How does Sitecore manage user access rights?

Sitecore manages user access rights primarily through roles and permissions, which provide a detailed and structured way to control what users can see and do within the system. This approach allows administrators to define roles that encapsulate specific sets of permissions tailored to the needs of different user groups or individuals.

By assigning users to these roles, Sitecore ensures that access can be granularly managed – for instance, a content author could have permissions that differ significantly from those of a marketing user or an administrator. Each role can include permissions for reading, editing, publishing, and managing items, allowing flexibility in user access depending on their responsibilities.

Using roles and permissions is a more secure and manageable way to handle access rights compared to just utilizing user groups alone, as it allows for more nuance in permissions. Granting access to all users indiscriminately or relying solely on an external authentication service would not provide the same level of control needed for managing sensitive content and ensuring proper workflows within Sitecore.