserRole {
  ADMIN,
  USER
}

Spring Security automatically adds the ROLE_ prefix when you use expressions like hasRole('ADMIN').

public enum UserRole {
  ADMIN,
  USER
}

Basic Security Setup

To enable method-level security and configure users with roles, we set up a SecurityFilterChain bean.

This example defines an in-memory user 'admin' with ROLE_ADMIN and 'user' with ROLE_USER.

package com.coddykit;

import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.method.configuration.EnableMethodSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.web.builders.HttpSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.web.configuration.EnableWebSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.core.userdetails.User;
import org.springframework.security.core.userdetails.UserDetails;
import org.springframework.security.core.userdetails.UserDetailsService;
import org.springframework.security.provisioning.InMemoryUserDetailsManager;
import org.springframework.security.web.SecurityFilterChain;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

@SpringBootApplication
@Configuration
@EnableWebSecurity
@EnableMethodSecurity(prePostEnabled = true) // Enable @PreAuthorize
public class RbacApplication {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(RbacApplication.class, args);
    }

    @Bean
    public SecurityFilterChain securityFilterChain(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
        http
            .csrf(csrf -> csrf.disable())
            .authorizeHttpRequests(authorize -> authorize
                .anyRequest().authenticated()
            )
            .httpBasic(org.springframework.security.config.Customizer.withDefaults());
        return http.build();
    }

    @Bean
    public UserDetailsService userDetailsService() {
        UserDetails admin = User.withDefaultPasswordEncoder()
            .username("admin")
            .password("password")
            .roles("ADMIN")
            .build();
        UserDetails user = User.withDefaultPasswordEncoder()
            .username("user")
            .password("password")
            .roles("USER")
            .build();
        return new InMemoryUserDetailsManager(admin, user);
    }
}

@RestController
class PlaceholderController {
    @GetMapping("/")
    public String home() {
        return "Welcome to RBAC Demo!";
    }
}

Applying Role Constraints

Spring Security's @PreAuthorize annotation allows you to define access rules directly on controller methods.

It uses Spring Expression Language (SpEL) to evaluate conditions before a method is executed.

@PreAuthorize("hasRole('ADMIN')")

This ensures only users with the ADMIN role can call the method.

@PreAuthorize("hasRole('ADMIN')")

Exclusive Admin Access

Let's create an endpoint that only users with the ADMIN role can access. If a USER tries to access it, they will get a 403 Forbidden error.

package com.coddykit;

import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
import org.springframework.security.access.prepost.PreAuthorize;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.method.configuration.EnableMethodSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.web.builders.HttpSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.web.configuration.EnableWebSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.core.userdetails.User;
import org.springframework.security.core.userdetails.UserDetails;
import org.springframework.security.core.userdetails.UserDetailsService;
import org.springframework.security.provisioning.InMemoryUserDetailsManager;
import org.springframework.security.web.SecurityFilterChain;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

@SpringBootApplication
@Configuration
@EnableWebSecurity
@EnableMethodSecurity(prePostEnabled = true)
public class RbacApplication {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(RbacApplication.class, args);
    }

    @Bean
    public SecurityFilterChain securityFilterChain(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
        http
            .csrf(csrf -> csrf.disable())
            .authorizeHttpRequests(authorize -> authorize
                .anyRequest().authenticated()
            )
            .httpBasic(org.springframework.security.config.Customizer.withDefaults());
        return http.build();
    }

    @Bean
    public UserDetailsService userDetailsService() {
        UserDetails admin = User.withDefaultPasswordEncoder()
            .username("admin")
            .password("password")
            .roles("ADMIN")
            .build();
        UserDetails user = User.withDefaultPasswordEncoder()
            .username("user")
            .password("password")
            .roles("USER")
            .build();
        return new InMemoryUserDetailsManager(admin, user);
    }
}

@RestController
class AdminController {

    @GetMapping("/admin/dashboard")
    @PreAuthorize("hasRole('ADMIN')")
    public String getAdminDashboard() {
        return "Welcome, Admin! This is your dashboard.";
    }

    @GetMapping("/")
    public String home() {
        return "Welcome to RBAC Demo!";
    }
}

Granting Multiple Roles

Sometimes, an endpoint should be accessible by more than one role. You can use hasAnyRole() for this.

For example, a dashboard might be visible to both ADMIN and regular USER roles.

package com.coddykit;

import org.springframework.boot.SpringApplication;
import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.SpringBootApplication;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Bean;
import org.springframework.context.annotation.Configuration;
import org.springframework.security.access.prepost.PreAuthorize;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.method.configuration.EnableMethodSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.web.builders.HttpSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.config.annotation.web.configuration.EnableWebSecurity;
import org.springframework.security.core.userdetails.User;
import org.springframework.security.core.userdetails.UserDetails;
import org.springframework.security.core.userdetails.UserDetailsService;
import org.springframework.security.provisioning.InMemoryUserDetailsManager;
import org.springframework.security.web.SecurityFilterChain;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.GetMapping;
import org.springframework.web.bind.annotation.RestController;

