Transactional Writes
In this guide you will learn how to update multiple relationship tuples in a single transaction.
Updating multiple relationship tuples is useful to keep system state consistent.
Before You Start
In order to understand this guide correctly you must be familiar with some OpenFGA Concepts and know how to develop the things that we will list below.
Assume that you have the following authorization model.
You have a type called tweet
that can have a reader
.
You have another type called user
that can have a follower
and followed_by
relationship.
You have a type called
tweet
that can have a reader
.
You have another type called user
that can have a follower
and followed_by
relationship.- DSL
- JSON
model
schema 1.1
type tweet
relations
define viewer: [user, user:*, user#follower]
type user
relations
define follower: [user]
define followed_by: [user]
{
"schema_version": "1.1",
"type_definitions": [
{
"type": "tweet",
"relations": {
"viewer": {
"this": {}
}
},
"metadata": {
"relations": {
"viewer": {
"directly_related_user_types": [
{
"type": "user"
},
{
"type": "user",
"wildcard": {}
},
{
"type": "user",
"relation": "follower"
}
]
}
}
}
},
{
"type": "user",
"relations": {
"follower": {
"this": {}
},
"followed_by": {
"this": {}
}
},
"metadata": {
"relations": {
"follower": {
"directly_related_user_types": [
{
"type": "user"
}
]
},
"followed_by": {
"directly_related_user_types": [
{
"type": "user"
}
]
}
}
}
}
]
}
In addition, you will need to know the following:
Direct Access
You need to know how to create an authorization model and create a relationship tuple to grant a user access to an object. Learn more →
Modeling Public Access
You need to know how to grant public access to an object. Learn more →
OpenFGA Concepts
- A Type: a class of objects that have similar characteristics
- A User: an entity in the system that can be related to an object
- A Relation: is a string defined in the type definition of an authorization model that defines the possibility of a relationship between an object of the same type as the type definition and a user in the system
- An Object: represents an entity in the system. Users' relationships to it can be define through relationship tuples and the authorization model
- A Relationship Tuple: a grouping consisting of a user, a relation and an object stored in OpenFGA
Step By Step
01. Adding And Removing Relationship Tuples In The Same Transaction
When you need to add or delete tuples in your store, you can do so by calling the Write API. For example, if you want to make tweet:1
public by making everyone a viewer
, you write one tuple:
- Node.js
- Go
- .NET
- Python
- Java
- curl
- CLI
- Pseudocode
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
// import the SDK
const { OpenFgaClient } = require('@openfga/sdk');
// Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
const fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient({
apiUrl: process.env.FGA_API_URL, // required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
storeId: process.env.FGA_STORE_ID,
authorizationModelId: process.env.FGA_MODEL_ID, // Optional, can be overridden per request
});
await fgaClient.write({
writes: [
{"user":"user:*","relation":"viewer","object":"tweet:1"}
],
}, {
authorization_model_id: "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"
});
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
import (
"os"
. "github.com/openfga/go-sdk"
. "github.com/openfga/go-sdk/client"
)
func main() {
// Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
fgaClient, err := NewSdkClient(&ClientConfiguration{
ApiUrl: os.Getenv("FGA_API_URL"), // required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
StoreId: os.Getenv("FGA_STORE_ID"), // optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
AuthorizationModelId: os.Getenv("FGA_MODEL_ID"), // Optional, can be overridden per request
})
if err != nil {
// .. Handle error
}
}
options := ClientWriteOptions{
AuthorizationModelId: PtrString("01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"),
}
body := ClientWriteRequest{
Writes: []ClientTupleKey{
{
User: "user:*",
Relation: "viewer",
Object: "tweet:1",
},
},
}
data, err := fgaClient.Write(context.Background()).
Body(body).
Options(options).
