🔑 DAO Permissions: Role-Based Access
Learn how DAOs implement admin, moderator, and member roles
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0 / 5 completed🔐 Understanding DAO Permissions
Role-based access control (RBAC) is critical for DAO security. Without proper permissions, a single compromised wallet could drain the treasury or brick smart contracts. DAOs need hierarchical roles: Admins with full control, Moderators managing operations, Members voting on proposals, and Viewers with read-only access. Each role grants specific permissions encoded in smart contracts. Think of it as blockchain's version of operating system user privileges.
🎮 Interactive: Permission Checker
Select a role and an action to see if the role has permission. Understand how role hierarchies determine access rights in a DAO.
The Member role has sufficient permissions for this action. Role hierarchy: Viewer < Member < Moderator < Admin. Your role (Member) meets or exceeds the requirement (viewer).
- ✓Create proposals
- ✓Vote on proposals
- ✓Delegate voting power
- ✓View all data
🎯 Why RBAC Matters in DAOs
Grant minimum necessary permissions. Most members only need voting rights, not treasury access. If a member wallet is compromised, damage is limited to their voting power, not the entire DAO.
Moderators can manage day-to-day operations (validate proposals, moderate discussions) without requiring full admin privileges. Reduces bottlenecks while maintaining security boundaries.
Malicious actors who gain member access cannot directly drain treasury or modify contracts. They must first escalate privileges (requires admin approval) or exploit governance vulnerabilities.
On-chain role assignments create transparent history. You can prove who had what permissions at any block height. Critical for investigating security incidents or governance disputes.
🏗️ Core Permission Types
Highest risk. Includes token transfers, asset swaps, external protocol interactions. Usually requires Admin role + multi-sig approval. One mistake = lost funds. Example: Transferring 100 ETH to contributor address.
Critical security. Smart contract upgrades, parameter changes, emergency pauses. Bugs can brick the DAO. Requires Admin role, often time-locked. Example: Upgrading governance contract to fix vulnerability.
Operational control. Cancel malicious proposals, validate submissions, moderate discussions. Moderator role sufficient. Lower risk but requires trust. Example: Canceling spam proposal before voting starts.
Member baseline. Create proposals, vote, delegate. Standard Member role. No direct security risk—worst case is wasted proposal or misaligned vote. Example: Voting "Yes" on grant proposal.
💡 Key Insight
DAO permissions are not just access control—they're security architecture. Traditional companies use HR processes for access (hire → grant privileges → monitor → fire → revoke). DAOs do this on-chain with smart contracts. Role assignment is a transaction, permission checks are code execution, and revocation is permanent unless reversed by governance. This makes RBAC both more transparent (anyone can verify roles) and more rigid (can't just reset passwords—need governance vote to change critical roles). Understanding these trade-offs is essential for DAO designers.