How do I control feature exposure by user role?

A common way to control feature exposure by user role is to use role-based access control (RBAC) plus feature flags.

Basic approach

1. Define roles
   Example: admin, manager, member, guest.

2. Map features to roles
   Decide which roles can see or use each feature.

3. Check role at runtime
   When a user loads the app or a page, evaluate their role and show/hide or enable/disable the feature accordingly.

4. Enforce on the backend too
   Don’t rely only on the UI. The API should also reject actions the role isn’t allowed to perform.

Common implementation patterns

1) Frontend gating

• Hide navigation items, buttons, or pages based on role.
• Good for UX.
• Not sufficient for security.

Example:

if (user.role === "admin") {
  showAdminPanel();
}

2) Backend authorization

• Protect endpoints with role checks.
• Good for security.

Example:

if (!user.roles.includes("admin")) {
  return res.status(403).send("Forbidden");
}

3) Feature flag system with role targeting

• Store feature flags centrally.
• Enable a feature for:
  • specific roles
  • specific users
  • percentage of users
  • environments

Example rule:

• new-dashboard enabled for admin and beta-testers

Recommended model

Use a combination of:

• RBAC for permissions
• feature flags for gradual rollout
• server-side authorization for enforcement

Example policy structure

{
  "features": {
    "advanced_reporting": ["admin", "analyst"],
    "billing_settings": ["admin"],
    "export_csv": ["admin", "manager"]
  }
}

Best practices

• Default to deny
• Keep authorization centralized
• Log access decisions for auditing
• Separate visibility from permission
• Test with each role

If you want, I can show this in a specific stack like React, Node/Express, Django, or Spring.