Security Dependencies - Definable.ai

This guide explains how to use Definable’s security dependencies to protect your API endpoints with authentication and role-based access control (RBAC). These FastAPI dependencies provide a clean, declarative way to enforce security policies across your application.

Overview

Definable provides two main security dependencies:

JWTBearer: Validates JWT tokens (both Stytch session tokens and API keys)
RBAC: Enforces role-based permissions on protected resources

These dependencies work together to provide a complete authentication and authorization solution.

Architecture

JWTBearer Dependency

The JWTBearer class validates JWT tokens and extracts user identity.

Location

File: src/dependencies/security.py

Implementation

from fastapi import Depends, HTTPException, Request, WebSocket
from fastapi.security import HTTPBearer
from sqlalchemy.ext.asyncio import AsyncSession
from sqlalchemy import select

class JWTBearer(HTTPBearer):
    """
    JWT Bearer authentication dependency.

    Validates JWT tokens from:
    - Stytch (session tokens) via JWKS
    - Internal (API keys) via JWT_SECRET

    Returns user context with stytch_user_id and internal user id.
    """

    async def __call__(
        self,
        request: Request = None,
        websocket: WebSocket = None,
        session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db),
    ) -> dict:
        # HTTP Request authentication
        if request:
            credentials = await super().__call__(request)
            if not credentials or credentials.scheme != "Bearer":
                raise HTTPException(
                    status_code=403,
                    detail="Invalid authorization"
                )

            # Verify JWT using Stytch JWKS
            response = await stytch_base.authenticate_user_with_jkws(
                credentials.credentials
            )

            if response.success:
                # Look up user by stytch_id
                user_query = select(UserModel).where(
                    UserModel.stytch_id == response.data["sub"]
                )
                user_result = await session.execute(user_query)
                user = user_result.scalar_one_or_none()

                if not user:
                    raise HTTPException(
                        status_code=403,
                        detail="User not found"
                    )

                return {
                    "stytch_user_id": response.data["sub"],
                    "id": str(user.id)
                }
            else:
                raise HTTPException(
                    status_code=403,
                    detail="Access denied"
                )

        # WebSocket authentication
        elif websocket:
            token = websocket.query_params.get("token")
            if not token:
                raise HTTPException(
                    status_code=403,
                    detail="Invalid authorization"
                )

            # Verify WebSocket token (similar to HTTP)
            response = await stytch_base.authenticate_user_with_jkws(token)

            if response.success:
                user_query = select(UserModel).where(
                    UserModel.stytch_id == response.data["sub"]
                )
                user_result = await session.execute(user_query)
                user = user_result.scalar_one_or_none()

                if not user:
                    raise HTTPException(
                        status_code=403,
                        detail="User not found"
                    )

                return {
                    "stytch_user_id": response.data["sub"],
                    "id": str(user.id)
                }
            else:
                raise HTTPException(
                    status_code=403,
                    detail="Access denied"
                )

Using JWTBearer

Basic Authentication

Protect an endpoint by requiring a valid JWT token:

from fastapi import APIRouter, Depends
from src.dependencies.security import JWTBearer

router = APIRouter()

@router.get("/profile")
async def get_user_profile(
    user: dict = Depends(JWTBearer())
):
    """
    Protected endpoint - requires valid JWT token.

    The 'user' parameter will contain:
    {
        "stytch_user_id": "user-live-xxx...",
        "id": "5e6f7g8h-9i0j-1k2l-3m4n-5o6p7q8r9s0t"
    }
    """
    return {
        "user_id": user["id"],
        "stytch_id": user["stytch_user_id"]
    }

Accessing User Information

The JWTBearer dependency returns a dictionary with user information:

@router.get("/dashboard")
async def get_dashboard(user: dict = Depends(JWTBearer())):
    user_id = user["id"]  # Internal user UUID
    stytch_id = user["stytch_user_id"]  # Stytch user ID

    # Use user_id for database queries
    user_data = await fetch_user_data(user_id)

    return {"dashboard": user_data}

RBAC Dependency

The RBAC class enforces role-based permissions on resources.

Implementation

class RBAC:
    """
    Role-Based Access Control dependency.

    Checks if the authenticated user has permission to access
    a specific resource with a specific action.

