README

A modular access control library for Laravel applications that uses enum-based permissions and a voter system. Perfect for modular monolith architectures where different modules can define their own permission logic and extend existing.

Example

Imagine two modules: Product and ProductGallery. The Product module knows nothing about ProductGallery, but ProductGallery should block product deletion until all galleries are removed.

Product module defines the permission:

enum ProductPermission: string implements PermissionDefinition
{
    case Delete = 'product.delete';
}

ProductGallery module registers a voter to add its constraint:

// In ProductGalleryServiceProvider
$registry = resolve(VoterRegistry::class);

$registry->register(
    ProductPermission::Delete,

    function (User $user, Product $product = null): Response {
        if ($product && $product->galleries()->exists()) {
            return Response::deny('Cannot delete product with galleries.');
        }
        return Response::allow();
    }
);

This library allows achieving such behavior without tightly coupling the two modules.

Key Features

🔐 Enum-based permissions - Define permissions as PHP enums for type-safety and IDE autocomplete
🗳️ Voter system - Replace Laravel Policies with flexible voters that can be registered from any module
📦 Modular architecture - Each module can register its own voters without modifying core logic
🏷️ Permission metadata - Add names, descriptions, and groups to permissions via PHP attributes
⚡ Laravel Gate integration - Works seamlessly with Laravel's authorization system

When to Use This Package

This package is designed primarily for modular monolith architectures where your application is split into independent modules (e.g., using nWidart/laravel-modules or InterNACHI/modular).

The key advantage of this package is that voters can be registered from any module, allowing each module to define its own authorization constraints without modifying the core application or other modules.

When NOT to Use This Package

If you're building a traditional Laravel monolith without modular architecture, you probably don't need this package. In that case, the following solutions are sufficient:

Laravel Policies - Built-in authorization system, perfect for simple applications
spatie/laravel-permission - Excellent package for role and permission management in monolithic applications

Requirements

PHP 8.4+
Laravel 12.0+

Installation

You can install the package via composer:

composer require webard/laravel-access-control

Usage

1. Define Permissions as Enums

Create an enum that implements PermissionDefinition:

<?php

namespace App\Permissions;

use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Contracts\PermissionDefinition;

enum ProductPermission: string implements PermissionDefinition
{
    case View = 'product.view';
    case Create = 'product.create';
    case Update = 'product.update';
    case Delete = 'product.delete';
}

Tip: In modular applications, consider prefixing permission values with your module name (e.g., pim-module.product.view, inventory-module.stock.update) to avoid conflicts between modules and make it clear which module owns each permission.

2. Register Permissions

<?php

namespace Modules\Category\Providers;

use Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\PermissionRegistry;
use Modules\Category\Permissions\CategoryPermission;

class CategoryModuleServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
{
    public function boot(): void
    {
        $registry = resolve(PermissionRegistry::class);
        
        $registry->register([
            CategoryPermission::class,
        ]);
    }
}

3. Register Voters

Voters allow you to add custom authorization logic to permissions. The main advantage is that voters can be registered from any module, making them perfect for modular monolith architectures.

Using Closures

<?php

namespace Modules\Product\Providers;

use Illuminate\Auth\Access\Response;
use Illuminate\Support\ServiceProvider;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\PermissionRegistry;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\VoterRegistry;
use App\Models\User;
use Modules\Category\Models\Category;
use Modules\Category\Permissions\CategoryPermission;
use Modules\Product\Permissions\ProductPermission;

class ProductModuleServiceProvider extends ServiceProvider
{
    public function boot(): void {
        $registry = resolve(PermissionRegistry::class);
        
        $registry->register([
            ProductPermission::class,
        ]);

        $registry = resolve(VoterRegistry::class);

        $registry->register(
            CategoryPermission::Delete,

            function (User $user, Category $category = null): Response {
                if ($category->products()->exists()) {
                    return Response::deny(
                        'Cannot delete category with assigned products.'
                    );
                }

                return Response::allow();
            }
        );
    }
}

Using Voter Classes

For more complex logic, create dedicated voter classes with the #[VoterForPermission] attribute:

<?php

namespace App\Voters;

use Illuminate\Auth\Access\Response;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Attributes\VoterForPermission;
use App\Models\User;
use App\Models\Currency;
use App\Models\Channel;
use App\Permissions\CurrencyPermission;

final class CurrencyVoter
{
    #[VoterForPermission(CurrencyPermission::Delete)]
    public function preventDeletingUsedByChannels(User $user, Currency|string|null $currency): Response
    {
        if (!$currency instanceof Currency) {
            return Response::allow();
        }
        
        if (Channel::query()->whereJsonContains('currencies', $currency->code)->exists()) {
            return Response::deny('Some channels are using this currency.');
        }

        return Response::allow();
    }

    #[VoterForPermission(CurrencyPermission::Update)]
    public function preventUpdatingDefaultCurrency(User $user, Currency|string|null $currency): Response
    {
        if ($currency instanceof Currency && $currency->is_default) {
            return Response::deny('Cannot modify the default currency.');
        }

        return Response::allow();
    }
}

$registry = resolve(VoterRegistry::class);

$registry->register(CurrencyVoter::class);

