Fine-Grained Authorization for Prisma ORM

Permit Prisma (@permitio/permit-prisma) is a Prisma Client extension that integrates Permit.io's fine-grained access control into your database queries. It enables role-based, attribute-based, and relationship-based access checks (RBAC, ABAC, ReBAC) directly through the Prisma Client, securing your application at the data layer. By using this extension, you ensure that every database operation is authorized according to central policies defined in Permit.io.

The extension implements three key capabilities:

• Direct permission checks: Check if users are authorized to perform specific actions on resources before executing database operations
• Permission filtering: Automatically restrict database queries so users only see data they're authorized to access
• Resource synchronization: Keep your Permit.io policy engine in sync with your database by automatically ingesting resource instances and their relationships

Prisma is a powerful ORM but does not provide built-in fine-grained authorization controls. As your application scales, you need stricter control over who can create, read, update, or delete specific data. This extension addresses that gap by enforcing permission checks and filtering data as part of Prisma queries, while maintaining a clean separation between your data access and authorization logic.

Installation

Install the package (alongside the prisma client package) from npm:

npm install @permitio/permit-prisma @prisma/client

Prerequisites

Make sure you have:

• A Permit.io account. Sign up here if you do not have one.
• Permit's environment API key for your project (development/production). Find this in the Permit.io dashboard under Environment Settings > API Keys.
• A Policy Decision Point (PDP)
  • You can use Permit's hosted cloud PDP - https://cloudpdp.api.permit.io
  • Or run a local PDP container (default is http://localhost:7766, recommended for ABAC/ReBAC). Read more on running a Local Policy Check using the PDP here
• Define your resources, actions, roles and policies in Permit.io's dashboard or via the API before using the extension. At minimum, you'll need to:
  • Create resources matching your Prisma models
  • Define actions (e.g., create, read, update, delete)
  • Create roles and assign permissions

Usage and Setup

To use the extension, import it and extend your Prisma Client instance:

import { PrismaClient } from "@prisma/client";
import { createPermitClientExtension } from "@permitio/permit-prisma";

const prisma = new PrismaClient().$extends(
  createPermitClientExtension({
    permitConfig: {
      token: "<YOUR_PERMIT_API_KEY>", // Permit.io API Key (required)
      pdp: "http://localhost:7766", // PDP address (required)
    }
    accessControlModel: "RBAC", // Access control model: 'RBAC' | 'ABAC' | 'ReBAC'
    enableAutoSync: true, // Enable auto-sync of resource instances
    enableDataFiltering: false, // Enable automatic query filtering by permissions
    enableAutomaticChecks: true, // Enable automatic checks
  })
);

In the above setup:

• permitConfig is the object containing all Permit.io SDK configuration parameters:

  • permitConfig.token is your secret API key for Permit (required). This connects the extension to Permit's policy engine.
  • permitConfig.pdp is the URL of the Permit Policy Decision Point service. For local development, it defaults to http://localhost:7766. For production with Permit's cloud PDP, this will be automatically configured when using your API token.
  • permitConfig.debug (optional): Set to true to enable detailed logging from the Permit SDK.

• enableAutomaticChecks (default: false): Critical setting that enables permission enforcement. If set to true, the extension will automatically check permissions for all Prisma operations and block unauthorized actions. If false, you'll need to handle permission checks manually using methods like prisma.$permit.check() or prisma.$permit.enforceCheck(). This must be enabled for enableAutoSync and enableDataFiltering to work.

• accessControlModel (required for optimal behavior): Specifies which permission model you're using: Role-Based ("rbac"), Attribute-Based ("abac"), or Relationship-Based ("rebac"). This setting is crucial as it determines:

  • How permission checks are formatted
  • What data is included in permission requests
  • How resource instances are synchronized with Permit.io

  While the extension will default to basic RBAC behavior if not specified, you should always set this explicitly to match your Permit.io policy configuration for correct operation.

  Examples:

  • Set to "rbac" if using simple role-based permissions
  • Set to "abac" if using attribute-based conditions in your policies
  • Set to "rebac" if using relationship-based or instance-level permissions

• enableAutoSync if true, the extension will perform data ingestion by automatically syncing created/updated/deleted Prisma records to Permit.io as resource instances (including their attributes). This ensures Permit's data is up-to-date for permission checks. This is especially important for ReBAC scenarios where relationships between resources are used for permission decisions. Requires enableAutomaticChecks: true.

• enableDataFiltering if true, enables pre-fetch filtering where read queries (find, findMany) are automatically modified to include only records the active user is permitted to access. The extension adds an id IN (...) clause to your queries before they reach the database. If false, you can still manually filter using the provided filterQueryResults method. Requires enableAutomaticChecks: true.