    Usage:
        @router.get("/resource", dependencies=[Depends(RBAC("resource", "read"))])
    """

    def __init__(self, required_resource: str, required_action: str):
        self.required_resource = required_resource
        self.required_action = required_action

    async def __call__(
        self,
        org_id: UUID,
        user: dict = Depends(JWTBearer()),
        session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db),
    ) -> dict:
        """
        Verify user has required permission in the organization.

        Args:
            org_id: Organization context for permission check
            user: User context from JWTBearer
            session: Database session

        Returns:
            User context if authorized

        Raises:
            HTTPException: 403 if user lacks permission
        """
        user_id = UUID(user["id"])

        # Query for user's role and permissions in the organization
        query = (
            select(PermissionModel.name)
            .select_from(OrganizationMemberModel)
            .join(
                RoleModel,
                OrganizationMemberModel.role_id == RoleModel.id
            )
            .join(
                RolePermissionModel,
                RoleModel.id == RolePermissionModel.role_id
            )
            .join(
                PermissionModel,
                RolePermissionModel.permission_id == PermissionModel.id
            )
            .where(
                and_(
                    OrganizationMemberModel.user_id == user_id,
                    OrganizationMemberModel.organization_id == org_id,
                    OrganizationMemberModel.status == "active"
                )
            )
        )

        result = await session.execute(query)
        permissions = [row[0] for row in result.fetchall()]

        # Check for exact permission match
        required_permission = f"{self.required_resource}:{self.required_action}"
        if required_permission in permissions:
            return user

        # Check for wildcard permissions
        if f"*:{self.required_action}" in permissions:  # Any resource, specific action
            return user
        if f"{self.required_resource}:*" in permissions:  # Specific resource, any action
            return user
        if "*:*" in permissions:  # Full access
            return user

        # No matching permission found
        raise HTTPException(
            status_code=403,
            detail=f"Insufficient permissions. Required: {required_permission}"
        )

Using RBAC

Method 1: Dependencies Parameter (Recommended)

Use the dependencies parameter for cleaner code when you don’t need the user context:

@router.delete("/kb/{kb_id}")
async def delete_knowledge_base(
    kb_id: UUID,
    org_id: UUID,
    # RBAC dependency ensures user has "kb:delete" permission
    _: dict = Depends(RBAC("kb", "delete")),
    session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
):
    """
    Delete a knowledge base.
    Only users with 'kb:delete' permission can access this endpoint.
    """
    # Implementation...
    pass

Method 2: Direct Dependency

Use as a direct dependency when you need the user context:

@router.post("/kb/create")
async def create_knowledge_base(
    kb_data: KBCreate,
    org_id: UUID,
    user: dict = Depends(RBAC("kb", "write")),
    session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
):
    """
    Create a knowledge base.
    The 'user' parameter contains user info AND verifies permission.
    """
    user_id = user["id"]

    # Create KB owned by this user
    kb = KnowledgeBaseModel(
        name=kb_data.name,
        owner_id=UUID(user_id),
        organization_id=org_id
    )

    session.add(kb)
    await session.commit()

    return kb

Permission Patterns

Standard Permissions

# Read access
@router.get("/resource/{id}", dependencies=[Depends(RBAC("resource", "read"))])

# Write access (create/update)
@router.post("/resource", dependencies=[Depends(RBAC("resource", "write"))])
@router.put("/resource/{id}", dependencies=[Depends(RBAC("resource", "write"))])

# Delete access
@router.delete("/resource/{id}", dependencies=[Depends(RBAC("resource", "delete"))])

# Admin access (full control)
@router.post("/resource/admin", dependencies=[Depends(RBAC("resource", "admin"))])

Resource Types

Common resources in Definable:

kb - Knowledge bases
conversation - Conversations/chats
agent - AI agents
tool - Tools
organization - Organization settings
user - User management
role - Role management
api_key - API key management

Action Types

Common actions:

read - View/list resources
write - Create/update resources
delete - Delete resources
admin - Full administrative access
execute - Execute/run resources (agents, tools)

Combining Dependencies

Both Authentication and Authorization

Most endpoints need both:

@router.get("/agents/list")
async def list_agents(
    org_id: UUID,
    user: dict = Depends(RBAC("agent", "read")),
    session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
):
    """
    This endpoint:
    1. Validates JWT token (via JWTBearer, called by RBAC)
    2. Checks "agent:read" permission (via RBAC)
    3. Returns user context
    """
    # Both authentication and authorization are enforced
    pass

