Error

Error Code: 49

MongoDB Error 49: Invalid Role Update Attempt

📦 MongoDB

📋

Description

Error 49, 'Invalid Role Modification', indicates that an attempt to change or update a user role within MongoDB failed because the requested modification was not permitted. This typically occurs when a user lacks the necessary administrative privileges or tries to alter immutable system roles.

💬

Error Message

Invalid Role Modification

🔍

Known Causes

4 known causes

⚠️

Insufficient User Privileges

The authenticated user attempting to modify a role does not possess the required administrative permissions to perform such an operation.

⚠️

Modifying Built-in Roles

An attempt was made to alter the definition or permissions of a system-defined, immutable built-in role, which is not allowed.

⚠️

Invalid Role Definition Syntax

The JSON document or command used to define or update the role contained syntactical errors or unrecognized fields, making the modification request invalid.

⚠️

Role Inheritance Conflict

The modification involved granting a non-existent role or introduced a circular dependency in the role inheritance hierarchy.

🛠️

Solutions

3 solutions available

1. Verify Role Name and Existence easy

Ensure the role name you are trying to modify or create exists and is spelled correctly.

Connect to your MongoDB instance using the `mongosh` shell.

mongosh

Switch to the database where the role is defined (or where you intend to create it). Replace `yourDatabaseName` with the actual database name.

use yourDatabaseName

List all existing roles to verify the correct name. If the role doesn't exist, you'll need to create it first.

db.getRoles({ showBuiltinRoles: false, showSystemRoles: false })

If the role name is incorrect, correct it in your `grantRolesToUser`, `updateRole`, or `createRole` command.

// Example: Correcting a role name in grantRolesToUser
db.grantRolesToUser("user", [ { role: "correctRoleName", db: "yourDatabaseName" } ])

If the role does not exist, create it using `db.createRole()` before attempting to grant or modify it.

db.createRole({ role: "newRoleName", privileges: [ { resource: { db: "yourDatabaseName", collection: "yourCollection" }, actions: ["find"] } ], roles: [] })

2. Check for Invalid Privilege Definitions medium

Incorrectly defined privileges within a role can cause this error. Review and correct them.

Connect to your MongoDB instance using the `mongosh` shell.

mongosh

Switch to the database where the role is defined.

use yourDatabaseName

Retrieve the definition of the role you are trying to modify or the role that is causing issues.

db.getRole("yourRoleName@yourDatabaseName")

Carefully examine the `privileges` array within the role definition. Ensure that each privilege object has valid `resource` and `actions` fields.

/* Example of a valid privilege object */
{ 
  resource: { db: "yourDatabaseName", collection: "yourCollection" }, 
  actions: [ "find", "insert" ] 
}

Verify that the `resource.db` and `resource.collection` (if specified) are correct. Ensure that the `actions` array contains valid MongoDB privilege actions (e.g., `find`, `insert`, `update`, `remove`, `createIndex`, `dropIndex`, `listIndexes`, `dbAdmin`, `userAdmin`, etc.).

/* Common mistake: incorrect action */
// Instead of: { actions: ["read"] } 
// Use: { actions: ["find"] } or { actions: ["readAnyDatabase"] } etc.

If you are creating or updating a role, reconstruct the `createRole` or `updateRole` command with corrected privilege definitions.

// Example of corrected updateRole command
db.updateRole("yourRoleName@yourDatabaseName", { privileges: [ { resource: { db: "yourDatabaseName", collection: "correctCollection" }, actions: ["find"] } ] })

3. Address Role Inheritance Conflicts advanced

Issues with inherited roles or circular role dependencies can lead to invalid role updates.

Connect to your MongoDB instance using the `mongosh` shell.

mongosh

Switch to the database where the role is defined.

use yourDatabaseName

Inspect the `roles` array within the role definition you are trying to modify. This array specifies the roles that are inherited by the current role.

db.getRole("yourRoleName@yourDatabaseName")

For each inherited role, verify its existence and correctness using `db.getRole()` as shown in Solution 1. Ensure there are no typos or incorrect database specifications for inherited roles.

// Example: checking an inherited role
db.getRole("inheritedRoleName@inheritedDatabaseName")

Check for circular dependencies. A role should not directly or indirectly inherit from itself. For example, Role A inherits from Role B, and Role B inherits from Role A. This can be a complex check for deeply nested role structures. If detected, restructure the role hierarchy.

/* Manual inspection or scripting might be required to detect circular dependencies. */
/* If Role A inherits Role B, ensure Role B does not inherit Role A. */

If you find an invalid inherited role or a circular dependency, remove it from the `roles` array in your `updateRole` command.

// Example: Removing an invalid inherited role
db.updateRole("yourRoleName@yourDatabaseName", { roles: [ { role: "validInheritedRole", db: "yourDatabaseName" } ] })

🔗

Related Errors

5 related errors