Roles & Permissions
Understand user roles and permissions in organizations and workspaces to control who can view, edit, and manage your API projects.
RESTK uses role-based permissions to control what users can do in organizations and workspaces. Roles define who can view, edit, create, and delete content.
Quick Start
Understand Your Role
Check your role in an organization or workspace to know what you can do.
Invite Team Members
Add people to your organization or workspace with appropriate roles.
Assign Roles
Give team members the right level of access based on their needs.
Manage Permissions
Update roles as your team's needs change.
Organization Roles
Organization roles control what you can do at the organization level — managing members, creating workspaces, and organization settings.
Owner
Full control over the organization.
Can do:
- Everything an Admin can do
- Transfer ownership to another member
- Delete the organization
Cannot:
- Remove themselves (must transfer ownership first)
Only One Owner
Each organization has exactly one Owner. To change ownership, the current Owner must transfer it to another member.
Admin
Manage the organization and its members.
Can do:
- Everything a Member can do
- View the member list
- Invite new members to the organization
- Remove members from the organization
- Change member roles (except Owner)
- Update organization settings
- Create and delete workspaces
Cannot:
- Transfer ownership
- Delete the organization
Member
Standard organization membership.
Can do:
- View the organization
- Create personal workspaces
- Join workspaces they're invited to
Cannot:
- View the member list
- Invite or remove members
- Change member roles
- Update organization settings
- Delete workspaces created by others
Member List Access
Only Owners and Admins can view the organization member list. Members cannot see who else is in the organization.
Workspace Roles
Workspace roles control what you can do within a specific workspace — managing content, team members, and workspace settings.
Owner
Full control over the workspace.
Can do:
- Everything a Manager can do
- Delete the workspace
- Transfer workspace ownership
Cannot:
- Remove themselves (must transfer ownership first)
Manager
Manage workspace content and team.
Can do:
- Everything an Editor can do
- Delete collections, folders, and requests
- Invite members to the workspace
- Remove members from the workspace
- Change member roles (except Owner)
- Edit workspace settings
Cannot:
- Delete the workspace
- Transfer ownership
Editor
Create and edit workspace content.
Can do:
- View all collections, folders, and requests
- Execute requests
- Create new collections, folders, and requests
- Edit any collection, folder, or request
- Manage environments and variables
- Export collections
Cannot:
- Delete collections, folders, or requests
- Invite or remove workspace members
- Change member roles
- Edit workspace settings
Editors Cannot Delete
Editors can create and edit content but cannot delete it. Only Managers and Owners can delete collections, folders, and requests.
Viewer
Read-only access to workspace content.
Can do:
- View all collections, folders, and requests
- Execute requests (send and see responses)
- View environments and variables
- View history
Cannot:
- Create new collections, folders, or requests
- Edit any content
- Delete anything
- Save changes to requests
- Invite members or change roles
Viewers Can Execute
Viewers can send requests and see responses, making this role perfect for team members who need to test APIs but shouldn't modify configurations.
Permission Matrix
Organization Permissions
| Action | Owner | Admin | Member |
|---|---|---|---|
| View organization | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| View member list | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Create workspace | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Delete workspace | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Invite members | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Remove members | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Change member roles | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Update org settings | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Transfer ownership | ✓ | - | - |
| Delete organization | ✓ | - | - |
Workspace Permissions
| Action | Owner | Manager | Editor | Viewer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| View content | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Execute requests | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Create collection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Edit collection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Delete collection | ✓ | ✓ | - | - |
| Create folder | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Edit folder | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Delete folder | ✓ | ✓ | - | - |
| Create request | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Edit request | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Delete request | ✓ | ✓ | - | - |
| Export collections | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Import collections | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | - |
| Manage members | ✓ | ✓ | - | - |
| Invite members | ✓ | ✓ | - | - |
| Change roles | ✓ | ✓ | - | - |
| Edit workspace settings | ✓ | ✓ | - | - |
| Delete workspace | ✓ | - | - | - |
Inviting Team Members
To an Organization
Open Organization Settings
Navigate to your organization settings.
Click Invite
Click Invite Member button.
Enter Email
Enter the email address of the person you want to invite.
Assign Role
Choose their role: Member or Admin.