Multiple Permission Checks

For endpoints requiring multiple permissions:

async def require_multiple_permissions(
    org_id: UUID,
    user: dict = Depends(JWTBearer()),
    session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
) -> dict:
    """Custom dependency for multiple permission checks."""
    # Check first permission
    try:
        await RBAC("kb", "read").__call__(org_id, user, session)
    except HTTPException:
        raise HTTPException(
            status_code=403,
            detail="Missing kb:read permission"
        )

    # Check second permission
    try:
        await RBAC("agent", "read").__call__(org_id, user, session)
    except HTTPException:
        raise HTTPException(
            status_code=403,
            detail="Missing agent:read permission"
        )

    return user

@router.get("/combined-resource")
async def get_combined_resource(
    org_id: UUID,
    user: dict = Depends(require_multiple_permissions)
):
    """Requires both kb:read AND agent:read permissions."""
    pass

WebSocket Authentication

WebSockets require special handling since they can’t use the Authorization header.

WebSocket Token Passing

Pass the JWT token as a query parameter:

// Client-side JavaScript
const token = localStorage.getItem('auth_token');
const socket = new WebSocket(`wss://api.definable.ai/ws?token=${token}`);

Protecting WebSocket Endpoints

from fastapi import WebSocket, Depends
from src.dependencies.security import JWTBearer

@router.websocket("/ws")
async def websocket_endpoint(
    websocket: WebSocket,
    user: dict = Depends(JWTBearer())
):
    """
    WebSocket endpoint with JWT authentication.
    Token must be provided as query parameter: /ws?token=xxx
    """
    await websocket.accept()

    user_id = user["id"]

    try:
        while True:
            data = await websocket.receive_text()
            # Process authenticated WebSocket messages
            await websocket.send_text(f"Echo: {data}")
    except WebSocketDisconnect:
        print(f"User {user_id} disconnected")

WebSocket with RBAC

@router.websocket("/ws/chat/{conversation_id}")
async def chat_websocket(
    websocket: WebSocket,
    conversation_id: UUID,
    org_id: UUID,
    user: dict = Depends(JWTBearer()),
    session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
):
    """WebSocket with permission checking."""
    # Manually check RBAC permission
    rbac = RBAC("conversation", "write")
    try:
        await rbac(org_id, user, session)
    except HTTPException as e:
        await websocket.close(code=1008, reason="Insufficient permissions")
        return

    # Accept WebSocket connection
    await websocket.accept()

    # Continue with WebSocket logic...

Error Handling

Authentication Errors

401 Unauthorized - Token is invalid or missing:

HTTPException(status_code=401, detail="Invalid or expired token")

Common causes:

Token expired
Invalid token signature
Malformed token
Token from wrong environment (test vs live)

Authorization Errors

403 Forbidden - User lacks required permission:

HTTPException(status_code=403, detail="Insufficient permissions")

Common causes:

User doesn’t have the required role
User’s role lacks the required permission
User is not a member of the organization
User’s membership is not active

Custom Error Responses

@router.get("/resource/{id}")
async def get_resource(
    id: UUID,
    org_id: UUID,
    user: dict = Depends(RBAC("resource", "read")),
    session: AsyncSession = Depends(get_db)
):
    try:
        resource = await fetch_resource(id, session)
        if not resource:
            raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="Resource not found")
        return resource
    except HTTPException:
        raise
    except Exception as e:
        raise HTTPException(status_code=500, detail=str(e))

Testing Protected Endpoints

Unit Testing with Mocked Dependencies

from unittest.mock import Mock
import pytest
from fastapi.testclient import TestClient

@pytest.fixture
def mock_jwt_bearer(mocker):
    """Mock JWTBearer dependency."""
    mock_user = {
        "id": "test-user-id",
        "stytch_user_id": "user-test-xxx"
    }
    mocker.patch(
        "src.dependencies.security.JWTBearer.__call__",
        return_value=mock_user
    )
    return mock_user

def test_protected_endpoint(client: TestClient, mock_jwt_bearer):
    """Test endpoint with mocked authentication."""
    response = client.get(
        "/profile",
        headers={"Authorization": "Bearer mock-token"}
    )
    assert response.status_code == 200

Integration Testing with Real Tokens

def test_with_real_token(client: TestClient):
    """Test with actual Stytch token."""
    # Login to get token
    login_response = client.post(
        "/api/auth/test_login",
        json={
            "email": "test@example.com",
            "password": "TestPassword123!"
        }
    )
    token = login_response.json()["token"]

    # Use token for protected endpoint
    response = client.get(
        "/profile",
        headers={"Authorization": f"Bearer {token}"}
    )
    assert response.status_code == 200

Best Practices

1. Always Use Dependencies

Don’t manually parse tokens or check permissions:

# ❌ BAD: Manual token parsing
@router.get("/resource")
async def get_resource(request: Request):
    token = request.headers.get("Authorization")
    # Manual validation...

