@via-profit/ability
v3.1.1
Published
Via-Profit Ability service
Readme
@via-profit/Ability
A set of services that partially implement the Attribute Based Access Control principle. The package allows you to describe rules, combine them into groups, form policies, and apply them to data to determine permissions.
Language / Язык
Purpose
The package is intended as a lightweight and extremely simple alternative to heavy access control systems.
Without complex configurations, without dependencies — just a minimal set of tools that allows you to describe rules and policies in a maximally simple DSL.
Table of Contents
- Quick Start
- Fundamentals
- DSL
- Combining Policies
- Policy Environment
- TypeScript Type Generator
- Policy Debugging
- Troubleshooting
- Design Recommendations
- Examples
- Performance
- API Reference
Quick Start
Install the package, write DSL, call the parser, and run the resolver.
Installation
npm install @via-profit/abilityyarn add @via-profit/abilitypnpm add @via-profit/abilityExample: Deny access to passwordHash for everyone except the owner
Suppose we have user data:
const user = {
id: '1',
login: 'user-001',
passwordHash: '...',
};We need to deny reading passwordHash to everyone except the user themselves.
DSL Policy
In the policy language, this looks like:
deny permission.user.passwordHash if any:
viewer.id is not equals owner.idExplanation:
deny— policy effect (deny access)permission.user.passwordHash— permission key.if any:— start of the condition blockviewer.id is not equals owner.id— rule: if the requester's ID is not equal to the owner's ID
If viewer.id is not equal to owner.id, the rule is satisfied and the policy returns deny — access denied. If the IDs match (i.e., the user requests their own data), the rule does not trigger, and access is allowed.
Note: The permission key is formed according to the principle: permission. + your custom key in dot notation. For example, the key foo.bar.baz in DSL would be permission.foo.bar.baz.
Check in Code
import { AbilityDSLParser, AbilityResolver } from '@via-profit/ability';
const dsl = `
deny permission.user.passwordHash if any:
viewer.id is not equals owner.id
`;
const policies = new AbilityDSLParser(dsl).parse(); // obtain policies
const resolver = new AbilityResolver(policies); // create resolver
resolver.enforce('user.passwordHash', {
viewer: { id: '1' },
owner: { id: '2' },
}); // will throw an error — access deniedIn enforce, the key is passed without the permission. prefix — it is automatically removed by the parser.
Fundamentals
Let’s briefly list the key points you need to know before starting to use the package:
- The resolver (
AbilityResolver) follows the Default Deny principle. This means that if no policy matches, the result isdeny(more details here). To avoid unexpecteddeny, ensure there is at least onepermitpolicy that can match. Only then adddenypolicies. - Policies are applied sequentially. If multiple policies match, the result is determined by the last matching policy.
- Rules are executed sequentially.
- In a rule set (
RuleSet) with theallcomparison operator, further rule execution stops as soon as the first rule returnsmismatch. - Use DSL to compose policies — it's simpler and more convenient.
- For storing policies on the server, use JSON. Policies can be exported to JSON and imported from JSON.
- Generally, rely on the principle: if permission is not explicitly granted → access is denied.
- Use the built-in cache only if your policies are incredibly complex and contain a large number of rules.
DSL
DSL - Domain-Specific Language
Ability DSL is a declarative language for describing access policies.
It allows you to define rules in a human-readable form using simple constructs: policies, groups, rules, and annotations.
Policy Structure
A policy consists of:
<effect> <permission> if <all|any>:
<group>...Where:
- effect —
permitordeny - permission — a string of the form
permission.foo.bar, where thepermission.prefix is mandatory. - if all: — all groups must be true
- if any: — at least one group must be true
A policy can contain one or more rule groups.
Example:
permit permission.order.update if any:
all of:
user.roles contains 'admin'
user.token is not null
any of:
user.roles contains 'developer'
user.login is equals 'dev'The
permission.prefix is mandatory in DSL but is automatically removed by the parser. Internally, the permission is stored asorder.update.
The example policy above says: permission order.update will be allowed if one of two conditions is met:
user.rolescontains 'admin' anduser.tokenis not nulluser.rolescontains 'developer' oruser.loginequals 'dev'
Permission Key
Permission keys are written in dot notation but support the use of wildcard patterns with the * character. This allows grouping of keys and overriding policies with similar keys.