Recommended configurations: - For RBAC: { accessControlModel: "rbac", enableAutomaticChecks: true } - For ABAC: { accessControlModel: "abac", enableAutomaticChecks: true, enableAutoSync: true }
- For ReBAC: { accessControlModel: "rebac", enableAutomaticChecks: true, enableAutoSync: true, enableDataFiltering: true }

Additional Configuration Options

• defaultTenant (default: "default"): The tenant key to associate with synced resources. Useful in multi-tenant applications where resources need to be isolated by tenant.

• resourceTypeMapping (optional): A custom map from Prisma model names to Permit resource types. Useful if your model names don't match your Permit resource keys. Example: { User: "customer", BlogPost: "article" }

• excludedModels (optional): An array of model names to skip from permission checks or syncing. Example: ["Log", "Audit", "SystemConfig"]

• excludedOperations (optional): An array of Prisma operations to skip from checking. Example: ["findFirst", "count", "aggregate"]

These options can be combined with the core settings to customize the extension's behavior for your specific application needs.

Configuration Options

Below is a full summary of the configuration options you can pass to createPermitClientExtension():

Notes

• At a minimum, permitConfig.token and permitConfig.pdp are required to use the extension.
• enableAutomaticChecks must be set to true for enableAutoSync and enableDataFiltering to work.
• To use the extension, a minimum of permitConfig.token and permitConfig.pdp is required.
• Set accessControlModel to 'rebac' if you're using relationship-based permissions and want instance filtering + syncing.
• For ABAC, enable enableAutoSync to ensure resource attributes are kept in sync with Permit.io.
• All config options are optional except permitConfig.

Example configurations for different scenarios:

// Basic RBAC setup
createPermitClientExtension({
  permitConfig: { token: "YOUR_API_KEY", pdp: "http://localhost:7766" },
  accessControlModel: "rbac",
  enableAutomaticChecks: true
})

// ABAC setup with attribute syncing
createPermitClientExtension({
  permitConfig: { token: "YOUR_API_KEY", pdp: "http://localhost:7766" },
  accessControlModel: "abac",
  enableAutomaticChecks: true,
  enableAutoSync: true
})

// ReBAC setup with full features
createPermitClientExtension({
  permitConfig: { token: "YOUR_API_KEY", pdp: "http://localhost:7766" },
  accessControlModel: "rebac",
  enableAutomaticChecks: true,
  enableAutoSync: true,
  enableDataFiltering: true
})

Access Control Models

This extension supports three access control models from Permit.io:

Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

What it is: Users are assigned roles (Admin, Editor, Viewer) with predefined permissions to perform actions on resource types.

Example: An "Editor" role can update any document in the system.

Best for: Simple permission structures where access is determined by job function or user level.

Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC)

What it is: Access decisions based on attributes of users, resources, or environment.

Examples:

• Allow access if user.department == document.department
• Allow updates if document.status == "DRAFT"

How it works with the extension: When enableAutoSync is on, resource attributes are automatically synced to Permit.io for policy evaluation.

Best for: Dynamic rules that depend on context or data properties.

Relationship-Based Access Control (ReBAC)

What it is: Permissions based on relationships between users and specific resource instances.

Example: A user is an "Owner" of document-123 but just a "Viewer" of document-456.

How it works with the extension:

• Resource instances are synced to Permit.io (with enableAutoSync: true)
• Permission checks include the specific resource instance ID

Best for: Collaborative applications where users need different permissions on different instances of the same resource type.

Choosing the Right Model

• RBAC: When you need simple, role-based access control
• ABAC: When decisions depend on data properties or contextual information
• ReBAC: When users need different permissions on different instances

Using the Prisma Permit Extension

Setting the Active User

Before performing any operations with the extension, you need to identify which user is making the request. This is a critical step as all permission checks and data filtering will be based on this user context.

In a typical web application, you'd set the user context at the beginning of a request handler after authenticating the user:

// Express.js example
app.get('/documents', async (req, res) => {
  // Set the user context from your authentication system
  prisma.$permit.setUser(req.user.id);
  
  // All subsequent Prisma operations will respect this user's permissions
  const documents = await prisma.document.findMany();
  
  // documents will only contain what this user is allowed to access
  res.json(documents);
});

You can set the user in different ways depending on your access control model:

// Simple user identifier (for RBAC)
prisma.$permit.setUser("user@example.com");

// User with attributes (for ABAC)
prisma.$permit.setUser({
  key: "user@example.com",
  attributes: { department: "engineering", clearance: "high" }
});

// For ReBAC, you typically just need the user ID
// The relationships are established via resource instances in Permit
prisma.$permit.setUser("user@example.com");
// Then when you create/update resources, include relationship fields:
await prisma.document.create({
  data: {
    title: "Document Title",
    content: "Content",
    ownerId: "user@example.com" // This establishes the relationship
  }
});

