Access control

with WSO2 Identity Server

Beyond usernames and passwords, how do you ensure that resources, APIs, and systems get the right amount of protection they need? Enter Authorization and Access Control.

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Access control with WSO2 Identity Server

What is Access control?

Access control enables an organization’s administrators to control or restrict access to an organization’s resources, APIs and systems to ensure that access is provided to the right users at the right time. It is based on roles, attributes, on the administrator’s discretion, or if mandatory access is required.

This can be further illustrated as:

  • Role-based access control (RBAC)
  • Attribute-based access Control (ABAC)
  • Scope based access control for OAuth applications and resources

Fine-grained access control is enabled by XACML (extensible Access Control Markup Language). It is a commonly known industry standard and an XML-based language that helps to express and enforce policies on access control.

Benefits of Access Control


Secures the access provided to your resources

Secures the access provided to your resources

Maintains an audit log of all user activity

Maintains an audit log of all user activity

Prevents data breaches and mitigates security risks

Prevents data breaches and mitigates security risks

Increases accessibility

Increases accessibility

Flexibility to grant different levels of access to different user groups

Flexibility to grant different levels of access to different user groups

Improves user experience

Improves user experience

Access Control with WSO2 Identity Server

WSO2 Identity Server provides role-based and attribute-based access control based on XACML to control access policies for users. It also provides the capability for administrators to review permissions provided to users based on the privileges assigned to them.

Access control with WSO2 Identity Server

Why choose WSO2 Identity Server for access control

Features in Access control includes:

  • Managing user entitlements
  • High-performance network protocol for Policy Enforcement Point/Policy Decision Point (PEP/PDP) interaction
  • User- friendly policy administration point (PAP)
  • Integrates with WSO2 Enterprise Integrator for XACML based authorization for REST or SOAP services