How Directus Manages User Roles, Policies, and Access Permissions

Directus controls data access through three layered concepts: permissions (per collection and action), policies (bundled permission sets), and roles (assigned to users). A user without a role-attached access policy cannot use the Data Studio, even with valid login credentials. Every Directus instance includes two default policies — Administrator for full access and Public, which should be limited to read-only for unauthenticated visitors. Custom roles like a DataEntry team can be created by building a policy with specific collection permissions, attaching it to a role, and assigning that role to a user. Matching policy and role names is recommended for easier project management as access structures grow.