Setting up roles and permissions in Docker

Table of contents

With the right configurations, you can ensure your developers have easy access to necessary resources while preventing unauthorized access. This page guides you through identifying Docker users, so you can allocate subscription seats efficiently within your Docker organization, and assigning roles to align with your organization's structure.

Step 1: Identify your Docker users and accounts

Before setting up roles and permissions, it’s important to have a clear understanding of who in your organization requires Docker access. Focus on gathering a comprehensive view of active users, their roles within projects, and how they interact with Docker resources. This process can be supported by tools like device management software or manual assessments. Encourage all users to update their Docker accounts to use organizational email addresses, ensuring seamless integration with your subscription.

For steps on how you can do this, see step 1 of onboarding your organization.

Step 2: Assign roles strategically

When you invite members to join you Docker organization, you assign them a role.

Docker’s predefined roles offer flexibility for various organizational needs. Assigning roles effectively ensures a balance of accessibility and security.

  • Member: Non-administrative role. Members can view other members that are in the same organization.
  • Editor: Partial administrative access to the organization. Editors can create, edit, and delete repositories. They can also edit an existing team's access permissions.
  • Organization owner: Full organization administrative access. Organization owners can manage organization repositories, teams, members, settings, and billing.
  • Company owner: In addition to the permissions of an organization owner, company owners can configure settings for their associated organizations.

For more information, see Roles and permissions.

Enhancing with teams

Teams in Docker provide a structured way to manage member access and they provide an additional level of permissions. They simplify permission management and enable consistent application of policies.

  • Organize users into teams aligned with projects, departments, or functional roles. This approach helps streamline resource allocation and ensures clarity in access control.

  • Assign permissions at the team level rather than individually. For instance, a development team might have "Read & Write" access to certain repositories, while a QA team has "Read-only" access.

  • As teams grow or responsibilities shift, you can easily update permissions or add new members, maintaining consistency without reconfiguring individual settings.

For more information, see Create and manage a team.

Example scenarios

  • Development teams: Assign the member role to developers, granting access to the repositories needed for coding and testing.

  • Team leads: Assign the editor role to team leads for resource management and repository control within their teams.

  • Organizational oversight: Restrict the organization owner or company owner roles to a select few trusted individuals responsible for billing and security settings.

Best practices

  • Apply the principle of least privilege. Assign users only the minimum permissions necessary for their roles.

  • Plan to conduct regulars reviews of role assignments to ensure they align with evolving team structures and organizational responsibilities.

Onboarding and managing roles and permissions in Docker »