Important Notes:

• The user identifier should match what's configured in your Permit.io system
• For ReBAC, relationships between users and resources are established through your data model (e.g., ownerId field) and synced to Permit
• Setting the user is thread-safe - it only affects the current Prisma client instance
• You should call setUser once per request to ensure proper permission enforcement
• The user context applies to all subsequent operations until you set a different user

RBAC Example: Document Access Control

In this example, we implement role-based access to documents with different permission levels:

• Admin: full access (create, read, update, delete)
• Customer: read-only access

1. Setup RBAC in Permit.io

First, configure your resources, roles, and permissions in Permit.io:

• Create a document resource with create, read, update, delete actions
• Define an admin role with all permissions
• Define a customer role with only read permission

Next, create the users and assign roles:

• Navigate to User Management
• Click "Add user"
• Create user with Key: "admin@example.com"
• Assign "admin" role in Top Level Access
• Create another user with Key: "customer@example.com"
• Assign "customer" role in Top Level Access

2. Implement with Prisma Permit

import { PrismaClient } from "@prisma/client";
import { createPermitClientExtension, AccessControlModel } from "@permitio/prisma-permit";

// Configure the extension with RBAC
const prisma = new PrismaClient().$extends(
  createPermitClientExtension({
    permitConfig: {
      token: process.env.PERMIT_API_KEY!,
      pdp: "http://localhost:7766"
    },
    accessControlModel: AccessControlModel.RBAC,
    enableAutomaticChecks: true  // Automatically enforce permissions
  })
);

// Admin user operations
async function adminOperations() {
  // Set user context for the admin
  prisma.$permit.setUser("admin@example.com");
  
  // Admin can create documents (allowed)
  const doc = await prisma.document.create({
    data: {
      title: "New Document",
      content: "Document content",
      ownerId: "admin@example.com"
    }
  });
  
  // Admin can read documents (allowed)
  const docs = await prisma.document.findMany();
  
  // Admin can update documents (allowed)
  await prisma.document.update({
    where: { id: doc.id },
    data: { title: "Updated Title" }
  });
  
  // Admin can delete documents (allowed)
  await prisma.document.delete({ where: { id: doc.id } });
}

// Customer user operations
async function customerOperations() {
  // Set user context for the customer
  prisma.$permit.setUser("customer@example.com");
  
  // Customer can read documents (allowed)
  const docs = await prisma.document.findMany();
  
  try {
    // Customer cannot create documents (denied)
    await prisma.document.create({
      data: { 
        title: "Unauthorized Creation", 
        content: "This will fail",
        ownerId: "customer@example.com"
      }
    });
  } catch (error) {
    // Permission denied error
  }
  
  // All other operations will similarly be denied
}

How It Works

The extension automatically:

Intercepts all Prisma operations Checks if the current user has permission for the operation Allows or denies the operation based on the user's role

For complete implementation, see examples/rbac/document.ts.

ABAC Example: Medical Records Access Control

In this example, we implement attribute-based access to medical records where permissions are determined by matching the user's department with the record's department:

• Cardiologists can only access cardiology records
• Oncologists can only access oncology records

1. Setup ABAC in Permit.io

First, configure resources and attributes in Permit.io:

• Create a medical_record resource with a department attribute
• Create users with a department attribute
• Create condition sets for user departments and resource departments
• Set policies to allow access only when departments match

2. Implement with Prisma Permit

import { PrismaClient } from "@prisma/client";
import { createPermitClientExtension, AccessControlModel } from "@permitio/prisma-permit";

// Configure the extension with ABAC
const prisma = new PrismaClient().$extends(
  createPermitClientExtension({
    permitConfig: {
      token: process.env.PERMIT_API_KEY!,
      pdp: "http://localhost:7766"
    },
    accessControlModel: AccessControlModel.ABAC, 
    enableAutomaticChecks: true,
  })
);

// Example: Cardiologist operations
async function cardiologistOperations() {
  // Set user with department attribute
  prisma.$permit.setUser({
    key: "doctor_cardio@example.com",
    attributes: { 
      department: "cardiology" 
    }
  });
  
  // Can access cardiology records (ALLOWED)
  const cardioRecords = await prisma.medicalRecord.findMany({
    where: { department: "cardiology" }
  });
  
  // Can update cardiology records (ALLOWED)
  if (cardioRecords.length > 0) {
    await prisma.medicalRecord.update({
      where: { id: cardioRecords[0].id },
      data: { 
        content: "Updated by cardiologist",
        department: "cardiology"  // Must include department
      }
    });
  }
  
  // Cannot access oncology records (DENIED)
  try {
    await prisma.medicalRecord.findMany({
      where: { department: "oncology" }
    });
  } catch (error) {
    // Permission denied
  }
}