Execute()
if err != nil {
// .. Handle error
}
_ = data // use the response
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
// import the SDK
using OpenFga.Sdk.Client;
using OpenFga.Sdk.Client.Model;
using OpenFga.Sdk.Model;
using Environment = System.Environment;
namespace Example;
class Example {
public static async Task Main() {
// Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
var configuration = new ClientConfiguration() {
ApiUrl = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_API_URL"), ?? "http://localhost:8080", // required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
StoreId = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_STORE_ID"), // optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
AuthorizationModelId = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_MODEL_ID"), // Optional, can be overridden per request
};
var fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient(configuration);
}
}
var options = new ClientWriteOptions {
AuthorizationModelId = "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA",
};
var body = new ClientWriteRequest() {
Writes = new List<ClientTupleKey>() {
new() {
User = "user:*",
Relation = "viewer",
Object = "tweet:1"
}
},
};
var response = await fgaClient.Write(body, options);
Initialize the SDK
# ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
import asyncio
import os
import json
from openfga_sdk.client import ClientConfiguration, OpenFgaClient
async def main():
configuration = ClientConfiguration(
api_url = os.environ.get('FGA_API_URL'), # required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
store_id = os.environ.get('FGA_STORE_ID'), # optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
authorization_model_id = os.environ.get('FGA_MODEL_ID'), # Optional, can be overridden per request
)
# Enter a context with an instance of the OpenFgaClient
async with OpenFgaClient(configuration) as fga_client:
api_response = await fga_client.read_authorization_models()
await fga_client.close()
asyncio.run(main())
options = {
"authorization_model_id": "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"
}
body = ClientWriteRequest(
writes=[
ClientTuple(
user="user:*",
relation="viewer",
object="tweet:1",
),
],
)
response = await fga_client.write(body, options)
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
import dev.openfga.sdk.api.client.OpenFgaClient;
import dev.openfga.sdk.api.configuration.ClientConfiguration;
public class Example {
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
var config = new ClientConfiguration()
.apiUrl(System.getenv("FGA_API_URL")) // If not specified, will default to "https://localhost:8080"
.storeId(System.getenv("FGA_STORE_ID")) // Not required when calling createStore() or listStores()
.authorizationModelId(System.getenv("FGA_AUTHORIZATION_MODEL_ID")); // Optional, can be overridden per request
var fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient(config);
}
}
var options = new ClientWriteOptions()
.authorizationModelId("01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA");
var body = new ClientWriteRequest()
.writes(List.of(
new ClientTupleKey()
.user("user:*")
.relation("viewer")
._object("tweet:1")
));
var response = fgaClient.write(body, options).get();
Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using (e.g. https://api.fga.example)
Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using (e.g. https://api.fga.example)
curl -X POST $FGA_API_URL/stores/$FGA_STORE_ID/write \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $FGA_API_TOKEN" \ # Not needed if service does not require authorization
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-d '{"writes": { "tuple_keys" : [{"user":"user:*","relation":"viewer","object":"tweet:1"}] }, "authorization_model_id": "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"}'
Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using (e.g. https://api.fga.example)
Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using (e.g. https://api.fga.example)
fga tuple write --store-id=${FGA_STORE_ID} --model-id=01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA user:* viewer tweet:1
write([
{
"user":"user:*",
"relation":"viewer",
"object":"tweet:1"
}
], authorization_model_id="01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA")
And if you want to convert this tweet
to private, you would need to delete that tuple:
- Node.js
- Go
- .NET
- Python
- Java
- curl
- CLI
- Pseudocode
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
// import the SDK
const { OpenFgaClient } = require('@openfga/sdk');
// Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
const fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient({
apiUrl: process.env.FGA_API_URL, // required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
storeId: process.env.FGA_STORE_ID,
authorizationModelId: process.env.FGA_MODEL_ID, // Optional, can be overridden per request
});
await fgaClient.write({
deletes: [
{ user: 'user:*', relation: 'viewer', object: 'tweet:1'}
],
}, {
authorization_model_id: "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"
});
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
import (
"os"
. "github.com/openfga/go-sdk"
. "github.com/openfga/go-sdk/client"
)
func main() {
// Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
fgaClient, err := NewSdkClient(&ClientConfiguration{
ApiUrl: os.Getenv("FGA_API_URL"), // required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
StoreId: os.Getenv("FGA_STORE_ID"), // optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
AuthorizationModelId: os.Getenv("FGA_MODEL_ID"), // Optional, can be overridden per request
})
if err != nil {
// .. Handle error
}
}
options := ClientWriteOptions{
AuthorizationModelId: PtrString("01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"),
}
body := ClientWriteRequest{
Deletes: []ClientTupleKeyWithoutCondition{
{
User: "user:*",
Relation: "viewer",
Object: "tweet:1",
},
},
}
data, err := fgaClient.Write(context.Background()).
