Django permissions, code ourselves or use app?

Question

This question is (I think) about object/row level permissions in Django.

We are building a community and need to be able to set permissions based on actions that users take. For example, you should not be able to start a thread until you have posted so and so many answers.

Also, the users should be able to remove content that belongs to themselves. Based on the Django documentation, it seems like the standard framework does not support permissions for instances.

Should we build on the "empty" API that Django supplies, or should we use an app for this like django-guardian, django-rules, etc? Which ones would you in that case recommend?

Thank you!

Answer 1

you should not be able to start a thread until you have posted so and so many answers.

You don't need to use per-object permissions for that. Actually, you don't need to use permissions for that at all. Just check if user meets the requirements in your views.

Or you can use standard django permissions engine. Create permissions like "Start a Thread", then set up signals to track when users add answers. When singal is emitted check if a user has enough answers and grant him the "Start a Thread" permission.

It's up to you to decide which one works better for you.

Also, the users should be able to remove content that belongs to themselves.

This can be done with per-object permissions. But if it's the only reason to use them then I'd just add a field author to your models and use a simple item.author == request.user check to test if user can delete the item.

So, my general advice is to keep it simple. Analyze your needs. Per-object permissions is a powerful tool which may be an overkill in your situation.