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Get role

Retrieve details about a specific role including its assigned permissions.

Required Permissions

Your root key must have the following permission:

  • rbac.*.read_role
1 min read
post/v2/permissions.getRole
Request example
Response
post/v2/permissions.getRole

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:

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
rolestringrequired#

Unique identifier of the role to permanently delete from your workspace.
Must either be a valid role ID that begins with 'role_' or the given role name and exists within your workspace.

Use this endpoint to verify role details, check its current permissions, or retrieve metadata.
Returns complete role information including all assigned permissions for comprehensive access review.

Length: 1–128

Responses

application/json
Role retrieved 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
idstringrequired#

The unique identifier for this role within Unkey's system.
Generated automatically when the role is created and used to reference this role in API operations.
Always begins with 'role_' followed by alphanumeric characters and underscores.

namestringrequired#

The human-readable name for this role that describes its function.
Should be descriptive enough for administrators to understand what access this role provides.
Use clear, semantic names that reflect the job function or responsibility level.
Names must be unique within your workspace to avoid confusion during role assignment.

descriptionstring#

Optional detailed explanation of what this role encompasses and what access it provides.
Helps team members understand the role's scope, intended use cases, and security implications.
Include information about what types of users should receive this role and what they can accomplish.
Not visible to end users - this is for internal documentation and access control audits.

permissionsobject[]#

Complete list of permissions currently assigned to this role.
Each permission grants specific access rights that will be inherited by any keys or users assigned this role.
Use this list to understand the full scope of access provided by this role.
Permissions can be added or removed from roles without affecting the role's identity or other properties.
Empty array indicates a role with no permissions currently assigned.

Items: max 100

Show child attributes
idstringrequired#

The unique identifier for this permission within Unkey's system.
Generated automatically when the permission is created and used to reference this permission in API operations.
Always begins with 'perm_' followed by alphanumeric characters and underscores.

Length: 3–255Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_]+$

namestringrequired#

The human-readable name for this permission that describes its purpose.
Should be descriptive enough for developers to understand what access it grants.
Use clear, semantic names that reflect the resources or actions being permitted.
Names must be unique within your workspace to avoid confusion and conflicts.

Length: 1–512

slugstringrequired#
The unique URL-safe identifier for this permission.

Length: 1–512Pattern: ^[a-zA-Z0-9_:\-\.\*]+$

descriptionstring#

Optional detailed explanation of what this permission grants access to.
Helps team members understand the scope and implications of granting this permission.
Include information about what resources can be accessed and what actions can be performed.
Not visible to end users - this is for internal documentation and team clarity.

Length: max 512