Body(body).
Options(options).
Execute()
if err != nil {
// .. Handle error
}
_ = data // use the response
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
// import the SDK
using OpenFga.Sdk.Client;
using OpenFga.Sdk.Client.Model;
using OpenFga.Sdk.Model;
using Environment = System.Environment;
namespace Example;
class Example {
public static async Task Main() {
// Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
var configuration = new ClientConfiguration() {
ApiUrl = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_API_URL"), ?? "http://localhost:8080", // required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
StoreId = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_STORE_ID"), // optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
AuthorizationModelId = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_MODEL_ID"), // Optional, can be overridden per request
};
var fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient(configuration);
}
}
var options = new ClientWriteOptions {
AuthorizationModelId = "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA",
};
var body = new ClientWriteRequest() {
Deletes = new List<ClientTupleKeyWithoutCondition>() {
new() { User = "user:*", Relation = "viewer", Object = "tweet:1" }
},
};
var response = await fgaClient.Write(body, options);
Initialize the SDK
# ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
import asyncio
import os
import json
from openfga_sdk.client import ClientConfiguration, OpenFgaClient
async def main():
configuration = ClientConfiguration(
api_url = os.environ.get('FGA_API_URL'), # required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
store_id = os.environ.get('FGA_STORE_ID'), # optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
authorization_model_id = os.environ.get('FGA_MODEL_ID'), # Optional, can be overridden per request
)
# Enter a context with an instance of the OpenFgaClient
async with OpenFgaClient(configuration) as fga_client:
api_response = await fga_client.read_authorization_models()
await fga_client.close()
asyncio.run(main())
options = {
"authorization_model_id": "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"
}
body = ClientWriteRequest(
deletes=[
ClientTuple(
user="user:*",
relation="viewer",
object="tweet:1",
),
],
)
response = await fga_client.write(body, options)
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
import dev.openfga.sdk.api.client.OpenFgaClient;
import dev.openfga.sdk.api.configuration.ClientConfiguration;
public class Example {
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
var config = new ClientConfiguration()
.apiUrl(System.getenv("FGA_API_URL")) // If not specified, will default to "https://localhost:8080"
.storeId(System.getenv("FGA_STORE_ID")) // Not required when calling createStore() or listStores()
.authorizationModelId(System.getenv("FGA_AUTHORIZATION_MODEL_ID")); // Optional, can be overridden per request
var fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient(config);
}
}
var options = new ClientWriteOptions()
.authorizationModelId("01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA");
var body = new ClientWriteRequest()
.deletes(List.of(
new ClientTupleKey()
.user("user:*")
.relation("viewer")
._object("tweet:1")
));
var response = fgaClient.write(body, options).get();
Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using (e.g. https://api.fga.example)
Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using (e.g. https://api.fga.example)
curl -X POST $FGA_API_URL/stores/$FGA_STORE_ID/write \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $FGA_API_TOKEN" \ # Not needed if service does not require authorization
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-d '{"deletes": { "tuple_keys" : [{"user":"user:*","relation":"viewer","object":"tweet:1"}] }, "authorization_model_id": "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"}'
Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using (e.g. https://api.fga.example)
Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using (e.g. https://api.fga.example)
fga tuple delete --store-id=${FGA_STORE_ID} user:* viewer tweet:1
delete([
{
"user":"user:*",
"relation":"viewer",
"object":"tweet:1"
}
], authorization_model_id="01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA")
By removing the tuple, we made the tweet visible to no-one, which may not be what we want.
