APIM 4.2: Fix For API Update Role Errors

by Kenji Nakamura 41 views

Hey everyone! Today, we're diving into a tricky issue in WSO2 API Manager 4.2 that can cause some headaches when dealing with Publisher Access Control, especially when case-sensitive role validation is enabled. Let's break down the problem, explore the scenarios, and see how to reproduce these errors.

Description of the Issue

The core problem revolves around inconsistent behavior when updating APIs in WSO2 APIM 4.2 with the -DcaseSensitiveRoleValidation=true property enabled. This property, as you might guess, makes role validation case-sensitive, which can lead to unexpected errors if roles aren't handled consistently. We'll look at two specific scenarios where this issue manifests itself.

Scenario 1: Admin Role Configuration

In the first scenario, the issue arises when a user with the admin role attempts to update an API. As highlighted in the WSO2 documentation, users with API-M Admin permissions or the admin role are treated differently. With -DcaseSensitiveRoleValidation=true enabled, attempting to update Publisher Access Control for such a user can trigger the following error:

[2025-07-29 15:30:01,857] ERROR - ApisApiServiceImpl Error while updating the API : 282dfd56-d921-43da-9331-9f73f903f809 - Invalid user roles found
org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.api.APIManagementException: Invalid user roles found
    at org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.common.mappings.PublisherCommonUtils.prepareForUpdateApi(PublisherCommonUtils.java:381) ~[org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.common_9.28.116.345.jar:?]
    at org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.common.mappings.PublisherCommonUtils.updateApi(PublisherCommonUtils.java:183) ~[org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.common_9.28.116.345.jar:?]
    at org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.impl.ApisApiServiceImpl.updateAPI(ApisApiServiceImpl.java:676) ~[?:?]
    at org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.ApisApi.updateAPI(ApisApi.java:1511) ~[?:?]
    at jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke0(Native Method) ~[?:?]
    at jdk.internal.reflect.NativeMethodAccessorImpl.invoke(NativeMethodAccessorImpl.java:62) ~[?:?]

This error indicates that the role validation process is failing, leading to the update being blocked. The case-sensitive nature of the validation, when combined with the special handling of admin roles, seems to be the culprit here.

To reproduce this issue, follow these steps:

  1. Download the APIM 4.2 pack.
  2. Add -DcaseSensitiveRoleValidation=true to the startup script and start the server. This crucial step enables the case-sensitive role validation.
  3. Create a creator user with both the admin role and a custom role like newrolesimple. This setup mimics a common scenario where an administrator also has specific role-based access.
  4. Attempt to add the newrolesimple role to the API as per the documentation [2] and save the API. This action should trigger the error, demonstrating the inconsistent role handling.

Scenario 2: Roles with Capital Letters

The second scenario involves roles that contain capital letters. It has been observed that when you try to edit an API with a Publisher Access Control role that has a capital letter, you might encounter an error trace. This happens because the case-sensitive validation doesn't correctly identify the role, even if it's technically assigned to the user.

The error trace you'll likely see is:

[2025-07-29 16:30:08,085] ERROR - ApisApiServiceImpl Error while updating the API : 282dfd56-d921-43da-9331-9f73f903f809 - This user does not have at least one role specified in API access control.
org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.api.APIManagementException: This user does not have at least one role specified in API access control.
    at org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.common.mappings.PublisherCommonUtils.prepareForUpdateApi(PublisherCommonUtils.java:381) ~[org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.common_9.28.116.345.jar:?]
    at org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.common.mappings.PublisherCommonUtils.updateApi(PublisherCommonUtils.java:183) ~[org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.common_9.28.116.345.jar:?]
    at org.wso2.carbon.apimgt.rest.api.publisher.v1.impl.ApisApiServiceImpl.updateAPI(ApisApiServiceImpl.java:676) ~[?:?]

The error message "This user does not have at least one role specified in API access control" is misleading because the user does have the role, but the case sensitivity is causing a mismatch. This can lead to confusion and prevent legitimate updates to the API.

To reproduce this, you can follow these steps:

  1. Download the APIM 4.2 pack.
  2. Add -DcaseSensitiveRoleValidation=true to the startup script and start the server. Again, this is key to triggering the issue.
  3. Create a creator user with a role containing capital letters, for example, NewRoleCapital. This will be the role that causes the problem.
  4. Add the NewRoleCapital role to the API as per the documentation [2] and save the API. This step associates the problematic role with the API.
  5. Then, try to edit the API (for example, the Business Information page) and save it again. This action should trigger the error, demonstrating the case-sensitivity issue.

Steps to Reproduce

To summarize, here are the steps to reproduce both scenarios:

Scenario 1: Admin Role Issue

  1. Download the APIM 4.2 pack.
  2. Add -DcaseSensitiveRoleValidation=true to the startup script and start the server.
  3. Create a creator user with the admin role and a custom role (e.g., newrolesimple).
  4. Attempt to add the custom role to the API and save it.

Scenario 2: Capital Letter Role Issue

  1. Download the APIM 4.2 pack.
  2. Add -DcaseSensitiveRoleValidation=true to the startup script and start the server.
  3. Create a creator user with a role containing capital letters (e.g., NewRoleCapital).
  4. Add the capital letter role to the API and save it.
  5. Edit the API (e.g., the Business Information page) and save it again.

Version

This issue has been observed in version 4.2 of WSO2 API Manager.

Environment Details

No response provided in the original issue.

Impact and Mitigation

These inconsistencies in role handling can significantly impact API management workflows. The errors can prevent administrators and developers from updating APIs, leading to delays and potential disruptions. The misleading error messages can also make troubleshooting difficult.

Mitigation strategies might include:

  • Ensuring consistent casing for roles across the system.
  • Avoiding the use of capital letters in roles when -DcaseSensitiveRoleValidation=true is enabled.
  • Carefully reviewing and testing role-based access control configurations.

Ultimately, a fix from WSO2 is needed to address the underlying issue of inconsistent role handling when case-sensitive validation is enabled.

Conclusion

So there you have it, folks! We've explored the inconsistent Publisher Access Control role handling in WSO2 APIM 4.2 when case-sensitive role validation is turned on. We've seen how this issue can manifest in different scenarios, particularly with admin roles and roles containing capital letters. Hopefully, this deep dive will help you understand the problem, reproduce it if necessary, and implement some mitigation strategies. Stay tuned for updates and potential fixes from WSO2!