---
title: "Introduction to Designer Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)"
slug: "introduction-to-designer-role-based-access-control-rbac"
updated: 2025-09-25T23:53:39Z
published: 2025-09-25T23:53:39Z
canonical: "docs.unqork.io/introduction-to-designer-role-based-access-control-rbac"
---

> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.unqork.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Introduction to Designer Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)

## Overview

**Designer RBAC (role-based access control)**, also known as Creator RBAC, manages Creator access to an Unqork [Environment](/v1/docs/environment), and the individual [Workspaces](/v1/docs/introduction-to-workspaces) in the environment. Using Designer RBAC, administrators can assign Creators one of three standard roles, or create unique roles with a specific set of access permissions. Once Creators are assigned a role, administrators can further limit access to the Unqork platform by assigning Creators to individual workspaces.

Limiting Creator access to the environment and a workspace improves company security, and prevents Creators from accessing information they should not have. For example, if your company has two Unqork workspaces, and one workspace contains sensitive customer data, you could limit access to only Creators approved by administration.

## Differences Between Environment and Workspaces RBAC

Environment and Workspaces RBAC provide Creator roles that control the level of permissions Creators have for an environment and its workspaces. While Environment and Workspaces RBAC provide control over different portions of the Unqork Designer Platform, their permissions can be combined to create a set of permissions for a Creator or user. Only administrators can assign Environment and Workspace roles to Creators and users.

### Environment RBAC

Environment RBAC manages roles applied across all workspaces and [Administration Settings](/v1/docs/welcome-to-unqorks-administration-pages-1), like [Services Administration](/v1/docs/services-administration), [Managed Assets](/v1/docs/managed-assets-administration), [PDF Template Administration](/v1/docs/pdf-template-administration), and [Style Administration](/v1/docs/style-administration). For example, users with application CRUD permissions at the environment level can create, read, update, and delete data in all workspaces.

> To learn more about managing Environment RBAC, view our [Environment Level Role-Based Access Control](/v1/docs/environment-level-role-based-access-control-rbac) article.

### Workspaces RBAC

Workspaces RBAC manages roles that are applied to a specific workspace, and overrides Environment RBAC permissions for specific workspaces. For example, if a user has application CRUD permissions at the environment level, assigning them the **View** role in a workspace prevents them from using their application CRUD permissions in that workspace.

> To learn more about managing Workspaces RBAC, view our [Workspaces Role-Based Access Control (WSRBAC)](/v1/docs/workspaces-role-based-access-control-wsrbac) article.

Administrators can assign **Update** permissions for a user to update all workspaces. But, if there's a workspace that an administrator does not want updated, they can assign that same user the **Can View** permission for that workspace using Workspaces RBAC. Or, a user might have environment access to services and only view access to a specific workspace.

Here's a chart with an example of an architectural layout for an environment and two workspaces:

![](https://cdn.us.document360.io/15548f06-2fba-434c-b0c1-5df88317dbd7/Images/Documentation/WRBAC_thumb_0_0.jpg?sv=2026-02-06&spr=https&st=2026-11-08T10%3A18%3A21Z&se=2026-11-08T11%3A18%3A21Z&sr=c&sp=r&sig=kkvntf%2BoiooJ0toli5lvEkX3Mggg0h6hEocAQCgywJM%3D)

## Designer RBAC Permissions

The Unqork Designer Platform uses Designer RBAC permissions to control how Creators access an environment or workspace. Environment and Workspace permissions are similar, but provide different functions. Use the tables below to compare how each permission's function:

### Environment Permissions

Environment permissions are assigned to standard or custom roles using the [Creator Role Administration](/v1/docs/creator-role-administration) page. Once roles are set, administrators can assign or change a Creator's role using the [Creator (User) Administration](/v1/docs/creator-user-administration) page.

| Permission | Description |
| --- | --- |
| View | Can view the chosen Designer element but cannot make changes. |
| Update | Can make changes to the chosen Designer element. |
| Create | Can add new Designer elements. |
| Delete | Can remove the chosen Designer element from your environment. |
| Promote | Can move the chosen Designer element up to the next environment level. |

> Learn how to assign roles containing environment permissions using our [Creator (User) Administration](/v1/docs/creator-user-administration) article.

### Workspace Permissions

Workspace permissions are assigned using the [Workspace's User Permissions](/v1/docs/workspaces-role-based-access-control-wsrbac) settings. Workspace permissions override Environment permissions for that workspace.

| Permission | Description |
| --- | --- |
| Can View | Can view elements in the workspace, but not modify them. |
| Can Edit | Can add, edit, or remove elements from the workspace. |
| Can Manage | Same access as Can Edit, but can also add or remove users from the workspace. |
| No Access | Cannot view, edit, or modify elements in the workspace. |

> Learn how to use Workspaces RBAC using our [Workspaces Role-Based Access Control (WSRBAC)](/v1/docs/workspaces-role-based-access-control-wsrbac) article.

## Resources

- [Creator (User) Administration](/v1/docs/creator-user-administration)
- [Workspaces Role-Based Access Control (WSRBAC)](/v1/docs/workspaces-role-based-access-control-wsrbac)
- [Introduction to Express Role-Based Access Control (RBAC)](/v1/docs/introduction-to-express-role-based-access-control-rbac)

Also known as Unqork Users, or Designer Users; is anyone who is inside the Unqork platform.

RBAC (Role-Based Access Control) is a method to control system access for authorized users. The role in RBAC refers to the levels of access employees have to a network.

CRUD refers to the four critical operations for creating and managing data elements in your applications. It stands for create, read, update, and delete.