---
title: "Hierarchy of Roles & Permissions"
description: "The principle of least privilege, hazardous permissions, and structuring roles to prevent privilege escalation."
---

import { Card, CardGrid } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';

Poor permission configuration is the primary cause behind over **80% of server compromise incidents (nuking)**. This module defines the architectural hierarchy necessary to bulletproof your server.

---

## Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP)

> **Golden Rule**: Grant each staff member only the exact permissions strictly required to execute their current duties—nothing more.

### Critical Permissions (Extreme Risk 🔴)
These permissions must **NEVER** be assigned to daily operational roles (such as Junior Mods or Trials). Restrict them exclusively to Ownership and verified Administrators with mandatory 2FA:

- **Administrator**: Grants absolute permissions bypassing all channel overrides and protections.
- **Manage Server**: Allows modifying server name, invites, adding unvetted bots, and altering security settings.
- **Manage Roles**: An account with this permission can manipulate roles beneath them to escalate privileges.
- **Manage Webhooks**: A frequent vector used to spoof announcements and blast phishing links.
- **Mention `@everyone` and `@here`**: Must be explicitly disabled across all routine channels.

---

## Visual Role Hierarchy

In Discord, vertical position in the role list determines operational authority:

```
[▲ Highest]
 👑 Server Owner (Root ownership)
 🛡️ Administrator / Security (System architects)
 🎖️ Staff Supervisor (Operational leaders)
 ⚔️ Senior Moderator (Escalated sanctions & appeals)
 🗡️ Junior Moderator (Chat containment & timeouts)
 🤖 Moderation Bots (Strategically positioned)
 🌟 VIP / Server Booster (Cosmetic privileges)
 👥 Verified Member (Default community access)
 ⚪ @everyone (Zero write access prior to screening)
[▼ Lowest]
```

:::caution[Bot Role Placement]
For a bot to moderate an account or assign/strip a role, the bot's highest role must sit **strictly above** the role of the target member. If a user's role sits higher than the moderation bot, enforcement commands will fail silently.
:::