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System requirements

Before installing GAC, ensure your system meets these requirements:
  • PHP: 8.0 or higher
  • Database: MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.2+
  • PHP Extensions: PDO, pdo_mysql
  • Composer: Latest stable version
GAC uses modern PHP features including typed properties, union types, and constructor property promotion. PHP 8.0+ is required.

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Install via Composer

Install GAC using Composer by running this command in your project directory: 
composer require dancasdev/gac
Composer will automatically install GAC and configure autoloading through PSR-4.
The package is registered as dancasdev/gac on Packagist and follows semantic versioning.

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Database setup

GAC requires several database tables to store permissions, roles, and restrictions. Import the provided SQL schema into your database.
1

Download the schema

The tables.sql file is included in the package at vendor/dancasdev/gac/tables.sql
2

Review the schema

Examine the tables to understand the structure. You can customize certain tables like gac_user and glb_person to fit your application
3

Import into your database

Run the SQL file against your database using your preferred method

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Using MySQL command line

mysql -u your_username -p your_database < vendor/dancasdev/gac/tables.sql

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Using PHP

$pdo = new PDO('mysql:host=localhost;dbname=your_database', 'username', 'password');
$sql = file_get_contents('vendor/dancasdev/gac/tables.sql');
$pdo->exec($sql);

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Database schema overview

The schema creates the following core tables:
  • gac_module_category - Categories for grouping modules
  • gac_module - Individual modules/features in your application
  • gac_module_access - Permission assignments to users, clients, and roles
  • gac_role - Role definitions
  • gac_role_entity - Role assignments to users and clients with priority levels
  • gac_restriction_category - Categories of restrictions (by_date, by_branch, etc.)
  • gac_restriction_method - Specific restriction methods within categories
  • gac_restriction - Restriction assignments to entities
  • gac_user - User accounts (customizable)
  • gac_client - API clients/external systems (customizable)
  • glb_person - Person directory (customizable)
The gac_user, gac_client, and glb_person tables are provided as examples. You can modify these tables or use your existing user tables by implementing custom database adapters.

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Verify installation

Verify that GAC is installed correctly by checking if the classes can be autoloaded: 
<?php

require_once 'vendor/autoload.php';

use DancasDev\GAC\GAC;

if (class_exists('DancasDev\\GAC\\GAC')) {
    echo "GAC is installed successfully!";
} else {
    echo "Installation failed. Check your Composer setup.";
}

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Package structure

Once installed, GAC’s source code is organized as follows: 
vendor/dancasdev/gac/
├── src/
│   ├── GAC.php                    # Main GAC class
│   ├── Adapters/
│   │   ├── DatabaseAdapter.php     # Default PDO database adapter
│   │   ├── DatabaseAdapterInterface.php
│   │   ├── CacheAdapter.php        # Default file-based cache adapter
│   │   └── CacheAdapterInterface.php
│   ├── Permissions/
│   │   ├── Permission.php          # Single permission instance
│   │   └── Permissions.php         # Permission collection
│   ├── Restrictions/
│   │   ├── Restriction.php         # Base restriction class
│   │   ├── Restrictions.php        # Restriction collection
│   │   ├── ByDate.php             # Date-based restrictions
│   │   └── ByEntity.php           # Entity-based restrictions
│   └── Exceptions/
│       ├── DatabaseAdapterException.php
│       └── CacheAdapterException.php
├── tables.sql                      # Database schema
└── composer.json                   # Package metadata

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Configuration options

GAC requires minimal configuration. You’ll primarily work with:
  1. Database connection - PDO instance or connection array
  2. Cache settings - Optional cache directory and TTL
  3. Entity configuration - User or client identification
You can use the default adapters for quick setup, or implement the adapter interfaces for custom database and caching solutions.

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Next steps

With GAC installed and your database configured, you’re ready to start using the library.

Quickstart guide

Learn how to configure GAC and perform your first permission check

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