---
layout: default
title: Document-level security
parent: Access control
nav_order: 10
---

# Document-level security (DLS)

Document-level security lets you restrict a role to a subset of documents in an index. The easiest way to get started with document- and field-level security is open OpenSearch Dashboards and choose **Security**. Then choose **Roles**, create a new role, and review the **Index permissions** section.

![Document- and field-level security screen in OpenSearch Dashboards]({{site.url}}{{site.baseurl}}/images/security-dls.png)


## Simple roles

Document-level security uses the OpenSearch query DSL to define which documents a role grants access to. In OpenSearch Dashboards, choose an index pattern and provide a query in the **Document level security** section:

```json
{
  "bool": {
    "must": {
      "match": {
        "genres": "Comedy"
      }
    }
  }
}
```

This query specifies that for the role to have access to a document, its `genres` field must include `Comedy`.

A typical request to the `_search` API includes `{ "query": { ... } }` around the query, but in this case, you only need to specify the query itself.

In the REST API, you provide the query as a string, so you must escape your quotes. This role allows a user to read any document in any index with the field `public` set to `true`:

```json
PUT _plugins/_security/api/roles/public_data
{
  "cluster_permissions": [
    "*"
  ],
  "index_permissions": [{
    "index_patterns": [
      "pub*"
    ],
    "dls": "{\"term\": { \"public\": true}}",
    "allowed_actions": [
      "read"
    ]
  }]
}
```

These queries can be as complex as you want, but we recommend keeping them simple to minimize the performance impact that the document-level security feature has on the cluster.
{: .warning }


## Parameter substitution

A number of variables exist that you can use to enforce rules based on the properties of a user. For example, `${user.name}` is replaced with the name of the current user.

This rule allows a user to read any document where the username is a value of the `readable_by` field:

```json
PUT _plugins/_security/api/roles/user_data
{
  "cluster_permissions": [
    "*"
  ],
  "index_permissions": [{
    "index_patterns": [
      "pub*"
    ],
    "dls": "{\"term\": { \"readable_by\": \"${user.name}\"}}",
    "allowed_actions": [
      "read"
    ]
  }]
}
```

This table lists substitutions.

Term | Replaced with
:--- | :---
`${user.name}` | Username.
`${user.roles}` | A comma-separated, quoted list of user roles.
`${attr.<TYPE>.<NAME>}` | An attribute with name `<NAME>` defined for a user. `<TYPE>` is `internal`, `jwt`, `proxy` or `ldap`


## Attribute-based security

You can use roles and parameter substitution with the `terms_set` query to enable attribute-based security.

> Note that the `security_attributes` of the index need to be of type `keyword`.

#### User definition

```json
PUT _plugins/_security/api/internalusers/user1
{
  "password": "asdf",
  "backend_roles": ["abac"],
  "attributes": {
    "permissions": "\"att1\", \"att2\", \"att3\""
  }
}
```

#### Role definition

```json
PUT _plugins/_security/api/roles/abac
{
  "index_permissions": [{
    "index_patterns": [
      "*"
    ],
    "dls": "{\"terms_set\": {\"security_attributes\": {\"terms\": [${attr.internal.permissions}], \"minimum_should_match_script\": {\"source\": \"doc['security_attributes'].length\"}}}}",
    "allowed_actions": [
      "read"
    ]
  }]
}
```
## Use term-level lookup queries (TLQs) with DLS 

You can perform term-level lookup queries (TLQs) with document-level security (DLS) using either of two modes: adaptive or filter level. The default mode is adaptive, where OpenSearch automatically switches between Lucene-level or filter-level mode depending on whether or not there is a TLQ. DLS queries without TLQs are executed in Lucene-level mode, whereas DLS queries with TLQs are executed in filter-level mode.

By default, the security plugin detects if a DLS query contains a TLQ or not and chooses the appropriate mode automatically at runtime.

To learn more about OpenSearch queries, see [Term-level queries](https://opensearch.org/docs/latest/opensearch/query-dsl/term/).

### How to set the DLS evaluation mode in `opensearch.yml`

By default, the DLS evaluation mode is set to `adaptive`. You can also explicitly set the mode in `opensearch.yml` with the `plugins.security.dls.mode` setting. Add a line to `opensearch.yml` with the desired evaluation mode. 
For example, to set it to filter level, add this line:
```
plugins.security.dls.mode: filter-level
```

#### DLS evaluation modes

| Evaluation mode | Parameter | Description | Usage |
:--- | :--- | :--- | :--- |
Lucene-level DLS | `lucene-level` | This setting makes all DLS queries apply to the Lucene level. | Lucene-level DLS modifies Lucene queries and data structures directly. This is the most efficient mode but does not allow certain advanced constructs in DLS queries, including TLQs.
Filter-level DLS | `filter-level` | This setting makes all DLS queries apply to the filter level. | In this mode, OpenSearch applies DLS by modifying queries that OpenSearch receives. This allows for term-level lookup queries in DLS queries, but you can only use the `get`, `search`, `mget`, and `msearch` operations to retrieve data from the protected index. Additionally, cross-cluster searches are limited with this mode.
Adaptive | `adaptive-level` | The default setting that allows OpenSearch to automatically choose the mode. | DLS queries without TLQs are executed in Lucene-level mode, while DLS queries that contain TLQ are executed in filter- level mode.
