Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

Role-based access control governs what users can do in your product by assigning them roles (admin, editor, viewer) that bundle permissions, rather than granting permissions to each user one by one. It's the access model most B2B SaaS products need the moment they sell to teams: a buyer wants to invite colleagues without giving everyone the ability to delete data, change billing, or export the customer list. RBAC keeps this manageable — define roles once, assign them, and audit who can do what. For builders, the practical decision is granularity: too few roles and enterprises can't map their org; too many and the UI becomes unusable. Many products start with three or four fixed roles and later add custom roles and finer permissions as enterprise deals demand it. RBAC pairs with SSO, SCIM, and audit logs as part of the enterprise-readiness bundle, and it's a common gate for the higher-priced tier where security-conscious buyers live.