# Differences between Role and Contact ## Overview MaiAgent provides two permission setting methods: **Contact-based** and **Role-based**, supporting enterprises to precisely control knowledge base access permissions in different scenarios. ### Contact A storage system in MaiAgent that synchronizes user information and creates Contact IDs to identify user conversation information. {% hint style="info" %} To learn more about contact information, please refer to [🌐Contact Introduction and Integration↗](https://docs.maiagent.ai/tech/maiagent-tech-en/authorization-integration/contacts) {% endhint %}

Without Contact name setting: Users default to anonymous

### Role Roles with permissions to edit AI assistant backend settings can be pre-defined within the enterprise, such as customer service representatives, administrative staff, interns, etc. Organizations can pre-establish permissions and reference databases for roles, allowing organization members to directly apply settings based on their needs by selecting roles.

## I. Permission Method Comparison

| Comparison Items | Contact-based | Role-based | | :--------------------------: | :--------------------------------------: | :------------------------------------------------------------------------: | | 🎯 **Applicable Scenarios** | External users, System integration | Internal users, Organization management | | 👤 **MaiAgent Registration** | ❌ No registration required | ✅ Registration and organization joining required | | 📋 **Creation Method** | System automatic or manual creation | Pre-defined role templates | | 🔄 **Update Mechanism** | Dynamic user information synchronization | Static role permission settings | | 🎯 **Purpose** | Identify user conversation information | Apply default permission settings, manage AI assistant backend permissions | | 👥 **Target Users** | External visitors, Members | Internal employees, Organization members | | ⚙️ **Management Method** | Managed through API integration | Managed through backend role management | | 📊 **Permission Control** | Dynamic control based on Contact ID | Static control based on Role | ### Typical Application Scenarios **Contact-based Scenarios: Suitable for scenarios requiring clear role division and permission definition** * **Corporate Website**: Visitors receive different product information based on identity * **Member Center**: Access corresponding service content based on membership level * **Customer Service Center**: Provide differentiated support based on customer type **Role-based Scenarios** * **Internal Operations**: Employees handle work based on department roles * **Customer Service Team**: Access knowledge base according to responsibilities * **Management Level**: Content review and maintenance based on permissions ### Comprehensive Usage Strategy External operations (where user identity clarity is not required) are suitable for Contact-based management Internal operations (requiring clear permission division / multiple members using same permissions) are suitable for Role-based management