Create role

Create a new role to group related permissions for easier management. Roles enable consistent permission assignment across multiple API keys. Permission slugs supplied in permissions are attached during creation. Missing permissions are created automatically.

Important: Role names must be unique within the workspace. Once created, roles are immediately available for assignment.

Required Permissions

Your root key must always have:

rbac.*.create_role

When permissions is not empty, it must also have:

rbac.*.add_permission_to_role

When any requested permission slug does not exist, it must also have:

rbac.*.create_permission

1 min read

post/v2/permissions.createRole

Request example

package main

import(
	"context"
	"os"
	unkey "github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2"
	"github.com/unkeyed/sdks/api/go/v2/models/components"
	"log"
)

func main() {
    ctx := context.Background()

    s := unkey.New(
        unkey.WithSecurity(os.Getenv("UNKEY_ROOT_KEY")),
    )

    res, err := s.Permissions.CreateRole(ctx, components.V2PermissionsCreateRoleRequestBody{
        Name: "content.editor",
        Description: unkey.Pointer("Can read and write content"),
    })
    if err != nil {
        log.Fatal(err)
    }
    if res.V2PermissionsCreateRoleResponseBody != nil {
        // handle response
    }
}

Response

{
  "meta": {
    "requestId": "req_123"
  },
  "data": {
    "roleId": "role_1234567890abcdef"
  }
}

post/v2/permissions.createRole

Authorization

Authorizationstringheaderrequired#

Unkey uses bearer tokens for authentication. Public integrations use root keys, while the dashboard proxy uses short-lived JWTs.
To authenticate, include the token in the Authorization header of each request:

Authorization: Bearer unkey_123

Root keys have specific permissions attached to them, controlling what operations they can perform. Legacy permissions use tuple strings like api.*.create_key; resource permissions use Unkey Resource Names plus actions, like unkey:v1:ws_123:keyspaces/*#create_key.
Security best practices:

Keep root keys secure and never expose them in client-side code
Use different root keys for different environments
Rotate keys periodically, especially after team member departures
Create keys with minimal necessary permissions following least privilege principle
Monitor key usage with audit logs.

Body

application/json

namestringrequired#

The unique name for this role. Must be unique within your workspace and clearly indicate the role's purpose. Use descriptive names like 'admin', 'editor', or 'Billing Manager'.

Examples: 'admin.billing', 'support.readonly', 'developer.api', 'Billing Manager'

Length: 1–128

descriptionstring#

Provides comprehensive documentation of what this role encompasses and what access it grants.
Include information about the intended use case, what permissions should be assigned, and any important considerations.
This internal documentation helps team members understand role boundaries and security implications.
Not visible to end users - designed for administration teams and access control audits.

Consider documenting:

The role's intended purpose and scope
What types of users should receive this role
What permissions are typically associated with it
Any security considerations or limitations
Related roles that might be used together

Length: max 512

permissionsstring[]#

Permission slugs to attach to the role. Existing permissions are reused. Missing permissions are created automatically when the root key has rbac.*.create_permission.

Omit this field or provide an empty array to create the role without permissions.

Responses

application/json

Role created successfully

metaobjectrequired#

Metadata object included in every API response. This provides context about the request and is essential for debugging, audit trails, and support inquiries. The requestId is particularly important when troubleshooting issues with the Unkey support team.

Show child attributes

requestIdstringrequired#

A unique id for this request. Always include this ID when contacting support about a specific API request. This identifier allows Unkey's support team to trace the exact request through logs and diagnostic systems to provide faster assistance.

dataobjectrequired#

Show child attributes

roleIdstringrequired#

The unique identifier assigned to the newly created role.
Use this ID to reference the role in permission assignments, key operations, and role management calls.
Always begins with 'role_' followed by a unique alphanumeric sequence.
Store this ID if you need to manage, modify, or assign this role in future operations.

Length: 3–255Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$

metaobjectrequired#

Show child attributes

requestIdstringrequired#

errorobjectrequired#

Base error structure following Problem Details for HTTP APIs (RFC 7807). This provides a standardized way to carry machine-readable details of errors in HTTP response content.

Show child attributes

detailstringrequired#

A human-readable explanation specific to this occurrence of the problem. This provides detailed information about what went wrong and potential remediation steps. The message is intended to be helpful for developers troubleshooting the issue.

statusintegerrequired#

HTTP status code that corresponds to this error. This will match the status code in the HTTP response. Common codes include 400 (Bad Request), 401 (Unauthorized), 403 (Forbidden), 404 (Not Found), 409 (Conflict), and 500 (Internal Server Error).

titlestringrequired#

A short, human-readable summary of the problem type. This remains constant from occurrence to occurrence of the same problem and should be used for programmatic handling.

typestringrequired#

A URI reference that identifies the problem type. This provides a stable identifier for the error that can be used for documentation lookups and programmatic error handling. When followed, this URI should provide human-readable documentation for the problem type.

errorsobject[]required#

List of individual validation errors that occurred in the request. Each error provides specific details about what failed validation, where the error occurred in the request, and suggestions for fixing it. This granular information helps developers quickly identify and resolve multiple issues in a single request without having to make repeated API calls.

Show child attributes

locationstringrequired#

JSON path indicating exactly where in the request the error occurred. This helps pinpoint the problematic field or parameter. Examples include:

'body.name' (field in request body)
'body.items[3].tags' (nested array element)
'path.apiId' (path parameter)
'query.limit' (query parameter)
Use this location to identify exactly which part of your request needs correction.

messagestringrequired#

Detailed error message explaining what validation rule was violated. This provides specific information about why the field or parameter was rejected, such as format errors, invalid values, or constraint violations.

fixstring#

A human-readable suggestion describing how to fix the error. This provides practical guidance on what changes would satisfy the validation requirements. Not all validation errors include fix suggestions, but when present, they offer specific remediation advice.

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