How to Build Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) in Bubble.io

Updated October 2026 · By Athar Ahmad, certified Bubble.io developer and founder of SA Solutions

Almost every serious Bubble.io app needs different levels of access: owners who manage billing, admins who manage users, staff who do the work and clients who only see their own records. Role-based access control (RBAC) is how you make that safe. This guide shows how to model roles in Bubble.io, enforce them where it actually matters, and test them before real users arrive.

1. Plan your roles with a permission matrix

Before touching the editor, write down every role and what each one can do. A simple matrix makes gaps obvious and saves rework later:

Keep the number of roles small. Most products need three to five. For a deeper planning method, see our RBAC permission matrix guide.

2. Model roles in the database

The cleanest approach in Bubble.io is an option set for roles, with yes/no attributes for each permission:

• Option set: Role, with options Owner, Admin, Staff and Client
• Attributes: can_manage_billing, can_manage_users, can_edit_projects, can_delete
• User field: role (type: Role), for single-company apps

Checking Current User’s role’s can_delete is yes is fast, readable and easy to change: when you add a new permission, you update the option set once instead of hunting through conditions.

Option sets are sent to the browser, so they are perfect for role names and permission flags but never for secrets or private data. Read option sets vs data types for the full reasoning.

3. Enforce roles with privacy rules

Privacy rules are Bubble.io’s server-side security layer. They decide which records and fields each user can see, find in searches and change. Set them on every data type that holds private data:

• Projects: a rule such as This Project’s account is Current User’s account lets members find and view projects in their own account
• Sensitive fields: a separate rule can hide fields like internal notes or financials unless Current User’s role’s can_manage_billing is yes
• Everyone else: leave the default “everyone else” rule with nothing checked, so unmatched users see nothing

Privacy rules apply to searches, repeating groups and API access alike, which is why they are the foundation of RBAC. See Bubble.io privacy rules: how to secure your SaaS data model.

4. Protect workflows and pages

Workflow conditions

Add an Only when condition to every sensitive workflow, for example Only when Current User’s role’s can_delete is yes. Do this even if the button is hidden, because hidden elements can still be triggered by a determined user.

Backend workflows

Backend (API) workflows can run with elevated access. Check the caller’s role inside the workflow, and be careful with the option to ignore privacy rules: only use it when the workflow itself verifies who is allowed to run it.

Page access

On page load, redirect users without the right role, for example When Current User’s role’s can_manage_users is no, go to the dashboard. This is about user experience; the data stays protected by privacy rules either way.

Interface

Finally, use conditionals to hide or disable controls a user cannot use. This keeps the interface clean and reduces confusion.

5. Roles in multi-tenant apps

If users can belong to more than one company or workspace, a single role field on the user is not enough. Use a Membership data type:

• Account: the company or workspace
• Membership: user, account and role
• Privacy rule pattern: allow access when the current user has a membership in the record’s account, and check that membership’s role for sensitive actions

This lets someone be an Admin in one workspace and a Viewer in another, which is standard for B2B SaaS. Learn more in what is multi-tenant architecture.

6. Testing every role

1. Create one test user per role, plus a user from a different account
2. Use Bubble.io’s Run as feature to preview the app as each test user
3. For each role, check every page, every action and every data type in your matrix
4. Try to reach records from another account directly, for example through a modified page URL or search
5. Repeat after every significant change to data types or privacy rules

7. Common RBAC mistakes in Bubble.io

• Relying on hidden elements instead of privacy rules
• Leaving privacy rules unset on newer data types
• Storing sensitive data in option sets or in fields visible to every role
• Backend workflows that ignore privacy rules without checking the caller
• Too many roles, making permissions hard to reason about
• Never testing as a user from a different account

Inheriting an app and unsure whether its permissions are safe? See how to audit an inherited Bubble.io app.

Frequently asked questions

How do I create user roles in Bubble.io?

Create an option set called Role with the roles you need, then add a Role field to the user, or to a Membership data type if users can belong to several accounts. Use that role in privacy rules, page checks and workflow conditions.

Is hiding a button enough to restrict access in Bubble.io?

No. Hiding an element only changes what appears on screen. Real protection comes from privacy rules, which control what data the server sends, and from conditions on workflows, especially backend workflows.

Should I store permissions in an option set?

Option sets are good for role names and their permission attributes because they are fast and do not use database searches. Do not store sensitive data in them, because option sets are sent to the browser and can be read by anyone using the app.

How do roles work in a multi-tenant Bubble.io app?

Add an Account data type and a Membership data type that links a user to an account with a role. Privacy rules then check the current user's membership for the record's account, so a person can be an admin in one account and a viewer in another.

How can I test roles in Bubble.io?

Create a test user for each role and check every page, action and data type as that user. Bubble.io's Run as feature lets you preview the app as a specific test user, which makes this much faster.