# ✅ GOOD: Use dependencies
@router.get("/resource")
async def get_resource(user: dict = Depends(JWTBearer())):
    # Token automatically validated

2. Specific Permissions

Use specific permissions instead of wildcards when possible:

# ✅ GOOD: Specific permission
Depends(RBAC("kb", "delete"))

# ⚠️ AVOID: Too broad
Depends(RBAC("*", "*"))

3. Organization Context

Always pass org_id for RBAC checks:

@router.get("/resource")
async def get_resource(
    org_id: UUID,  # Required for RBAC
    user: dict = Depends(RBAC("resource", "read"))
):
    pass

4. Consistent Error Messages

Use consistent error messages for security:

# Don't reveal whether user exists
raise HTTPException(status_code=403, detail="Access denied")

# Instead of
raise HTTPException(status_code=404, detail="User not found")

5. Logging

Log authentication failures for security monitoring:

import logging

logger = logging.getLogger(__name__)

try:
    user = await JWTBearer()(request)
except HTTPException:
    logger.warning(f"Failed authentication attempt from {request.client.host}")
    raise

Performance Considerations

Database Queries

The RBAC dependency performs database queries to check permissions. For high-traffic endpoints, consider:

Caching: Cache role-permission mappings
Connection Pooling: Use proper database connection pools
Indexes: Ensure proper indexes on organization_members, roles, and permissions tables

Token Validation

JWKS Caching: Stytch public keys are cached for 10 minutes
Connection Reuse: HTTP connections to Stytch are reused
Local Validation: Most JWT validation happens locally

Next Steps

RBAC Permissions: Understanding the permission system
JWT Authentication: How JWT tokens work
Stytch Integration: Stytch authentication details
Invitation Flow: User invitation system

Documentation Index

​Overview

​Architecture

​JWTBearer Dependency

​Location

​Implementation

​Using JWTBearer

​Basic Authentication

​Accessing User Information

​RBAC Dependency

​Implementation

​Using RBAC

​Method 1: Dependencies Parameter (Recommended)

​Method 2: Direct Dependency

​Permission Patterns

​Standard Permissions

​Resource Types

​Action Types

​Combining Dependencies

​Both Authentication and Authorization

​Multiple Permission Checks

​WebSocket Authentication

​WebSocket Token Passing

​Protecting WebSocket Endpoints

​WebSocket with RBAC

​Error Handling

​Authentication Errors

​Authorization Errors

​Custom Error Responses

​Testing Protected Endpoints

​Unit Testing with Mocked Dependencies

​Integration Testing with Real Tokens

​Best Practices

​1. Always Use Dependencies

​2. Specific Permissions

​3. Organization Context

​4. Consistent Error Messages

​5. Logging

​Performance Considerations

​Database Queries

​Token Validation

​Next Steps

Overview

Architecture

JWTBearer Dependency

Location

Implementation

Using JWTBearer

Basic Authentication

Accessing User Information

RBAC Dependency

Implementation

Using RBAC

Method 1: Dependencies Parameter (Recommended)

Method 2: Direct Dependency

Permission Patterns

Standard Permissions

Resource Types

Action Types

Combining Dependencies

Both Authentication and Authorization

Multiple Permission Checks

WebSocket Authentication

WebSocket Token Passing

Protecting WebSocket Endpoints

WebSocket with RBAC

Error Handling

Authentication Errors

Authorization Errors

Custom Error Responses

Testing Protected Endpoints

Unit Testing with Mocked Dependencies

Integration Testing with Real Tokens

Best Practices

1. Always Use Dependencies

2. Specific Permissions

3. Organization Context

4. Consistent Error Messages

5. Logging

Performance Considerations

Database Queries

Token Validation

Next Steps