How to Effectively Implement Access Control Lists (ACLs) in Web MVC Applications?

Implementing Access Control Lists in Web MVC Applications

Problem Statement

First Question:

How can ACL be effectively implemented in an MVC application? Existing approaches have drawbacks, such as adding ACL code to each controller's method or keeping all controller's methods private. What is the best practice for ACL implementation?

Second Question:

How can we determine the owner of a profile when using ACL to restrict profile viewing access?

Solution

First Answer (ACL Implementation)

The recommended approach is to use the decorator pattern to wrap the target object in a protective shell. The decorator object handles authorization checks outside the target object, ensuring separation of concerns and adherence to Single Responsibility Principle (SRP). An example of this approach is provided using the SecureContainer class.

Advantages:

• Applicable to any object, not just controllers
• Authorization checks occur externally to the target object
• The protected instance retains the protection throughout the application

However:

• Verifying interface implementation or inheritance can be challenging.

Second Answer (RBAC for Objects)

To determine the profile's owner, provide the ACL with the relevant details. This can be done by either:

• Providing the entire object to the ACL, considering the consequences of Law of Demeter violation
• Requesting and providing only the necessary data, such as the profile's permissions

Additional Notes

• Model in MVC is a layer, not a specific class. Domain Business Logic and Data Access and Storage are the two main components of the Model layer.
• Services provide abstraction and simplification of tasks involving multiple domain objects and mappers. Services are thin and should not contain business logic or directly affect the view layer.

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