Send Invitation
Click Send. They'll receive an email with an invitation link.
Admin or Owner Required
Only Admins and Owners can invite people to an organization.
To a Workspace
Open Workspace Settings
Go to the workspace settings.
Click Invite
Click Invite Member to the workspace.
Enter Email
Enter their email address.
Assign Role
Choose: Viewer, Editor, or Manager.
Send Invitation
They'll receive an email invitation.
Manager or Owner Required
Only Managers and Owners can invite people to a workspace.
Changing Roles
Changing Organization Roles
Open Members List
Go to organization settings → Members.
Select Member
Find the member whose role you want to change.
Change Role
Click the role dropdown and select the new role.
Confirm
Confirm the change. The new role takes effect immediately.
Restrictions:
- Only Admins and Owners can change roles
- Cannot change the Owner's role (use Transfer Ownership instead)
- Cannot change your own role
Changing Workspace Roles
Follow the same steps in workspace settings.
Restrictions:
- Only Managers and Owners can change roles
- Cannot change the Owner's role
- Cannot demote yourself
Transferring Ownership
Organization Ownership
Open Organization Settings
Go to organization settings as the current Owner.
Click Transfer Ownership
Find the Transfer Ownership option.
Select New Owner
Choose an existing member to become the new Owner.
Confirm Transfer
Confirm the transfer. This action cannot be undone.
What happens:
- Selected member becomes Owner
- You become an Admin
- New Owner has full control
Cannot Be Undone
Ownership transfer is permanent. The new Owner must transfer it back to you if needed.
Workspace Ownership
Same process, but in workspace settings.
Removing Members
From an Organization
Open Members List
Go to organization settings → Members.
Select Member
Find the member you want to remove.
Click Remove
Click Remove Member.
Confirm
Confirm the removal. They lose access immediately.
What happens:
- Member loses access to the organization
- Member loses access to all organization workspaces
- Content they created remains in the organization
Who can remove:
- Admins and Owners can remove Members and Admins
- Only the Owner can remove themselves (by deleting the organization or transferring ownership first)
From a Workspace
Same process, but in workspace settings.
Who can remove:
- Managers and Owners can remove Viewers, Editors, and Managers
- Only the Owner can remove themselves
Personal vs Organization Workspaces
Personal Workspaces
Ownership:
- You are the sole Owner
- Cannot invite others
- Full control
Use when:
- Working alone
- Experimenting with APIs
- Personal projects
Organization Workspaces
Ownership:
- Organization owns the workspace
- Multiple members with different roles
- Collaborative
Use when:
- Working with a team
- Sharing API collections
- Production environments
- Team collaboration needed
Role-Based UI
The interface adapts based on your role.
Viewers See
- Read-only indicators on collections, folders, and requests
- No Create buttons (grayed out or hidden)
- No Delete options in menus
- Disabled Save button on requests
Editors See
- Full editing interface
- Create buttons for new content
- Active Save button
- No Delete options in context menus
- No member management options
Managers/Owners Also See
- Delete options in context menus
- Member management options
- Workspace settings
- Invite buttons
- Role management
Best Practices
- Start with Viewer - Give new team members Viewer access first, upgrade later as needed
- Use Editor for Most - Most team members should be Editors for day-to-day work
- Limit Managers - Only make trusted team members Managers who need member management and delete access
- One Owner Per Workspace - Keep ownership clear to avoid confusion
- Review Roles Regularly - Check member roles quarterly to ensure they're still appropriate
- Communicate Changes - Let team members know when their roles change
Troubleshooting
Cannot Edit Content
Cause: You're a Viewer
Solution: Ask a Manager or Owner to upgrade your role to Editor
Cannot Delete Content
Cause: You're an Editor (Editors can create and edit but not delete)
Solution: Ask a Manager or Owner to delete the item, or request a role upgrade to Manager
Cannot Invite Members
Cause: You're a Member (in organization) or Editor (in workspace)
Solution: Ask an Admin/Owner or Manager/Owner to invite them for you
Cannot See Workspace
Cause: You haven't been invited to the workspace
Solution: Ask a workspace Manager or Owner to send you an invitation
Save Button Grayed Out
Cause: You're a Viewer
Solution: Request Editor role if you need to make changes