If multiple policies match a key, all of them are executed. The final result is determined by the last matching policy:
Example of using wildcards
| Policy (permission) | Key | Matches |
|---------------------|-----------------------|---------|
| order.* | order.create | yes |
| order.* | order.update | yes |
| order.* | user.create | no |
| *.create | order.create | yes |
| *.create | user.create | yes |
| *.create | order.update | no |
| user.profile.* | user.profile.update | yes |
| user.profile.* | user.settings.update| no |
Example of a policy with wildcard
import { AbilityDSLParser, AbilityResolver } from '@via-profit/ability';
// DSL is not complete, shown for illustration only
const dsl = `
permit permission.order.*
deny permission.order.update
`;
const policies = new AbilityDSLParser(dsl).parse();
const resolver = new AbilityResolver(policies);
await resolver.enforce('order.update', resource); // will throw AbilityErrorExplanation
In DSL, the order of policies matters: the last matching policy wins.
Therefore:
permitpermission.order.*allows everything that starts withorder.denypermission.order.updateoverrides this permission.
Execution result:
order.update → deny
order.create → permit
order.delete → permit
order.view → permitComments
Lines starting with the # symbol are considered comments and do not affect the evaluation of rules and policies.
Annotations
Currently, only one annotation is supported: name, which will be used as the name for a policy, rule group, or rule.
Annotations are specified via comments:
# @name <name>Annotations apply to the following entity:
- policy
- group
- rule
Example:
# @name can order update
permit permission.order.update if any:
# @name authorized admin
all of:
# @name contains role admin
user.roles contains 'admin'Rule Groups
A group defines how the rules within it are combined:
all of:
<rule>
<rule>
any of:
<rule>
<rule>all of:— logical ANDany of:— logical OR
all of means that the group is considered satisfied if all rules within the group match.
any of means that the group is considered satisfied if at least one rule within the group matches.
Each group within a policy will be evaluated independently of other groups. The final result is determined by comparing the results of all groups in the policy.
Groups can have annotations:
# @name developer group
any of:
user.roles contains 'developer'Rules
A rule is an atomic condition inside a policy. It defines under what data the policy is considered matched. Rules set the conditions that determine the effectiveness of a policy (permit or deny).
A rule has the form:
<subject> <operator> <value?> — the value is not required for some operators (e.g., `is null` does not require a value).Subject
Identifier in dot notation:
user.roles
env.time.hour
order.totalOperators
Synonyms are alternative forms of writing that are also supported by the parser.
Basic Comparison Operators
| DSL Operator | Synonyms | Example | Description | Types |
|--------------|----------|---------|-------------|-------|
| is equals | =, ==, equals | age is equals 18 | Strict equality | number, string, boolean |
| is not equals | !=, <>, not equals | role is not equals 'admin' | Strict inequality | number, string, boolean |
| greater than | >, gt | age greater than 18 | Greater than | number, date |
| greater than or equal | >=, gte | age greater than or equal 18 | Greater than or equal | number, date |
| less than | <, lt | age less than 18 | Less than | number, date |
| less than or equal | <=, lte | age less than or equal 18 | Less than or equal | number, date |
Null Operators
| DSL Operator | Synonyms | Example | Description | Types |
|--------------|----------|---------|-------------|-------|
| is null | == null, = null | middleName is null | Value is absent | any |
| is not null | != null | middleName is not null | Value is present | any |
Operators for Lists (Arrays)
| DSL Operator | Synonyms | Example | Description | Types |
|--------------|---------------------------|---------|-------------|-------|
| in [...] | - | role in ['admin', 'manager'] | Value is in the list | number, string |
| not in [...] | - | role not in ['banned'] | Value is not in the list | number, string |
| contains | includes, has | tags contains 'vip' | Array contains the element | array |
| not contains | not includes, not has | tags not contains 'vip' | Array does not contain the element | array |
String Operators
| DSL Operator | Synonyms | Example | Description | Types |
|--------------|----------|---------|-------------|-------|
| starts with | begins with | email starts with 'admin@' | String starts with | string |
| not starts with | — | email not starts with 'test' | String does not start with | string |
| ends with | — | email ends with '.ru' | String ends with | string |
| not ends with | — | email not ends with '.com' | String does not end with | string |
| includes | contains substring | name includes 'lex' | String contains substring | string |
| not includes | — | name not includes 'test' | String does not contain substring | string |
Boolean Operators
| DSL Operator | Synonyms | Example | Description | Types |
|--------------|----------|---------|-------------|-------|
