How to implement role based google authentication using Firebase

Question

I am developing a platform using Vite + React, Firebase Authentication where users (teachers and students) sign in using Google authentication. I need to implement role-based access control (RBAC) to differentiate between:

Teachers, who have administrative privileges. Students, who have restricted access. Admin, who have some more privileges and keep a check on website

What I Need Help With:

1. How to assign roles (Teacher/Student) when a user logs in via Google?
2. How to implement it in code or just a basic idea of it?

Answer 1

As Firebase Authentication does not natively support roles, you need to store user roles separately. The best approach is to use Firestore or Realtime Database to manage user roles.

• Maintain a users collection in Firestore with each user's uid, email, and role.
• Fetch the user’s role from Firestore when they log in and store it in the app state.
• Use a route guard (a wrapper component) to allow access based on roles.
• Create an admin panel where an admin can update user roles.

Check this documentation for more information.