Role-based authorization in NestJS - Interactive Code Practice

Practice - 5 Tasks

1fill in blank

easy

Complete the code to import the decorator used to define roles in NestJS.

NestJS

import { [1] } from '@nestjs/common';

Drag options to blanks, or click blank then click option'

ASetMetadata

BRoles

CUseGuards

DController

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'Roles' decorator which is not built-in

Importing 'UseGuards' instead of 'SetMetadata'

The SetMetadata decorator is used to define custom metadata like roles in NestJS.

2fill in blank

medium

Complete the code to create a custom decorator named Roles that sets roles metadata.

NestJS

export const Roles = (...roles: string[]) => [1]('roles', roles);

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ASetMetadata

BUseGuards

CController

DInjectable

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'UseGuards' instead of 'SetMetadata'

Trying to use 'Controller' decorator here

The SetMetadata function attaches the roles array as metadata to the route handler.

3fill in blank

hard

Fix the error in the guard to get roles metadata using the correct method.

NestJS

const roles = this.reflector.[1]('roles', context.getHandler());

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AgetAll

Bfind

Cfetch

Dget

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'fetch' or 'find' which do not exist on Reflector

Using 'getAll' which is not a method here

The Reflector class uses the get method to retrieve metadata by key.

4fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to check if the user has any of the required roles in the guard.

NestJS

return roles.some(role => user.roles.[1](role)) && user.isActive === [2];

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Aincludes

BindexOf

ChasOwnProperty

Dtrue

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'indexOf' without checking for -1

Checking user.isActive against 'false'

The includes method checks if the user's roles contain the required role. The user must be active, so true is checked.

5fill in blank

hard

Fill both blanks to apply the Roles decorator and guard to a controller route.

NestJS

@[1]('admin')
@UseGuards([2])
@Get('admin')
adminRoute() {
  return 'Admin content';
}

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ARoles

BRolesGuard

CAuthGuard

DController

Attempts:

3 left

💡 Hint

Common Mistakes

Using 'Controller' decorator on a method

Using 'AuthGuard' instead of 'RolesGuard'

The Roles decorator sets roles metadata, RolesGuard enforces role checks.

Practice

1. What is the main purpose of role-based authorization in a NestJS application?

easy

A. To handle HTTP request parsing

B. To manage database connections

C. To control access to routes based on user roles

D. To format response data

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand role-based authorization concept

   Role-based authorization restricts access to parts of an app depending on the user's role.

2. Step 2: Identify the purpose in NestJS context

   In NestJS, it controls which users can access certain routes or features based on their roles.

3. Final Answer:

   To control access to routes based on user roles -> Option C

4. Quick Check:

   Role-based authorization = Access control by roles [OK]

Hint: Remember: roles decide who can access what [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Confusing authorization with authentication
• Thinking it manages database or HTTP parsing
• Mixing up roles with user data formatting

2. Which decorator is commonly used in NestJS to specify roles allowed on a route?

easy

A. @Roles()

B. @UseGuards()

C. @Controller()

D. @Get()

Solution

1. Step 1: Identify role-specifying decorators

   In NestJS, @Roles() decorator marks which roles can access a route.

2. Step 2: Differentiate from other decorators

   @UseGuards() applies guards, @Controller() defines controllers, @Get() defines HTTP GET routes.

3. Final Answer:

   @Roles() -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   @Roles() sets allowed roles [OK]

Hint: Look for decorator naming roles directly [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using @UseGuards() to specify roles directly
• Confusing route decorators with role decorators
• Missing that @Roles() is custom, not built-in

3. Given this code snippet, what will happen when a user with role 'user' accesses the route?

@Roles('admin')
@Get('admin-data')
getAdminData() {
  return 'Secret admin data';
}

medium

A. The user will receive 'Secret admin data'

B. The user will get a 403 Forbidden error

C. The route will return undefined

D. The server will crash with an error

Solution

1. Step 1: Check the role required by the route

   The route requires 'admin' role via @Roles('admin').

2. Step 2: Compare with user's role

   User has role 'user', which does not match 'admin'.

3. Final Answer:

   The user will get a 403 Forbidden error -> Option B

4. Quick Check:

   Role mismatch causes 403 Forbidden [OK]

Hint: If user role ≠ required role, access denied [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming any role can access
• Thinking route returns undefined on denial
• Expecting server crash on role mismatch

4. Identify the error in this NestJS guard code for role checking:

canActivate(context: ExecutionContext): boolean {
  const request = context.switchToHttp().getRequest();
  const user = request.user;
  const roles = this.reflector.get('roles', context.getHandler());
  if (!roles) {
    return true;
  }
  return roles.includes(user.role);
}

medium

A. Missing async keyword on canActivate

B. Returning true when roles are not defined

C. Using getHandler() instead of getClass() for roles

D. Not checking if user exists before accessing user.role

Solution

1. Step 1: Review user role access

   The code accesses user.role without verifying if user is defined.

2. Step 2: Identify potential runtime error

   If user is undefined, accessing user.role causes an error.

3. Final Answer:

   Not checking if user exists before accessing user.role -> Option D

4. Quick Check:

   Always check user before role access [OK]

Hint: Check user object exists before role check [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Assuming user is always present
• Confusing getHandler() and getClass() usage
• Thinking async is required for synchronous guard

5. How can you combine role-based authorization with route-level guards to allow access only if the user has either 'admin' or 'manager' role in NestJS?

hard

A. Use @Roles('admin', 'manager') decorator and a RolesGuard that checks for any matching role

B. Use two separate @Roles decorators, one for 'admin' and one for 'manager', on the same route

C. Use @UseGuards(AdminGuard, ManagerGuard) without @Roles decorator

D. Check roles manually inside the controller method without decorators or guards

Solution

1. Step 1: Understand role decorator usage

   @Roles() accepts multiple roles to allow any of them access.

2. Step 2: Use a guard that checks if user role matches any allowed role

   The RolesGuard reads roles from metadata and checks if user role is included.

3. Final Answer:

   Use @Roles('admin', 'manager') decorator and a RolesGuard that checks for any matching role -> Option A

4. Quick Check:

   Multiple roles in @Roles() + guard = flexible access [OK]

Hint: Pass multiple roles in one @Roles() decorator [OK]

Common Mistakes:

• Using multiple @Roles decorators on one route
• Applying multiple guards instead of one flexible guard
• Skipping decorators and guards for manual checks