33 Fixed Variables and Context Objects

This chapter introduces the core variables and context objects available within Oracle Backend for Firebase security rule expressions. These are the building blocks for writing dynamic, data-aware access policies that respond to both the incoming request and the stored resource.

• Request Context
  
• Resource Context
  
• Additional Fixed Variables
  
• Example Usage
  

33.1 Request Context

Authentication context describes application user details The request object represents the incoming client request. It contains metadata about the user, the operation being performed, and the data being submitted.

request.auth

request.auth describes the authenticated user making the request. Available fields include:

Field	Description
user_id	Unique id assigned by Oracle Backend for Firebase Authentication service
user_displayName	Users display name in format <FirstName> <LastName>
sub	Subject identifier (same as user's email address using which user registered to the application)
iat	Token issued timestamp
eat	Token expiry timestamp
uid	Same as user_id.
email	Email address
email_verified	Indicates whether the user's email address is verified "true"/"false"
scope	Access scope (scope as defined by Oracle Backend for Firebase Service)
query	limit: Number of documents queried by the client <Number>
token	email: User's email address via which user registered to the application email_verified: Indicates whether the user's email address is verified "true"/"false" name: Users display name in format <FirstName> <LastName>
time	Time stamp will be in ISO 8601 UTC format.
path	Collection or document path in string format "/user/user123/recipes"
path_arr	Collection or document path in array format eg: ["user","user123","recipes"]
method	valid values are get/list/update/create/delete
resource	data: Contains client given data/document
idp_type	Identity provider type (BASE, LDAP, IDCS)

request.resource.data

request.resource.data represents the data being submitted in the request. This is used to validate fields before creation or update. For example:

request.resource.data.isPublic == true

request.time

request.time is the timestamp of the request in ISO 8601 UTC format. It is useful for time-based rules. For example:

request.time.year() == 2025

request.path and request.path_arr

• request.path: Full path string (For example, /users/user123/recipes)

• request.path_arr: Path as array segments (For example, ["users", "user123", "recipes"])

request.method

request.method represents the operation being performed: get, list, create, update, or delete.

33.2 Resource Context

The resource object represents the existing data stored in the backend. It is used to compare against the request data for conditional access.

resource.data

resource.data contains the persisted document or file data. For example:

resource.data.uuid == request.auth.uid

This is commonly used to enforce owner-only access or validate stored flags like isPublic.

33.3 Additional Fixed Variables

These variables are available globally within rule expressions:

Variable	Description
time	Current server time (ISO 8601 UTC)
method	Operation type (such as get, list)
path	Full path string
path_arr	Path as array segments

33.4 Example Usage

The following examples demonstrate some common usages of rules.

Example 33-1 Owner-Only Update:

match /users/{userid}/recipes/{recipeid} {
  allow update: if request.auth.uid == resource.data.uuid;
}

Example 33-2 Restrict Creation Based on Request Data

match /posts/{postId} {
  allow create: if request.resource.data.isPublic == true;
}

Example 33-3 Time-Based Access

match /reports/{reportId} {
  allow get: if request.time.month() == 11;
}