| is true | = true | isActive is true | Value is true | boolean |
| is false | = false | isActive is false | Value is false | boolean |
Length Operators
| DSL Operator | Synonyms | Example | Description | Types |
|--------------|----------|---------|-------------|-------|
| length equals | len = | tags length equals 3 | Length equals | array, string |
| length greater than | len > | tags length greater than 2 | Length greater than | array, string |
| length less than | len < | tags length less than 5 | Length less than | array, string |
Value
Supported values:
- strings
'text' - numbers
42 - booleans
true/false null- arrays
[1, 2, 3]/['foo', false, null, 1, 2, '999']
Examples:
# user age greater than 18
user.age greater than 18
# array of roles contains the role 'admin'
user.roles contains 'admin'
# order tag is either 'vip' or 'priority'
order.tag in ['vip', 'priority']
# user token is not null
user.token is not null
# user login is longer than 12 characters
user.login length greater than 12Implicit Group
If rules are written without all of: or any of:, they are combined using the policy operator:
permit permission.order.update if all:
user.roles contains 'admin'
user.token is not nullEquivalent to:
permit permission.order.update if all:
all of:
user.roles contains 'admin'
user.token is not nullThe implicit group always matches the policy operator (if all or if any).
Complete Example
# @name order update allowed
permit permission.order.update if any:
# @name if admin
all of:
user.roles contains 'admin'
user.token is not null
# @name if developer
any of:
user.roles contains 'developer'
user.login is equals 'dev'Combining Policies
In a real project, you should use multiple policies at once.
TODO: using multiple policies
Policy Environment
Environment is an object containing context data that does not belong to either the user or the resource.
The content of the object is defined by the developer and can be any object consisting of primitives.
- request time,
- IP address,
- device parameters,
- request headers,
- session context,
- any other external conditions.
Examples:
type Environment = {
time: {
hour: number;
};
ip: string;
geo: {
country: string;
};
};Environment is passed to resolve() and enforce() as the third argument:
await resolver.resolve('order.update', resource, environment);
await resolver.enforce('order.update', resource, environment);Using environment in rules
In a policy, you can refer to environment via the env.* path.
Example policy that denies order updates at night (10 PM – 6 AM):
# @name Deny updates at night
deny permission.order.update if all:
env.time.hour less than 6
env.time.hour greater or equal than 22Retrieving values from environment
If a path is specified in a rule:
env.*→ value is taken from environmentuser.*,order.*,profile.*→ from resource- literal (
18,"admin",true) → used as is
Example:
subject: "env.geo.country"
resource: "user.country"
condition: "equal"Environment in TypeScript
The Environment type is set at the AbilityResolver level:
const resolver = new AbilityResolver<Resources, Environment>(policies);This allows:
- getting autocompletion in IDE,
- checking the correctness of
env.*paths, - avoiding errors when passing environment.
If a rule uses
env.*but environment is not passed, then the value ofenv.*will beundefined, and the comparison will be performed as if the environment were absent.
TypeScript Type Generator
AbilityParser.generateTypeDefs() generates TypeScript types based on policies, allowing you to avoid discrepancies between types and data in policies.
Usage Example
First, you need to prepare an array of policies. Policies can be stored in DSL or JSON and parsed into an array of ready-made policies. In this example, for clarity, policies are stored in DSL.
// scripts/policies.ts
import { AbilityDSLParser } from './AbilityDSLParser';
const dsl = `
# @name Update order
permit permission.order.update if all:
# @name Owner check
all of:
# @name User is owner
user.id = order.ownerId
`;
const policies = new AbilityDSLParser(dsl).parse();
export default policies;// scripts/generate-types.ts
import { writeFileSync } from 'node:fs';
import { AbilityParser } from '@via-profit/ability';
import policies from './policies.json';
const typedefs = AbilityParser.generateTypeDefs(policies);
writeFileSync('./src/ability/types.generated.ts', typedefs, 'utf8');Generated File (example)
// src/ability/types.generated.ts
// Automatically generated by via-profit/ability
// Do not edit manually
export type Resources = {
'order.update': {
readonly user: {
readonly id: string;
};
readonly order: {
readonly ownerId: string;
};
};
};Usage in code
import { AbilityResolver, AbilityPolicy } from '@via-profit/ability';
import type { Resources } from './ability/types.generated';
const resolver = new AbilityResolver<Resources>(
AbilityPolicy.parseAll(policies),
);
await resolver.enforce('order.update', {
user: { id: 'u1' },
order: { ownerId: 'u1' },
});Policy Debugging
Explanations
To simplify policy debugging, a special AbilityResult class is used, which is already included in the final evaluation result. AbilityResult encapsulates the outcome of applying all matching policies to a permission key and resource.
