What is Relationship-based access control (ReBAC)?

Relationship-based access control (ReBAC) is an access control model that grants permissions based on relationships between users, resources, and entities. It enables organizations to implement fine-grained authorization decisions that reflect real-world organizational structures and interactions.

Traditional access control models often rely on predefined roles or static permissions. As organizations adopt cloud services, collaborative applications, and dynamic work environments, these approaches can become difficult to manage at scale.

Relationship-Based Access Control (ReBAC) is an authorization model that determines access rights based on the relationships between subjects (users), objects (resources), and other entities. Instead of granting permissions solely through roles or attributes, ReBAC evaluates the relationships between entities to determine whether it should allow access.

How does ReBAC work?

ReBAC uses relationships as the foundation for authorization decisions. These relationships are typically represented as graphs that describe how users, groups, devices, applications, and resources interact with one another.

A typical authorization process includes:

• Defining entities such as users, resources, and groups.
• Establishing relationships between entities.
• Evaluating relationship paths during access requests.
• Granting or denying access based on predefined policies.
• Continuously updating permissions as relationships change.

Why is ReBAC important?

Modern organizations require flexible authorization models that adapt to changing business structures and collaboration patterns. ReBAC provides a scalable way to manage permissions without creating large numbers of static roles.

Key benefits include:

• Fine-grained access control.
• Improved scalability in complex environments.
• Reduced role proliferation.
• Dynamic permission management.
• Better support for collaborative applications.
• Enhanced security through context-aware authorization.

ReBAC is commonly used in social networks, collaboration platforms, cloud-native applications, and enterprise systems with complex access requirements.

How Hexnode UEM supports access management and device trust

Effective access control depends not only on user permissions but also on the security and trustworthiness of the devices used to access corporate resources. Organizations increasingly combine identity-based controls with device management to strengthen security.

Hexnode UEM helps organizations manage and secure endpoints through centralized policy enforcement and device compliance management. By maintaining visibility into managed devices and enforcing security requirements, IT teams can support broader access management initiatives.

Key capabilities include:

• Directory service integration: Integrate with enterprise identity platforms such as Microsoft Entra ID and Google Workspace.
• Device compliance management: Enforce security requirements across managed endpoints.
• Application management: Deploy and manage corporate applications securely.
• Security policy enforcement: Configure password policies, encryption settings, and device restrictions.
• Conditional access support through identity integrations: Help organizations ensure that managed and compliant devices are used to access corporate resources when integrated with supported identity solutions.

While ReBAC is implemented within authorization and identity systems, Hexnode UEM helps organizations establish device trust and endpoint security as part of a comprehensive access management strategy.