Connect Roles

Connect roles is designed to work with connect or express. It is an authorisation provider, not an authentication provider. It is designed to support context sensitive roles/abilities, through the use of middleware style authorisation strategies.

If you're looking for an authentication system I suggest you check out passport.js

Installation

$ npm install connect-roles

Usage

var authentication = require('your-authentication-module-here');
var user = require('connect-roles');
var express = require('express');
var app = express();

app.use(authentication)
app.use(user);

//anonymous users can only access the home page
//returning false stops any more rules from being
//considered
user.use(function (req, action) {
  if (!req.user.isAuthenticated) return action === 'access home page';
})

//moderator users can access private page, but
//they might not be the only one so we don't return
//false if the user isn't a moderator
user.use('access private page', function (req) {
  if (req.user.role ==== 'moderator') {
    return true;
  }
})

//admin users can access all pages
user.use(function (req) {
  if (req.user.role === 'admin') {
    return true;
  }
});

//optionally controll the access denid page displayed
user.setFailureHandler(function (req, res, action){
  var accept = req.headers.accept || '';
  res.status(403);
  if (~accept.indexOf('html')) {
    res.render('access-denied', {action: action});
  } else {
    res.send('Access Denied - You don\'t have permission to: ' + action);
  }
});


app.get('/', user.can('access home page'), function (req, res) {
  res.render('private');
});
app.get('/private', user.can('access private page'), function (req, res) {
  res.render('private');
});
app.get('/admin', user.can('access admin page'), function (req, res) {
  res.render('admin');
});

app.listen(3000);

API

roles.use(fn(req, action))

Define and authorisation strategy which takes the current request and the action being performed. fn may return true, false or undefined/null

If true is returned then no further strategies are considred, and the user is granted access.

If false is returned, no further strategies are considered, and the user is denied access.

If null/undefined is returned, the next strategy is considerd. If it is the last strategy then access is denied.

roles.use(action, fn(req))

The strategy fn is only used when the action is equal to action. It has the same behaviour with regards to return values as roles.use(fn(req, action)) (see above).

It is equivallent to calling:

roles.use(function (req, act) {
  if (act === action) {
    return fn(req);
  }
});

N.B. The action must not start with a / character or it will call roles.use(path, fn(req, action))

roles.use(action, path, fn(req))

Path must be an express style route. It will then attach any parameters to req.params.

e.g.

roles.use('edit user', '/user/:userID', function (req) {
  if (req.params.userID === req.user.id) return true;
});

Note that this authorisation strategy will only be used on routes that match path.

It is equivallent to calling:

var keys = [];
var exp = pathToRegexp(path);
roles.use(function (req, act) {
  var match;
  if (act === action && match = exp.exec(req.path)) {
    req = Object.create(req);
    req.params = Object.create(req.params || {});
    keys.forEach(function (key, i) {
      req.params[key.name] = match[i+1];
    });
    return fn(req);
  }
});

roles.can(action) and roles.is(action)

can and is are synonyms everywhere they appear.

You can use these as express route middleware:

var user = roles;

app.get('/profile/:id', user.can('edit profile'), function (req, res) {
  req.render('profile-edit', { id: req.params.id });
})
app.get('/admin', user.is('admin'), function (req, res) {
  res.render('admin');
}

req.user.can(action) and req.user.is(action)

can and is are synonyms everywhere they appear.

These functions return true or false depending on whether the user has access.

e.g.

app.get('/', function (req, res) {
  if (req.user.is('admin')) {
    res.render('home/admin');
  } else if (user.can('login')) {
    res.render('home/login');
  } else {
    res.render('home');
  }
})

user.can(action) and user.is(action)

Inside the views of an express application you may use user.can and user.is which are equivallent to req.user.can and req.user.is

e.g.

<% if (user.can('impersonate')) { %>
  <button id="impersonate">Impersonate</button>
<% } %>

N.B. not displaying a button doesn't mean someone can't do the thing that the button would do if clicked. The view is not where your security should go, but it is important for useability that you don't display buttons that will just result in 'access denied' where possible.

roles.setFailureHandler(fn(req, res, action))

You can (and should) set the failure handler. This is called whenever a user fails authorisation in route middleware.

Defaults to:

user.setFailureHandler(function (req, res, action){
  res.send(403);
});

There is no "next" by design, to stop you accidentally calling it and allowing someone into a restricted part of your site. You are passed the action requested which caused them to be denied access.

You could using this to redirect the user or render an error page:

user.setFailureHandler(function (req, res, action){
  var accept = req.headers.accept || '';
  res.status(403);
  if(req.user.isAuthenticated){
    if (~accept.indexOf('html')) {
      res.render('access-denied', {action: action});
    } else {
      res.send('Access Denied - You don\'t have permission to: ' + action);
    }
  } else {
    res.redirect('/login');
  }
});

License

MIT

If you find it useful, a payment via gittip would be appreciated.