Authentication and permissions

Preview

This feature is in Public Preview in the following regions: us-east-1, us-west-2, eu-west-1, ap-southeast-1, ap-southeast-2, eu-central-1, us-east-2, ap-south-1.

This page provides an overview of authentication methods and permission management for Databricks database instances. Learn how to authenticate users, manage roles, and control access to your database resources.

Authentication methods

Authenticate to your database instance.

Method	Description
Authenticate with Databricks identities	Use OAuth tokens with Databricks users, groups, and service principals for secure access. Best for integrating with Databricks workspace security and automated workflows.
Authenticate with native Postgres roles	Use traditional Postgres username and password authentication by enabling native Postgres role login for your database instance.

Role and permission management

Grant Databricks identities access to your database instance and create corresponding Postgres roles.

note

Databricks identities and Postgres roles are separate systems. There is no automatic sync between them. You need to create Postgres roles for Databricks identities that need PostgreSQL access.

Task	Description
Manage roles and permissions	Learn when and how permissions are checked between Databricks and Postgres systems. Grant Databricks users and identities privileges to a database instance on Databricks.
Manage Postgres roles	Create and manage Postgres roles for Databricks identities. This is essential for enabling PostgreSQL access for users.
Database role types and permissions	Understand pre-created roles, system roles, and their capabilities. Learn about the databricks_superuser role and instance owner privileges.