Building Enterprise Identity Security: Technical Deep Dive

Example: Implementing Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

RBAC provides a structured approach to managing permissions. Here's how to implement it:

// Entity: User with roles
class User {
    constructor(id, roles = []) {
        this.id = id;
        this.roles = roles;
    }
}

// Use Case: Check access permission
class AccessControlService {
    checkPermission(user, resource, action) {
        return user.roles.some(role =>
            this.rolePermissions[role].includes(`${resource}:${action}`)
        );
    }
}

// Interface Adapter: REST API endpoint
app.post('/api/access-check', (req, res) => {
    const { userId, resource, action } = req.body;
    const user = userRepository.findById(userId);
    const accessControl = new AccessControlService();

    const hasAccess = accessControl.checkPermission(user, resource, action);
    res.json({ hasAccess });
});

This clean architecture approach separates business logic from framework concerns, making the system testable and maintainable.

Handling Authentication Flows

Modern identity systems must support multiple authentication methods. The key is to abstract the authentication mechanism:

• Strategy Pattern: Different auth methods (password, MFA, biometrics) implement a common interface
• State Management: Track authentication state across requests using secure tokens
• Error Handling: Graceful degradation and clear error messages for failed authentications