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db.updateRole()

Definition

db.updateRole(rolename, update, writeConcern)

Updates a user-defined role. The db.updateRole() method must run on the role’s database.

An update to a field completely replaces the previous field’s values. To grant or remove roles or privileges without replacing all values, use one or more of the following methods:

Warning

An update to the privileges or roles array completely replaces the previous array’s values.

The updateRole() method uses the following syntax:

db.updateRole(
    "<rolename>",
    {
      privileges:
          [
            { resource: { <resource> }, actions: [ "<action>", ... ] },
            ...
          ],
      roles:
          [
            { role: "<role>", db: "<database>" } | "<role>",
            ...
          ]
    },
    { <writeConcern> }
)

The db.updateRole() method takes the following arguments.

Parameter Type Description
rolename string The name of the user-defined role to update.
update document A document containing the replacement data for the role. This data completely replaces the corresponding data for the role.
writeConcern document Optional. The level of write concern for the update operation. The writeConcern document takes the same fields as the getLastError command.

The update document specifies the fields to update and the new values. Each field in the update document is optional, but the document must include at least one field. The update document has the following fields:

Field Type Description
privileges array Optional. Required if you do not specify roles array. The privileges to grant the role. An update to the privileges array overrides the previous array’s values. For the syntax for specifying a privilege, see the privileges array.
roles array Optional. Required if you do not specify privileges array. The roles from which this role inherits privileges. An update to the roles array overrides the previous array’s values.

In the roles field, you can specify both built-in roles and user-defined role.

To specify a role that exists in the same database where db.updateRole() runs, you can either specify the role with the name of the role:

"readWrite"

Or you can specify the role with a document, as in:

{ role: "<role>", db: "<database>" }

To specify a role that exists in a different database, specify the role with a document.

The db.updateRole() method wraps the updateRole command.

Behavior

Replica set

If run on a replica set, db.updateRole() is executed using majority write concern by default.

Scope

Except for roles created in the admin database, a role can only include privileges that apply to its database and can only inherit from other roles in its database.

A role created in the admin database can include privileges that apply to the admin database, other databases or to the cluster resource, and can inherit from roles in other databases as well as the admin database.

Required Access

You must have the revokeRole action on all databases in order to update a role.

You must have the grantRole action on the database of each role in the roles array to update the array.

You must have the grantRole action on the database of each privilege in the privileges array to update the array. If a privilege’s resource spans databases, you must have grantRole on the admin database. A privilege spans databases if the privilege is any of the following:

  • a collection in all databases
  • all collections and all database
  • the cluster resource

Example

The following db.updateRole() method replaces the privileges and the roles for the inventoryControl role that exists in the products database. The method runs on the database that contains inventoryControl:

use products
db.updateRole(
    "inventoryControl",
    {
      privileges:
          [
            {
              resource: { db:"products", collection:"clothing" },
              actions: [ "update", "createCollection", "createIndex"]
            }
          ],
      roles:
          [
            {
              role: "read",
              db: "products"
            }
          ]
    },
    { w:"majority" }
)

To view a role’s privileges, use the rolesInfo command.