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mongodb / v3.6 / reference / core-security-built-in-roles.html

Built-In Roles

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MongoDB provides built-in roles that provide the different levels of access commonly needed in a database system. Built-in database user roles and database administration roles roles exist in each database. The admin database contains additional roles.

This page provides a brief description of the built-in roles. For the specific privileges granted by each role, see the Built-In Roles reference page.

Database User Roles

Every database includes the following roles:

Role Short Description
read

Provides the ability to read data on all non-system collections and on the following system collections: system.indexes, system.js, and system.namespaces collections.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see read.
readWrite

Provides all the privileges of the read role and the ability to modify data on all non-system collections and the system.js collection.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see readWrite.

Database Administration Roles

Every database includes the following database administration roles:

Role Short Description
dbAdmin

Provides the ability to perform administrative tasks such as schema-related tasks, indexing, gathering statistics. This role does not grant privileges for user and role management.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see dbAdmin.
dbOwner Provides the ability to perform any administrative action on the database. This role combines the privileges granted by the readWrite, dbAdmin and userAdmin roles.
userAdmin

Provides the ability to create and modify roles and users on the current database. Since the userAdmin role allows users to grant any privilege to any user, including themselves, the role also indirectly provides superuser access to either the database or, if scoped to the admin database, the cluster.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see userAdmin.

Cluster Administration Roles

The admin database includes the following roles for administering the whole system rather than a specific database. These roles include but are not limited to replica set and sharded cluster administrative functions.

Role Short Description
clusterAdmin Provides the greatest cluster-management access. This role combines the privileges granted by the clusterManager, clusterMonitor, and hostManager roles. Additionally, the role provides the dropDatabase action.
clusterManager

Provides management and monitoring actions on the cluster. A user with this role can access the config and local databases, which are used in sharding and replication, respectively.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see clusterManager.
clusterMonitor

Provides read-only access to monitoring tools, such as the MongoDB Cloud Manager and Ops Manager monitoring agent.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see clusterMonitor.
hostManager

Provides the ability to monitor and manage servers.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see hostManager.

Backup and Restoration Roles

The admin database includes the following roles for backing up and restoring data:

Role Short Description
backup

Provides privileges needed to back up data. This role provides sufficient privileges to use the MongoDB Cloud Manager backup agent, Ops Manager backup agent, or to use mongodump.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see backup.
restore

Provides privileges needed to restore data with mongorestore without the --oplogReplay option or without system.profile collection data.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see restore.

All-Database Roles

Changed in version 3.4.

These roles in the admin database apply to all but the local and config databases in a mongod instance:

Role Short Description
readAnyDatabase

Provides the same read-only permissions as read, except it applies to all but the local and config databases in the cluster. The role also provides the listDatabases action on the cluster as a whole.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see readAnyDatabase.

Changed in version 3.4: Prior to 3.4, readAnyDatabase includes local and config databases. To provide read privileges on the local database, create a user in the admin database with read role in the local database. See also clusterManager role for access to the config and local databases.
readWriteAnyDatabase

Provides the same read and write permissions as readWrite, except it applies to all but the local and config databases in the cluster. The role also provides the listDatabases action on the cluster as a whole.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see readWriteAnyDatabase.

Changed in version 3.4: Prior to 3.4, readWriteAnyDatabase includes local and config databases. To provide readWrite privileges on the local database, create a user in the admin database with readWrite role in the local database. See also clusterManager role for access to the config and local databases.
userAdminAnyDatabase

Provides the same access to user administration operations as userAdmin, except it applies to all but the local and config databases in the cluster.

Since the userAdminAnyDatabase role allows users to grant any privilege to any user, including themselves, the role also indirectly provides superuser access.

For the specific privileges granted by the role, see userAdminAnyDatabase.

Changed in version 3.4: Prior to 3.4,