// Example: Oncologist operations
async function oncologistOperations() {
  // Set user with department attribute
  prisma.$permit.setUser({
    key: "doctor_onco@example.com",
    attributes: { 
      department: "oncology" 
    }
  });
  
  // Can access oncology records (ALLOWED)
  const oncoRecords = await prisma.medicalRecord.findMany({
    where: { department: "oncology" }
  });
  
  // Cannot access cardiology records (DENIED)
  try {
    await prisma.medicalRecord.findMany({
      where: { department: "cardiology" }
    });
  } catch (error) {
    // Permission denied
  }
}

3. Key Points for ABAC

• User context must include attributes (use setUser with an attributes object).
• Resources must have corresponding attributes for policy evaluation.
• When updating records, include all attributes used in permission decisions.
• For a complete implementation, refer to examples/abac/medical-records.ts.

ReBAC Example: File and Folder Permission Hierarchy

In this example, we implement relationship-based access control for a file system where:

• Folder owners have full access to folders and all files within them
• Folder viewers can only read folders and their files
• Permissions propagate through relationships (e.g., folder owner status grants file owner rights)

1. Setup ReBAC in Permit.io

First, configure your resources, relationships, and instance roles in Permit.io:

1. Create Resources:

   • Create a folder resource with create, read, update, delete actions
   • Create a file resource with create, read, update, delete actions
   • Define a relationship: "folder is parent of file"

2. Define Instance Roles:

   • Create folder#owner role with full permissions (create, read, update, delete)
   • Create folder#viewer role with read-only permission
   • Create file#owner role with full permissions
   • Create file#viewer role with read-only permission

3. Set Role Derivations:

   • Configure folder#owner to derive file#owner when a folder is parent of a file
   • Configure folder#viewer to derive file#viewer when a folder is parent of a file

4. Create Users and Assign Roles:

   • Create users (e.g., "owner_user", "viewer_user")
   • Assign instance roles to users (e.g., "owner_user" as owner of folder1, "viewer_user" as viewer of folder1)

2. Implement with Prisma Permit

import { PrismaClient } from "@prisma/client";
import { createPermitClientExtension, AccessControlModel } from "@permitio/permit-prisma";

// Configure the extension with ReBAC
const prisma = new PrismaClient().$extends(
  createPermitClientExtension({
    permitConfig: {
      token: process.env.PERMIT_API_KEY!,
      pdp: "http://localhost:7766"
    },
    accessControlModel: AccessControlModel.ReBAC,
    enableAutomaticChecks: true,
  })
);

// Owner user operations
async function ownerOperations() {
  // Set user context for the owner
  prisma.$permit.setUser("owner_user");
  
  // Create a new folder (allowed)
  const folder = await prisma.folder.create({
    data: {
      name: "Owner's New Folder",
      ownerId: "owner_user"
    }
  });
  
  // Create a file in the folder (allowed)
  const file = await prisma.file.create({
    data: {
      name: "Owner's File",
      content: "Content created by owner",
      folderId: folder.id  // This establishes the relationship
    }
  });
  
  // Update the file (allowed)
  await prisma.file.update({
    where: { id: file.id },
    data: { content: "Modified content" }
  });
  
  // Read all files (returns all files the owner can access)
  const files = await prisma.file.findMany();
}

// Viewer user operations
async function viewerOperations() {
  // Set user context for the viewer
  prisma.$permit.setUser("viewer_user");
  
  // Try to create a folder (denied)
  try {
    await prisma.folder.create({
      data: {
        name: "Viewer's Folder",
        ownerId: "viewer_user"
      }
    });
  } catch (error) {
    // Permission denied error
  }
  
  // Read a folder (allowed)
  const folder = await prisma.folder.findUnique({
    where: { id: "folder1" }
  });
  
  // Read files (allowed, returns only files the viewer can access)
  const files = await prisma.file.findMany();
  
  // Try to update a file (denied)
  try {
    await prisma.file.update({
      where: { id: "file1" },
      data: { content: "Attempt to modify" }
    });
  } catch (error) {
    // Permission denied error
  }
}

3. Key Points for ReBAC

• ReBAC extends basic role-based permissions with instance-level assignments
• The relationship between resources (folder is parent of file) is used to propagate permissions
• Role derivations (e.g., folder owner → file owner) create permission inheritance
• When enableAutoSync is enabled, relationships established in your data model are automatically synced to Permit.io
• enableDataFiltering ensures queries like findMany() only return resources the user has permission to access

The key advantage of ReBAC is that it maps naturally to real-world ownership and access patterns. Users can have different roles on different instances of the same resource type, and permissions flow naturally through relationships.

For a complete implementation with detailed tests, refer to examples/rebac/rebac-folder-file.ts.