AbilityResult contains:
- a list of evaluated policies,
- methods to determine the final effect,
- methods to get explanations in textual representation.
Example:
const result = await resolver.resolve('order.update', resource);
if (result.isDenied()) {
console.log('Access denied');
}
const explanations = result.explain(); // AbilityExplain
// console.log(explanations.toString());AbilityExplain
AbilityExplain and related classes (AbilityExplainPolicy, AbilityExplainRuleSet, AbilityExplainRule) allow you to get a human-readable explanation:
- which policy matched,
- which rule groups matched,
- which rules did not pass,
- which effect was applied.
Usage example:
const result = await resolver.resolve('order.update', resource);
const explanations = result.explain();
console.log(explanations.toString());Example output:
✓ policy «Deny order update for managers» is match
✓ ruleSet «Managers» is match
✓ rule «Department managers» is match
✗ rule «Role manager» is mismatch
✓ ruleSet «Not administrators» is match
✓ rule «No role administrator» is matchOutput Format
Currently, only one output format is supported — textual.
The output follows the principle: <policy | ruleSet | rule> <name> <is match | is mismatch>
Troubleshooting
Decision‑Making Model (Default Deny)
Why does a
denypolicy not turn intopermitif its conditions are not met?
Consider a policy that denies access to a user aged 16:
const dsl = `
deny permission.test if all:
user.age is equals 16
`;
const policies = new AbilityDSLParser(dsl).parse();
const resolver = new AbilityResolver(policies);
const result = await resolver.resolve('test', {
user: { age: 16 },
});
console.log(result.isDenied()); // true ✔
console.log(result.isAllowed()); // false ✔In this case, everything is obvious:
the condition is met → the policy matches → effect deny → access denied.
What happens if the conditions are not met?
const result = await resolver.resolve('test', {
user: { age: 12 },
});
console.log(result.isDenied()); // true ✔
console.log(result.isAllowed()); // false ✔At first glance, it might seem that if the condition is not met, the policy should “allow” access.
But that is not the case.
Decision‑Making Model: Default Deny
AbilityResolver uses the classic security model:
If there is no matching permit‑policy → access is denied.
What happens in this example:
The
denypolicy exists, but its condition is not met
→ the policy gets statusmismatch.The
denypolicy is not applied because the conditions did not match.There is no
permitpolicy.Since there is no permit policy → the final decision:
deny (by default).
Summary
denywith matching conditions → denydenywith non‑matching conditions → deny (default deny)permitwith matching conditions → allowpermitwith non‑matching conditions → deny (default deny)
Conclusion
Access is allowed only if there is an explicit permit.
Design Recommendations
Naming Access Keys
- Use hierarchical keys:
permission.order.create,permission.order.update.status,permission.user.profile.update. - Group by domains:
permission.user.*,permission.order.*,permission.product.*. - Do not mix different domains in one key.
Data Structure
- Explicitly describe
Resourcesin TypeScript. - Do not pass “extra” fields — this complicates understanding.
- Strive to keep the data structure for a given
permissionstable.
Policy Design
- General rules — via wildcard (
permission.order.*). - Specific restrictions — via exact actions (
permission.order.update). - Use
effect: denyfor prohibitions. - Use
effect: permitfor permissions.
Common Mistakes
- Expecting that absence of matching policies means allow.
- Mixing business logic and access policies.
- Too large policies with dozens of rules — better to break them down.