// Or register multiple classes at once
$registry->register([
    CurrencyVoter::class,
    ProductVoter::class,
    ChannelVoter::class,
]);

4. Using Authorization

The package integrates with Laravel's Gate, so you can use standard authorization methods:

// Using Gate
Gate::allows(ProductPermission::View, $product);
Gate::authorize(ProductPermission::Delete, $product);

// Using the User model
$user->can(ProductPermission::Update, $product);
$user->cannot(ProductPermission::Delete, $product);

// In controllers
$this->authorize(ProductPermission::Update, $product);

// In Blade templates
@can(ProductPermission::View, $product)
    <a href="{{ route('products.show', $product) }}">View</a>
@endcan

5. Adding Permission Metadata (Optional)

Enhance your permissions with names, descriptions, and groups using PHP attributes:

Permission Groups

First, create a permission group:

<?php

namespace App\Permissions\Groups;

use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Contracts\PermissionGroupDefinition;

final class ProductGroup implements PermissionGroupDefinition
{
    public function getName(): string
    {
        return 'Products';
    }

    public function getDescription(): ?string
    {
        return 'Permissions related to product management';
    }

    public function getSlug(): string
    {
        return 'products';
    }
}

Enhanced Permission Enum

<?php

namespace Modules\Product\Permissions;

use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Contracts\PermissionDefinition;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Attributes\PermissionGroup;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Attributes\PermissionName;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Attributes\PermissionDescription;
use Modules\Product\PermissionGroups\ProductGroup;

#[PermissionGroup(ProductGroup::class)]
enum ProductPermission: string implements PermissionDefinition
{
    #[PermissionName('View Products')]
    #[PermissionDescription('Allows viewing product details')]
    case View = 'product.view';

    #[PermissionName('Create Products')]
    #[PermissionDescription('Allows creating new products')]
    case Create = 'product.create';

    #[PermissionName('Update Products')]
    #[PermissionDescription('Allows modifying existing products')]
    case Update = 'product.update';

    #[PermissionName('Delete Products')]
    #[PermissionDescription('Allows removing products from the system')]
    case Delete = 'product.delete';
}

Retrieving Permission Metadata

use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\PermissionCollection;

$collection = resolve(PermissionCollection::class);

// Get all permissions grouped
$grouped = $collection->getGroupedPermissions();

// Get flat list of all permissions
$permissions = $collection->getPermissions();

This is useful for building permission management UIs.

How Voters Work

When a permission check is performed via Laravel's Gate, the package first verifies if the user has the permission (via $user->hasPermissionTo())
If the user has the permission, all registered voters for that permission are executed
If any voter returns Response::deny(), the authorization fails
Only if all voters return Response::allow(), the authorization succeeds

This allows different modules to add constraints to permissions without knowing about each other.

Voters vs Policies

Feature	Laravel Policies	Voters
Location	Single class per model	Can be anywhere
Modularity	Coupled to model	Fully decoupled
Multiple handlers	No	Yes
Cross-module logic	Difficult	Easy
Registration	Automatic by convention	Explicit

Model Setup

The model on which authorization checks are performed (typically User) must implement the AuthControllable interface.

This package provides three traits for managing permissions:

HasRoles (Recommended)

Use this trait when users receive permissions only through roles. This is the recommended approach for most applications.

<?php

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Foundation\Auth\User as Authenticatable;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Contracts\AuthControllable;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Traits\HasRoles;

class User extends Authenticatable implements AuthControllable
{
    use HasRoles;

    /**
     * Get roles assigned to the user.
     */
    public function getRoles(): iterable
    {
        return $this->roles; // Your roles relationship
    }
}

HasPermissions

Use this trait for models that store permissions directly (e.g., a Role model). This trait provides givePermissionTo() and revokePermissionTo() methods.

<?php

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Database\Eloquent\Model;
use Illuminate\Support\Collection;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Contracts\AuthControllable;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Traits\HasPermissions;

class Role extends Model implements AuthControllable
{
    use HasPermissions;

    protected $casts = [
        'permissions' => 'array',
    ];

    protected function getPermissions(): Collection
    {
        return new Collection($this->permissions ?? []);
    }

    protected function setPermissions(Collection $permissions): void
    {
        $this->permissions = $permissions->toArray();
        $this->save();
    }
}

You can also use this trait directly on User.

HasRolesAndPermissions

Use this trait when users can receive permissions both through roles AND directly. Permissions are checked in both sources.

<?php

namespace App\Models;

use Illuminate\Foundation\Auth\User as Authenticatable;
use Illuminate\Support\Collection;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Contracts\AuthControllable;
use Webard\LaravelAccessControl\Traits\HasRolesAndPermissions;

class User extends Authenticatable implements AuthControllable
{
    use HasRolesAndPermissions;

    protected $casts = [
        'permissions' => 'array',
    ];

    public function getRoles(): iterable
    {
        return $this->roles;
    }

    protected function getPermissions(): Collection
    {
        return new Collection($this->permissions ?? []);
    }

    protected function setPermissions(Collection $permissions): void
    {
        $this->permissions = $permissions->toArray();
        $this->save();
    }
}

Testing

composer test

License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see License File for more information.

webard / laravel-access-control

Maintainers

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