How do I set up an interactive API docs platform for public and private documentation with role-based access control?

A good way to think about this is: you need one docs platform, but with two security layers:

1. Public docs anyone can see
2. Private docs only authenticated users can access, filtered by role / team / permission

Here’s a practical setup approach.

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1) Pick a docs platform that supports auth and access control

Common choices:

• Redocly
  • Strong for OpenAPI-based documentation
  • Supports portals, custom auth, and multi-API docs
• Stoplight
  • Good for interactive API docs and design-first workflows
  • Supports private docs and team access
• Swagger UI / Redoc + custom auth layer
  • Flexible if you want to build it yourself
  • More engineering effort
• ReadMe
  • Very polished public/private docs experience
  • Built-in auth, roles, and API reference hosting
• GitBook / Docusaurus + plugins
  • Great for general docs
  • Usually requires more custom work for interactive API docs and RBAC

If you want the least custom work, ReadMe, Stoplight, or Redocly are usually the fastest path.

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2) Separate public and private content at the content/API spec level

Don’t rely only on the UI to hide private docs. Make sure the backend and docs source are separated too.

Recommended content structure

• Public docs
  • onboarding
  • auth overview
  • public endpoints
  • SDK guides
• Private docs
  • internal endpoints
  • admin tools
  • partner-only APIs
  • sensitive implementation notes

In OpenAPI terms

You can split specs into:

• public-openapi.yaml
• partner-openapi.yaml
• internal-openapi.yaml

Or keep one spec and filter visible paths by role, but multiple specs is usually simpler and safer.

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3) Add authentication for docs access

For private docs, implement a login system using:

• SSO: Okta, Auth0, Azure AD, Google Workspace, etc.
• Email/password if necessary, though SSO is better for enterprise access
• OAuth 2.0 / OIDC for modern identity integration

The docs platform should either:

• authenticate directly against your identity provider, or
• sit behind your app’s auth gateway / reverse proxy

Common pattern

• Public docs: no login required
• Private docs: login required
• After login, user gets a token/session with claims like:
  • role: admin
  • role: partner
  • role: support
  • team: billing

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4) Implement role-based access control

RBAC means users see docs based on their role.

Typical roles

• public
• customer
• partner
• support
• admin
• developer

Permissions model

Map roles to doc categories or API scopes, for example:

Role	Visible docs
public	Public API docs only
customer	Public + customer endpoints
partner	Public + partner docs
support	Public + support tooling docs
admin	Everything

If you need more granular control, use attribute-based access or scope-based access:

• docs:read:public
• docs:read:partner
• docs:read:internal

That’s often easier to manage than pure role names as your org grows.

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5) Enforce access in both the frontend and backend

Frontend

• Hide navigation items the user can’t access
• Don’t render private pages unless authorized
• Show login prompts or “request access” flows

Backend

This is the important part.

• Protect the docs API/content endpoints
• Only return the docs/specs the user is allowed to see
• Do not expose private OpenAPI specs in public storage or public URLs

If you use static files, private files should be stored in:

• private bucket
• authenticated CDN
• server-side rendered endpoint

Not in a public GitHub repo or public S3 bucket.

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6) Make the API “Try it out” feature secure

Interactive docs often include request execution. That needs careful handling.

Best practices

• Use sandbox environments for testing
• Require auth tokens for private endpoints
• Never expose production secrets in docs
• Validate and scope tokens carefully
• Use short-lived access tokens if possible
• Rate limit interactive requests

For public docs:

• Allow anonymous read-only usage
• Restrict any write actions unless authenticated

For private docs:

• Let the docs UI obtain a user token via OAuth/OIDC
• Pass token to API explorer only for allowed endpoints

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7) Use environment separation

Keep docs and APIs separate by environment:

• public-api.example.com
• sandbox-api.example.com
• internal-api.example.com

And separate docs environments too:

• docs.example.com for public
• portal.example.com for private docs

This helps prevent accidental exposure and makes access policies clearer.

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8) Suggested architecture

A common setup looks like this:

• Docs portal
  • Public site + private portal
• Identity provider
  • Auth0 / Okta / Azure AD
• Docs access gateway
  • checks JWT/session claims
• Spec storage
  • public specs in public storage
  • private specs in private storage
• API gateway
  • validates tokens and scopes for live API calls

Flow

1. User visits docs site
2. Public docs load without login
3. Private docs require login
4. Identity provider returns JWT with roles/scopes
5. Docs portal checks claims and loads allowed specs
6. “Try it out” uses same token against sandbox/API gateway

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9) Recommended implementation options

Option A: Managed platform

Best if you want fast setup.

• ReadMe
• Stoplight
• Redocly

Pros:

• built-in auth and access control
• polished UX
• less maintenance

Cons:

• subscription cost
• some customization limits

Option B: Self-hosted custom portal

Best if you need full control.

Use:

• Docusaurus or Next.js
• Swagger UI / Redoc
• OIDC auth
• RBAC middleware
• API gateway for live requests

Pros:

• full flexibility
• integrates with internal systems

Cons:

• more engineering and maintenance

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10) Minimum viable setup checklist

If you want to get this working quickly:

• Define public vs private docs
• Split specs by audience
• Choose identity provider
• Add login to private docs
• Embed role claims in JWT/session
• Restrict docs content by role
• Protect private spec files on the backend
• Secure “Try it out” with sandbox + scoped tokens
• Add audit logs for doc access
• Review regularly for accidental exposure

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11) Security tips

• Never assume UI hiding equals security
• Put private specs behind authentication
• Use least-privilege access
• Log access to private docs
• Rotate tokens and keys
• Review API docs whenever endpoints change
• Avoid embedding secrets in examples
• Sanitize sample payloads

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12) Practical recommendation

If you want the easiest, most production-ready approach:

• Use ReadMe or Redocly
• Use Auth0 / Okta / Azure AD for login
• Use JWT claims for roles
• Split docs into public, partner, and internal
• Host private docs behind an authenticated portal
• Use a sandbox API for interactive requests

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If you want, I can also give you:

1. a reference architecture diagram,
2. a step-by-step implementation plan for Next.js + Swagger UI + Auth0, or
3. a tool comparison table for ReadMe vs Stoplight vs Redocly vs self-hosted.