Configure Authorization Model for a Store

note

OpenFGA is an open source Fine-Grained Authorization solution based on Google's Zanzibar. We welcome community contribution to this project.

This article explains how to configure an authorization model for a store in an OpenFGA server.

Before You Start

Node.js

1. Deploy an instance of the OpenFGA server, and have ready the values for your setup: FGA_STORE_ID, FGA_API_HOST and, if needed, FGA_API_TOKEN.
2. You have installed the SDK, created the store and setup the SDK client.
3. You have loaded FGA_STORE_ID and FGA_API_HOST as environment variables.

Go

1. Deploy an instance of the OpenFGA server, and have ready the values for your setup: FGA_STORE_ID, FGA_API_HOST and, if needed, FGA_API_TOKEN.
2. You have installed the SDK, created the store and setup the SDK client.
3. You have loaded FGA_STORE_ID and FGA_API_HOST as environment variables.

.NET

1. Deploy an instance of the OpenFGA server, and have ready the values for your setup: FGA_STORE_ID, FGA_API_HOST and, if needed, FGA_API_TOKEN.
2. You have installed the SDK, created the store and setup the SDK client.
3. You have loaded FGA_STORE_ID and FGA_API_HOST as environment variables.

curl

1. Deploy an instance of the OpenFGA server, and have ready the values for your setup: FGA_STORE_ID, FGA_API_HOST and, if needed, FGA_API_TOKEN.
2. You have created the store and have loaded FGA_STORE_ID and FGA_API_HOST as environment variables.

Step By Step

Assume that you want to configure your store with the following model.

DSL

type document
  relations
    define reader as self
    define writer as self
    define owner as self

JSON

{
  "type_definitions": [
    {
      "type": "document",
      "relations": {
        "reader": {
          "this": {}
        },
        "writer": {
          "this": {}
        },
        "owner": {
          "this": {}
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

To configure authorization model, we can invoke the write authorization models API.

Node.js

Initialize the SDK

// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
// import the SDK
const { OpenFgaApi } = require('@openfga/sdk');

// Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
const fgaClient = new OpenFgaApi({
  apiScheme: process.env.FGA_API_SCHEME, // Either "http" or "https", defaults to "https"
  apiHost: process.env.FGA_API_HOST, // required, define without the scheme (e.g. api.openfga.example instead of https://api.openfga.example)
  storeId: process.env.FGA_STORE_ID, // Either "http" or "https", defaults to "https"
});

const { authorization_model_id: id } = await fgaClient.writeAuthorizationModel({
  "type_definitions": [
    {
      "type": "document",
      "relations": {
        "reader": {
          "this": {}
        },
        "writer": {
          "this": {}
        },
        "owner": {
          "this": {}
        }
      }
    }
  ]
});
// id = "1uHxCSuTP0VKPYSnkq1pbb1jeZw"

Go

Initialize the SDK

// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
import (
    fgaSdk "github.com/openfga/go-sdk"
    "os"
)

func main() {
    // Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
    configuration, err := fgaSdk.NewConfiguration(fgaSdk.UserConfiguration{
        ApiScheme:      os.Getenv("FGA_SCHEME"), // Either "http" or "https", defaults to "https"
        ApiHost:        os.Getenv("FGA_API_HOST"), // required, define without the scheme (e.g. api.openfga.example instead of https://api.openfga.example)
        StoreId:        os.Getenv("FGA_STORE_ID"), // optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
    })

    if err != nil {
    // .. Handle error
    }

    fgaClient := fgaSdk.NewAPIClient(configuration)
}

  var writeAuthorizationModelRequestString = "{\"type_definitions\":[{\"type\":\"document\",\"relations\":{\"reader\":{\"this\":{}},\"writer\":{\"this\":{}},\"owner\":{\"this\":{}}}}]}"
  var body WriteAuthorizationModelRequest
  if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(writeAuthorizationModelRequestString), &body); err != nil {
      t.Errorf("%v", err)
      // .. Handle error
      return
  }

  data, response, err := fgaClient.OpenFgaApi.WriteAuthorizationModel(context.Background()).Body(body).Execute()
  if err != nil {
      // .. Handle error
  }

  // data.AuthorizationModelId = "1uHxCSuTP0VKPYSnkq1pbb1jeZw"
  

.NET

Initialize the SDK

// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
// import the SDK
using OpenFga.Sdk.Api;
using OpenFga.Sdk.Configuration;
using Environment = System.Environment;

namespace ExampleApp;

class MyProgram {
    static async Task Main() {
        // Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
        var configuration = new Configuration() {
          ApiScheme = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_API_SCHEME"), // Either "http" or "https", defaults to "https"
          ApiHost = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_API_HOST"), // required, define without the scheme (e.g. api.openfga.example instead of https://api.openfga.example)
          StoreId = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_STORE_ID"), // optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
        };
        var fgaClient = new OpenFgaApi(configuration);
    }
}

  var modelJson = "{\"type_definitions\":[{\"type\":\"document\",\"relations\":{\"reader\":{\"this\":{}},\"writer\":{\"this\":{}},\"owner\":{\"this\":{}}}}]}";
  var body = JsonSerializer.Deserialize<OpenFga.Sdk.Model.WriteAuthorizationModelRequest>(modelJson);

  var response = await fgaClient.WriteAuthorizationModel(body);
  // response.AuthorizationModelId = "1uHxCSuTP0VKPYSnkq1pbb1jeZw"

curl

Get the Bearer Token and set up the FGA_API_URL environment variable

Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using

curl -X POST $FGA_API_URL/stores/$FGA_STORE_ID/authorization-models \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $FGA_BEARER_TOKEN" \ # Not needed if service does not require authorization
  -H "content-type: application/json" \
  -d '{"type_definitions":[{"type":"document","relations":{"reader":{"this":{}},"writer":{"this":{}},"owner":{"this":{}}}}]}'

The API will then return the authorization model ID.

Note

The OpenFGA API only accepts an authorization model in the API's JSON syntax.

To convert between the API Syntax and the friendly DSL, you can use the syntax transformer or Auth0 FGA's Playground.

Related Sections

Take a look at the following sections for more information on how to configure authorization model in your store.

Getting Started with Modeling

Read how to get started with modeling.

• More

Modeling: Direct Relationships

Read the basics of modeling authorization and granting access to users.

• More