The security plugin includes an internal user database. Use this database in place of or in addition to an external authentication system such as LDAP or Active Directory.
Roles are the core way of controlling access to your cluster. Roles contain any combination of cluster-wide permissions, index-specific permissions, document- and field-level security, and tenants. Then you map users to these roles so that users gain those permissions.
Unless you need to create new [reserved or hidden users]({{site.url}}{{site.baseurl}}/security/access-control/api/#reserved-and-hidden-resources), we **highly** recommend using OpenSearch Dashboards or the REST API to create new users, roles, and role mappings. The `.yml` files are for initial setup, not ongoing use.
You can create users using OpenSearch Dashboards, `internal_users.yml`, or the REST API. When creating a user, you can map users to roles using `internal_users.yml` or the REST API, but that feature is not currently available in OpenSearch Dashboards.
### OpenSearch Dashboards
1. Choose **Security**, **Internal Users**, and **Create internal user**.
Just like users, you can create roles using OpenSearch Dashboards, `roles.yml`, or the REST API.
### OpenSearch Dashboards
1. Choose **Security**, **Roles**, and **Create role**.
1. Provide a name for the role.
1. Add permissions as desired.
For example, you might give a role no cluster permissions, `read` permissions to two indices, `unlimited` permissions to a third index, and read permissions to the `analysts` tenant.
`observability_full_access` | Grants full access to perform actions on Observability objects such as visualizations, notebooks, and operational panels.
`observability_read_access` | Grants permission to view Observability objects such as visualizations, notebooks, and operational panels, but not create, modify, or delete them.
`opensearch_dashboards_read_only` | A special role that prevents users from making changes to visualizations, dashboards, and other OpenSearch Dashboards objects. See `opensearch_security.readonly_mode.roles` in `opensearch_dashboards.yml`. Pair with the `opensearch_dashboards_user` role.
`opensearch_dashboards_user` | Grants permissions to use OpenSearch Dashboards: cluster-wide searches, index monitoring, and write to various OpenSearch Dashboards indices.
`logstash` | Grants permissions for Logstash to interact with the cluster: cluster-wide searches, cluster monitoring, and write to the various Logstash indices.
`manage_snapshots` | Grants permissions to manage snapshot repositories, take snapshots, and restore snapshots.
`readall` | Grants permissions for cluster-wide searches like `msearch` and search permissions for all indices.
`readall_and_monitor` | Same as `readall`, but with added cluster monitoring permissions.
`security_rest_api_access` | A special role that allows access to the REST API. See `plugins.security.restapi.roles_enabled` in `opensearch.yml` and [Access control for the API]({{site.url}}{{site.baseurl}}/security/access-control/api/#access-control-for-the-api).
`reports_read_access` | Grants permissions to generate on-demand reports, download existing reports, and view report definitions, but not to create report definitions.
`reports_instances_read_access` | Grants permissions to generate on-demand reports and download existing reports, but not to view or create report definitions.
`reports_full_access` | Grants full permissions to reports.
`asynchronous_search_full_access` | Grants full permissions to all asynchronous search actions.
`index_management_full_access` | Grants full permissions to all index management actions, including Index State Management (ISM), transforms, and rollups.
For more detailed summaries of the permissions for each role, reference their action groups against the descriptions in [Default action groups]({{site.url}}{{site.baseurl}}/security/access-control/default-action-groups/).