The Write API allows you to send up to 10 unique tuples in the request. (This limit applies to the sum of both writes and deletes in that request). This means we can submit one API call that converts the tweet
from public to visible to only the user
's followers.
- Node.js
- Go
- .NET
- Python
- Java
- curl
- Pseudocode
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
// import the SDK
const { OpenFgaClient } = require('@openfga/sdk');
// Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
const fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient({
apiUrl: process.env.FGA_API_URL, // required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
storeId: process.env.FGA_STORE_ID,
authorizationModelId: process.env.FGA_MODEL_ID, // Optional, can be overridden per request
});
await fgaClient.write({
writes: [
// Anne's followers can view tweet:1
{"_description":"Anne's followers can view tweet:1","user":"user:anne#follower","relation":"viewer","object":"tweet:1"}
],
deletes: [
// tweet:1 is no longer viewable by everyone (*)
{ user: 'user:*', relation: 'viewer', object: 'tweet:1'}
],
}, {
authorization_model_id: "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"
});
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
import (
"os"
. "github.com/openfga/go-sdk"
. "github.com/openfga/go-sdk/client"
)
func main() {
// Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
fgaClient, err := NewSdkClient(&ClientConfiguration{
ApiUrl: os.Getenv("FGA_API_URL"), // required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
StoreId: os.Getenv("FGA_STORE_ID"), // optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
AuthorizationModelId: os.Getenv("FGA_MODEL_ID"), // Optional, can be overridden per request
})
if err != nil {
// .. Handle error
}
}
options := ClientWriteOptions{
AuthorizationModelId: PtrString("01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"),
}
body := ClientWriteRequest{
Writes: []ClientTupleKey{
{
// Anne's followers can view tweet:1
User: "user:anne#follower",
Relation: "viewer",
Object: "tweet:1",
},
},
Deletes: []ClientTupleKeyWithoutCondition{
{
// tweet:1 is no longer viewable by everyone (*)
User: "user:*",
Relation: "viewer",
Object: "tweet:1",
},
},
}
data, err := fgaClient.Write(context.Background()).
Body(body).
Options(options).
Execute()
if err != nil {
// .. Handle error
}
_ = data // use the response
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
// import the SDK
using OpenFga.Sdk.Client;
using OpenFga.Sdk.Client.Model;
using OpenFga.Sdk.Model;
using Environment = System.Environment;
namespace Example;
class Example {
public static async Task Main() {
// Initialize the SDK with no auth - see "How to setup SDK client" for more options
var configuration = new ClientConfiguration() {
ApiUrl = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_API_URL"), ?? "http://localhost:8080", // required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
StoreId = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_STORE_ID"), // optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
AuthorizationModelId = Environment.GetEnvironmentVariable("FGA_MODEL_ID"), // Optional, can be overridden per request
};
var fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient(configuration);
}
}
var options = new ClientWriteOptions {
AuthorizationModelId = "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA",
};
var body = new ClientWriteRequest() {
Writes = new List<ClientTupleKey>() {
// Anne's followers can view tweet:1
new() {
User = "user:anne#follower",
Relation = "viewer",
Object = "tweet:1"
}
},
Deletes = new List<ClientTupleKeyWithoutCondition>() {
// tweet:1 is no longer viewable by everyone (*)
new() { User = "user:*", Relation = "viewer", Object = "tweet:1" }
},
};
var response = await fgaClient.Write(body, options);
Initialize the SDK
# ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
import asyncio
import os
import json
from openfga_sdk.client import ClientConfiguration, OpenFgaClient
async def main():
configuration = ClientConfiguration(
api_url = os.environ.get('FGA_API_URL'), # required, e.g. https://api.fga.example
store_id = os.environ.get('FGA_STORE_ID'), # optional, not needed for `CreateStore` and `ListStores`, required before calling for all other methods
authorization_model_id = os.environ.get('FGA_MODEL_ID'), # Optional, can be overridden per request
)
# Enter a context with an instance of the OpenFgaClient
async with OpenFgaClient(configuration) as fga_client:
api_response = await fga_client.read_authorization_models()
await fga_client.close()
asyncio.run(main())
options = {
"authorization_model_id": "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"
}
body = ClientWriteRequest(
writes=[
ClientTuple(
# Anne's followers can view tweet:1
user="user:anne#follower",
relation="viewer",
object="tweet:1",
),
], deletes=[
ClientTuple(
# tweet:1 is no longer viewable by everyone (*)
user="user:*",
relation="viewer",
object="tweet:1",
),
],
)
response = await fga_client.write(body, options)
Initialize the SDK
// ApiTokenIssuer, ApiAudience, ClientId and ClientSecret are optional.