Example of Use on the Frontend (React)
Hook for checking policies
// hooks/use-ability.ts
import { useEffect, useState } from 'react';
import { AbilityResolver } from '@via-profit/ability';
import { Resources } from './generated-types';
export function useAbility<Permission extends keyof Resources>(
resolver: AbilityResolver<Resources>,
permission: Permission,
resource: Resources[Permission],
) {
const [allowed, setAllowed] = useState<boolean | null>(null);
useEffect(() => {
let cancelled = false;
async function check() {
try {
const result = await resolver.resolve(permission, resource);
if (!cancelled) {
setAllowed(result.isAllowed());
}
} catch {
if (!cancelled) {
setAllowed(false);
}
}
}
check();
return () => {
cancelled = true;
};
}, [resolver, permission, resource]);
return allowed;
}Usage in a component
function OrderUpdateButton({ order, user }) {
const allowed = useAbility(resolver, 'order.update', {
user,
order,
});
if (allowed === null) {
return null; // or loading spinner
}
if (!allowed) {
return null;
}
return <button>Update order</button>;
}Examples
Example of a Complex Multi‑Level Policy
Below is a multi‑level set of policies, using a cinema example (fictional).
The example demonstrates:
- working with roles (admin, seller, manager, VIP, banned),
- time constraints (
env.time.hour), - wildcard permissions (
permission.*), - ticket quantity limits,
- prohibition on selling already sold tickets,
- combination of
permit/denypolicies, - policy priority and Default Deny model.
Brief description of rules
Administrator
Has wildcard permissions (permission.*) and can perform any action.
Can edit ticket prices.Seller
Can sell tickets only during working hours (09:00–23:00).
Cannot sell tickets if:- the cinema is closed,
- the ticket is already sold.
Manager
Has the same rights as a seller.Buyers
- A user older than 21 can buy tickets.
- A VIP user can buy tickets at any time.
- A banned user (
status = banned) cannot buy tickets. - Any user cannot buy more than 6 tickets.
Policy Diagram
flowchart LR
%% ==== ROLES ====
subgraph Roles[Roles]
A[Administrator]
B[Seller]
C[Manager]
end
subgraph Buyers[Buyers]
U1[User > 21]
U2[VIP user]
U3[Banned user]
end
%% ==== ADMIN ====
A --> A1[Wildcard: permission.*]
A --> A2[Edit ticket price]
A1 --> FINAL[Final decision]
A2 --> FINAL
%% ==== SELLER ====
B --> B1[Sell tickets]
B1 -->|09:00–23:00| B2[Allowed]
B1 -->|Outside hours| D2[Denied]
B1 -->|ticket.status = sold| D3[Denied]
B2 --> FINAL
D2 --> FINAL
D3 --> FINAL
%% ==== MANAGER ====
C --> C1[Sell tickets as seller]
C1 --> FINAL
%% ==== BUYERS ====
U1 --> U1A[Buy tickets]
U1A -->|ticketsCount < 6| U1OK[Allowed]
U1A -->|ticketsCount ≥ 6| U1DENY[Denied]
U2 --> U2A[Buy tickets anytime]
U2A -->|ticketsCount < 6| U2OK[Allowed]
U2A -->|ticketsCount ≥ 6| U2DENY[Denied]
U3 --> U3A[Denied to buy tickets]
U1OK --> FINAL
U1DENY --> FINAL
U2OK --> FINAL
U2DENY --> FINAL
U3A --> FINAL
%% ==== DENY RULES ====
D1[Denied to buy tickets if user.status = banned] --> FINALDSL Policies
############################################################
# @name Admin can edit ticket price
permit permission.ticket.price.edit if all:
user.role is equals 'admin'
############################################################
# @name Seller can sell tickets during working hours
permit permission.ticket.sell if all:
user.role is equals 'seller'
all of:
env.time.hour greater than or equal 9
env.time.hour less than or equal 23
############################################################
# @name Users older than 21 can buy tickets
permit permission.ticket.buy if all:
user.age greater than 21
############################################################
# @name VIP users can buy tickets anytime
permit permission.ticket.buy if all:
user.isVIP is true
############################################################
# @name Deny buying tickets if user is banned
deny permission.ticket.buy if all:
user.status is equals 'banned'
############################################################
# @name Deny selling tickets if cinema is closed
deny permission.ticket.sell if all:
any of:
env.time.hour less than 9
env.time.hour greater than 23
############################################################
# @name Manager can do everything seller can
permit permission.ticket.sell if all:
user.role is equals 'manager'
############################################################
# @name Admin wildcard permissions
permit permission.* if all:
user.role is equals 'admin'
############################################################
# @name Limit tickets per user (max 6)
deny permission.ticket.buy if all:
user.ticketsCount greater than or equal 6
############################################################
# @name Cannot sell already sold tickets
deny permission.ticket.sell if all:
ticket.status is equals 'sold'Below is how to use the policies above in Node.js + TypeScript.
