Casbin.NET: A Comprehensive Overview
Casbin.NET is an open-source access control library tailored for .NET (C#) applications. It provides robust and efficient mechanisms for enforcing authorization using various access control models, thereby granting developers flexibility and control over user permissions in their projects.
Supported Languages
Casbin caters to various programming languages, enhancing its versatility across different tech stacks. It supports:
- Golang: Casbin
- Java: jCasbin
- Node.js: node-Casbin
- PHP: PHP-Casbin
- Python: PyCasbin
- .NET: Casbin.NET
- Delphi: Casbin4D (experimental)
- Rust: Casbin-RS
How Casbin.NET Works
Casbin abstracts access control models into a configuration (CONF) file, allowing for seamless switching or upgrading of authorization mechanisms within a project. This customization involves combining models like Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) and Attribute-Based Access Control (ABAC) into a singular policy framework, enabling broader control and usage scenarios specific to organizational needs.
Key Features
Casbin.NET provides several key functionalities including:
- Enforcing policies that can manage both allow and deny authorizations.
- Storing and managing access control models and their respective policies.
- Managing role-user and role-role (hierarchical) mappings in RBAC models.
- Supporting built-in superuser roles for unrestricted access to resources.
- Incorporating multiple operators for rule matching, such as
keyMatchfor pattern-based mapping.
Installation
To integrate Casbin.NET into a .NET project, the following command can be used:
dotnet add package Casbin.NET
Getting Started
Developers can initiate Casbin by creating an enforcer with both a model file and a policy file. Once set up, adding enforcement hooks to code ensures that access checks align with established policies. Real-time API usage allows dynamic permission management, offering granular control over user roles and associated permissions.
Policy Management and Persistence
Casbin.NET provides comprehensive APIs for policy management, including:
- Management API for full policy support.
- RBAC API for a simplified role-based management structured on top of Management API.
Policies can also be persisted using adapters suitable for different storage solutions like databases, ensuring consistency and reliability across nodes.
Use Cases and Middleware
Casbin.NET supports various models including ACL, RBAC with domains, ABAC, and RESTful, along with specific scenarios like deny-override and priority-based rules. Middleware is available to integrate Casbin's authorization into different web frameworks, streamlining its applicability in various application architectures.
Community and Support
Casbin.NET's creation and continued development are driven by a dedicated community of contributors and sponsors. Detailed documentation, online tutorials, an online editor, and community support through platforms like Discord help users to effectively leverage its features.
License
Casbin.NET is distributed under the Apache 2.0 license, allowing it to be freely used, modified, and distributed under the same terms.
In conclusion, Casbin.NET offers a flexible and powerful mechanism for managing access control within .NET applications, backed by a rich set of features, language support, and a thriving community.