@SpringBootApplication
@Configuration
@EnableWebSecurity
@EnableMethodSecurity(prePostEnabled = true)
public class RbacApplication {

    public static void main(String[] args) {
        SpringApplication.run(RbacApplication.class, args);
    }

    @Bean
    public SecurityFilterChain securityFilterChain(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
        http
            .csrf(csrf -> csrf.disable())
            .authorizeHttpRequests(authorize -> authorize
                .anyRequest().authenticated()
            )
            .httpBasic(org.springframework.security.config.Customizer.withDefaults());
        return http.build();
    }

    @Bean
    public UserDetailsService userDetailsService() {
        UserDetails admin = User.withDefaultPasswordEncoder()
            .username("admin")
            .password("password")
            .roles("ADMIN")
            .build();
        UserDetails user = User.withDefaultPasswordEncoder()
            .username("user")
            .password("password")
            .roles("USER")
            .build();
        return new InMemoryUserDetailsManager(admin, user);
    }
}

@RestController
class MultiRoleController {

    @GetMapping("/dashboard")
    @PreAuthorize("hasAnyRole('ADMIN', 'USER')")
    public String getUserDashboard() {
        return "Hello! Welcome to your dashboard.";
    }

    @GetMapping("/admin/settings")
    @PreAuthorize("hasRole('ADMIN')")
    public String getAdminSettings() {
        return "Admin settings page.";
    }

    @GetMapping("/")
    public String home() {
        return "Welcome to RBAC Demo!";
    }
}

Custom Access Decisions

While hasRole() and hasAnyRole() cover many cases, Spring Security allows more complex access rules.

You can use SpEL to check multiple conditions, like hasRole('ADMIN') and hasIpAddress('192.168.1.0/24').

For very complex or dynamic logic, you can implement custom PermissionEvaluator beans.

Testing Your RBAC

You can test your RBAC configuration by running your Spring Boot application and using a tool like Postman or curl:

Log in as 'admin' (user: admin, pass: password) and try to access all endpoints.
Log in as 'user' (user: user, pass: password) and verify access to user endpoints, but not admin-only ones.
Try without authentication to see if it's rejected.

RBAC Access Check

Consider the following Spring Security configuration and controller method:

@Configuration
@EnableMethodSecurity(prePostEnabled = true)
// ... other config ...

@Bean
public UserDetailsService userDetailsService() {
    UserDetails userA = User.withDefaultPasswordEncoder()
        .username("alice").password("pw").roles("USER").build();
    UserDetails userB = User.withDefaultPasswordEncoder()
        .username("bob").password("pw").roles("MANAGER").build();
    return new InMemoryUserDetailsManager(userA, userB);
}

@RestController
class MyController {
    @GetMapping("/report")
    @PreAuthorize("hasAnyRole('USER', 'ADMIN')")
    public String getReport() {
        return "Confidential Report";
    }
}

Which user(s) can successfully access the /report endpoint?

@Configuration
@EnableMethodSecurity(prePostEnabled = true)
// ... other config ...

@Bean
public UserDetailsService userDetailsService() {
    UserDetails userA = User.withDefaultPasswordEncoder()
        .username("alice").password("pw").roles("USER").build();
    UserDetails userB = User.withDefaultPasswordEncoder()
        .username("bob").password("pw").roles("MANAGER").build();
    return new InMemoryUserDetailsManager(userA, userB);
}

@RestController
class MyController {
    @GetMapping("/report")
    @PreAuthorize("hasAnyRole('USER', 'ADMIN')")
    public String getReport() {
        return "Confidential Report";
    }
}

RBAC Lesson Summary

In this lesson, we explored Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Spring Boot Microservices.

We learned how to define and assign roles to users.
We configured Spring Security to recognize these roles using SecurityFilterChain.
We used @PreAuthorize with hasRole() and hasAnyRole() to secure API endpoints based on user roles.

RBAC is a powerful way to manage access control efficiently and securely in your applications.

Frequently asked questions

Is the “Role-Based Access Control” lesson free?

Yes — the full text of “Role-Based Access Control” is free to read here on the web, and the Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs course includes 3 lessons in total. To practise it interactively (a built-in code editor and a 24/7 AI tutor) and unlock the rest of the Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs course, upgrade to CoddyKit PRO.

What will I learn in “Role-Based Access Control”?

Configure role-based authorization to define granular access permissions for different user roles. You practise Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs with hands-on code you run directly in the browser, and a 24/7 AI tutor answers your questions as you work through the lesson.

Do I need any experience to start Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs?

No prior experience is required. Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs on CoddyKit is structured for beginners through advanced learners; this is — lesson 3 of 3, so you can start here or from the beginning and move at your own pace.

How long does the “Role-Based Access Control” lesson take?

Most CoddyKit lessons take about 5–10 minutes. Each one is bite-sized and interactive, so you make steady progress and pick up exactly where you left off across the web and the app.

Can I write and run code in this Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs lesson?

Yes. Every Spring Boot 4 Microservices & REST APIs lesson includes a built-in code editor, so you write and run real code right in your browser and get instant AI feedback — no local setup required.

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