Break-Glass Access with Open Policy Agent (OPA)

Open Policy Agent (OPA) makes access control programmable. It enforces policies through Rego, letting teams define rules for every API call, CLI command, or cloud resource change. But what happens when the rules block a legitimate, urgent action? That’s where break-glass access comes in.

Break-glass access with OPA is a controlled override. Instead of disabling policies globally, a break-glass flow allows a temporary, auditable bypass. The aim is speed without sacrificing security. It must be rare, deliberate, and logged end-to-end.

Implementing break-glass with OPA starts with precise policy design. In Rego, you can define conditions under which the override is allowed. For example:

• Require MFA before the bypass is granted.
• Limit scope to the exact resource or action.
• Set automatic expiration after a short window.
• Trigger logging and alerting to security teams.

Policy evaluation can integrate with an external workflow, such as an approval system or incident management tool. OPA passes the request through these checks before granting access. This keeps the principle of least privilege intact, even when bypassing controls.

Auditability is key. Every break-glass event should be recorded: who requested it, who approved it, what was done, and when access was revoked. OPA can send policy decisions and input context to a logging backend for forensic review.

Done correctly, OPA break-glass access balances operational continuity with strong governance. It avoids the risky practice of disabling controls during crises and ensures every override has intentional boundaries.

See break-glass access managed by OPA in action at hoop.dev — deploy a secure, override-capable policy system in minutes.