Preparing Policies
import { AbilityDSLParser } from '@via-profit/ability';
import cinemaDSL from './policies/cinema.dsl';
export const policies = new AbilityDSLParser(cinemaDSL).parse();Creating the Resolver
import { AbilityResolver } from '@via-profit/ability';
import { policies } from './policies';
const resolver = new AbilityResolver(policies);Checking Permissions (enforce)
Example: buying a ticket.
The enforce method throws an AbilityError if access is denied.
await resolver.enforce('ticket.buy', {
user: { age: 25, ticketsCount: 1 },
env: { time: { hour: 18 } },
});If allowed — the code continues execution.
If denied — an AbilityError exception is thrown.
Checking Permissions Without Exceptions (resolve)
resolve returns a result object:
const result = await resolver.resolve('ticket.buy', {
user: { age: 25, ticketsCount: 1 },
env: { time: { hour: 18 } },
});
if (result.isAllowed()) {
console.log('Purchase allowed');
} else {
console.log('Purchase denied');
}Seller can only sell during working hours
await resolver.enforce('ticket.sell', {
user: { role: 'seller' },
env: { time: { hour: 15 } },
ticket: { status: 'available' },
});Preparing Data for the Resolver
In the examples above, constant objects are passed to the resolver:
resolver.enforce('ticket.buy', {
user: { age: 25 },
env: { time: { hour: 18 } },
});This is done for clarity. In a real application, the data for the resolver should be built dynamically — from the sources available to your server.
User (user) is usually taken from:
- JWT token
- session
- database
- authorization middleware
Example:
const user = await db.users.findById(session.userId);Environment (env)
These are any external parameters that can affect access:
- current server time
- time zone
- IP address
- request headers
- system configuration
Example:
const env = {
time: {
hour: new Date().getHours(),
},
ip: req.ip,
};Resource (e.g., ticket)
If the action is associated with a specific object, it also needs to be loaded:
const ticket = await db.tickets.findById(req.params.ticketId);Context
Context is the object that you pass to resolve or enforce.
It contains all the data that policies might need:
user— data about the current userenv— environment data (time, IP, geography, system settings)resourceorticket— data about the entity on which the action is performed- any other objects that you use in DSL
It is important to understand:
Context is formed for a specific action and specific policies. It does not need to be stored in advance — you gather it dynamically before calling the resolver.
Performance
The tests used policies with 10 conditions, nested fields, and environment.
Tinybench (https://github.com/tinylibs/tinybench)
| # | Task name | Latency avg (ns) | Latency med (ns) | Throughput avg (ops/s) | Throughput med (ops/s) | Samples | |---|-----------------------------------------|------------------------|------------------------|--------------------------|--------------------------|---------| | 0 | resolve() — no cache (heavy rules) | 646317 ± 0.32% | 632319 ± 8446.0 | 1555 ± 0.21% | 1581 ± 21 | 3095 | | 1 | resolve() — cold cache (heavy rules) | 636363 ± 0.38% | 623092 ± 7885.0 | 1581 ± 0.21% | 1605 ± 20 | 3143 | | 2 | resolve() — warm cache (heavy rules) | 631328 ± 0.26% | 621152 ± 6562.5 | 1590 ± 0.17% | 1610 ± 17 | 3168 |
Latency (ns)
650k | ███████████████████████████████████████ resolve() — no cache
640k | █████████████████████████████████████ resolve() — cold cache
630k | ████████████████████████████████████ resolve() — warm cache
--------------------------------------------------------------
no cache cold cache warm cacheThroughput (ops/s)
1600 | ███████████████████████████████████████ resolve() — warm cache
1590 | ██████████████████████████████████████ resolve() — cold cache
1580 | █████████████████████████████████████ resolve() — no cache
--------------------------------------------------------------
no cache cold cache warm cacheLicense
This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.