import dev.openfga.sdk.api.client.OpenFgaClient;
import dev.openfga.sdk.api.configuration.ClientConfiguration;
public class Example {
public static void main(String[] args) throws Exception {
var config = new ClientConfiguration()
.apiUrl(System.getenv("FGA_API_URL")) // If not specified, will default to "https://localhost:8080"
.storeId(System.getenv("FGA_STORE_ID")) // Not required when calling createStore() or listStores()
.authorizationModelId(System.getenv("FGA_AUTHORIZATION_MODEL_ID")); // Optional, can be overridden per request
var fgaClient = new OpenFgaClient(config);
}
}
var options = new ClientWriteOptions()
.authorizationModelId("01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA");
var body = new ClientWriteRequest()
.writes(List.of(
// Anne's followers can view tweet:1
new ClientTupleKey()
.user("user:anne#follower")
.relation("viewer")
._object("tweet:1")
))
.deletes(List.of(
// tweet:1 is no longer viewable by everyone (*)
new ClientTupleKey()
.user("user:*")
.relation("viewer")
._object("tweet:1")
));
var response = fgaClient.write(body, options).get();
Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using (e.g. https://api.fga.example)
Set FGA_API_URL according to the service you are using (e.g. https://api.fga.example)
curl -X POST $FGA_API_URL/stores/$FGA_STORE_ID/write \
-H "Authorization: Bearer $FGA_API_TOKEN" \ # Not needed if service does not require authorization
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-d '{"writes": { "tuple_keys" : [{"_description":"Anne's followers can view tweet:1","user":"user:anne#follower","relation":"viewer","object":"tweet:1"}] },"deletes": { "tuple_keys" : [{"_description":"tweet:1 is no longer viewable by everyone (*)","user":"user:*","relation":"viewer","object":"tweet:1"}] }, "authorization_model_id": "01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"}'
write([
// Anne's followers can view tweet:1
{
"user":"user:anne#follower",
"relation":"viewer",
"object":"tweet:1"
}
], authorization_model_id="01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA"),
delete([
// tweet:1 is no longer viewable by everyone (*)
{
"user":"user:*",
"relation":"viewer",
"object":"tweet:1"
}
], authorization_model_id="01HVMMBCMGZNT3SED4Z17ECXCA")
02. Adding Multiple Related Relationship Tuples In The Same Transaction
Having the ability to send multiple tuples per request is also useful when you want to maintain consistency. For example, if anne
starts following becky
, we want to be able to save the following two tuples, or neither of them:
[// Anne is a follower of Becky
{
"_description": "Anne is a follower of Becky",
"user": "user:anne",
"relation": "follower",
"object": "user:becky"
}// Becky is followed by Anne
{
"_description": "Becky is followed by Anne",
"user": "user:becky",
"relation": "followed_by",
"object": "user:anne"
}]
We have a type called user in this case because users can be related to each other, so the users now are a type in the system
The OpenFGA service will attempt to perform all the changes sent in a single Write API call in one transaction. If it can't (for example, if any of the requested changes fails), it will reject all of the changes.