Manage GCP Bigtable Table IAM Access

The gcp:bigtable/tableIamMember:TableIamMember resource, part of the Pulumi GCP provider, manages IAM permissions for Bigtable tables by adding individual members to roles without affecting other bindings. This guide focuses on three capabilities: adding single members to roles, binding multiple members to a role, and replacing entire IAM policies.

Three related resources manage Bigtable table IAM: TableIamMember (non-authoritative, adds one member), TableIamBinding (authoritative for a role, sets all members), and TableIamPolicy (authoritative for entire policy, replaces everything). TableIamPolicy cannot be used with the other two. The examples are intentionally small. Combine them with your own table and instance references.

Grant a single user access to a table

Most access control starts by granting individual users or service accounts specific permissions without affecting other members or roles.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as gcp from "@pulumi/gcp";

const editor = new gcp.bigtable.TableIamMember("editor", {
    table: "your-bigtable-table",
    instanceName: "your-bigtable-instance",
    role: "roles/bigtable.user",
    member: "user:jane@example.com",
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

editor = gcp.bigtable.TableIamMember("editor",
    table="your-bigtable-table",
    instance_name="your-bigtable-instance",
    role="roles/bigtable.user",
    member="user:jane@example.com")

package main

import (
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/bigtable"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := bigtable.NewTableIamMember(ctx, "editor", &bigtable.TableIamMemberArgs{
			Table:        pulumi.String("your-bigtable-table"),
			InstanceName: pulumi.String("your-bigtable-instance"),
			Role:         pulumi.String("roles/bigtable.user"),
			Member:       pulumi.String("user:jane@example.com"),
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using Gcp = Pulumi.Gcp;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var editor = new Gcp.BigTable.TableIamMember("editor", new()
    {
        Table = "your-bigtable-table",
        InstanceName = "your-bigtable-instance",
        Role = "roles/bigtable.user",
        Member = "user:jane@example.com",
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.gcp.bigtable.TableIamMember;
import com.pulumi.gcp.bigtable.TableIamMemberArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var editor = new TableIamMember("editor", TableIamMemberArgs.builder()
            .table("your-bigtable-table")
            .instanceName("your-bigtable-instance")
            .role("roles/bigtable.user")
            .member("user:jane@example.com")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  editor:
    type: gcp:bigtable:TableIamMember
    properties:
      table: your-bigtable-table
      instanceName: your-bigtable-instance
      role: roles/bigtable.user
      member: user:jane@example.com

The member property specifies who gets access using formats like “user:jane@example.com” or “serviceAccount:app@project.iam.gserviceaccount.com”. The role property defines what they can do (e.g., “roles/bigtable.user” for read/write access). This resource is non-authoritative: it adds the member to the role without removing other members.

Grant a role to multiple members at once

When multiple users or service accounts need the same permissions, binding them to a role together ensures consistent access control.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as gcp from "@pulumi/gcp";

const editor = new gcp.bigtable.TableIamBinding("editor", {
    table: "your-bigtable-table",
    instanceName: "your-bigtable-instance",
    role: "roles/bigtable.user",
    members: ["user:jane@example.com"],
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

editor = gcp.bigtable.TableIamBinding("editor",
    table="your-bigtable-table",
    instance_name="your-bigtable-instance",
    role="roles/bigtable.user",
    members=["user:jane@example.com"])

package main

import (
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/bigtable"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		_, err := bigtable.NewTableIamBinding(ctx, "editor", &bigtable.TableIamBindingArgs{
			Table:        pulumi.String("your-bigtable-table"),
			InstanceName: pulumi.String("your-bigtable-instance"),
			Role:         pulumi.String("roles/bigtable.user"),
			Members: pulumi.StringArray{
				pulumi.String("user:jane@example.com"),
			},
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using Gcp = Pulumi.Gcp;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var editor = new Gcp.BigTable.TableIamBinding("editor", new()
    {
        Table = "your-bigtable-table",
        InstanceName = "your-bigtable-instance",
        Role = "roles/bigtable.user",
        Members = new[]
        {
            "user:jane@example.com",
        },
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.gcp.bigtable.TableIamBinding;
import com.pulumi.gcp.bigtable.TableIamBindingArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        var editor = new TableIamBinding("editor", TableIamBindingArgs.builder()
            .table("your-bigtable-table")
            .instanceName("your-bigtable-instance")
            .role("roles/bigtable.user")
            .members("user:jane@example.com")
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  editor:
    type: gcp:bigtable:TableIamBinding
    properties:
      table: your-bigtable-table
      instanceName: your-bigtable-instance
      role: roles/bigtable.user
      members:
        - user:jane@example.com

The members property takes a list of identities that all receive the same role. This resource is authoritative for the specified role: it replaces all members for that role but leaves other roles untouched. If you later remove a member from the list, they lose access on the next update.

Replace the entire IAM policy with a new definition

Some workflows require complete control over a table’s IAM policy, replacing all existing bindings with a new set.

import * as pulumi from "@pulumi/pulumi";
import * as gcp from "@pulumi/gcp";

const admin = gcp.organizations.getIAMPolicy({
    bindings: [{
        role: "roles/bigtable.user",
        members: ["user:jane@example.com"],
    }],
});
const editor = new gcp.bigtable.TableIamPolicy("editor", {
    project: "your-project",
    instanceName: "your-bigtable-instance",
    table: "your-bigtable-table",
    policyData: admin.then(admin => admin.policyData),
});

import pulumi
import pulumi_gcp as gcp

admin = gcp.organizations.get_iam_policy(bindings=[{
    "role": "roles/bigtable.user",
    "members": ["user:jane@example.com"],
}])
editor = gcp.bigtable.TableIamPolicy("editor",
    project="your-project",
    instance_name="your-bigtable-instance",
    table="your-bigtable-table",
    policy_data=admin.policy_data)

package main

import (
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/bigtable"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi-gcp/sdk/v9/go/gcp/organizations"
	"github.com/pulumi/pulumi/sdk/v3/go/pulumi"
)

func main() {
	pulumi.Run(func(ctx *pulumi.Context) error {
		admin, err := organizations.LookupIAMPolicy(ctx, &organizations.LookupIAMPolicyArgs{
			Bindings: []organizations.GetIAMPolicyBinding{
				{
					Role: "roles/bigtable.user",
					Members: []string{
						"user:jane@example.com",
					},
				},
			},
		}, nil)
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		_, err = bigtable.NewTableIamPolicy(ctx, "editor", &bigtable.TableIamPolicyArgs{
			Project:      pulumi.String("your-project"),
			InstanceName: pulumi.String("your-bigtable-instance"),
			Table:        pulumi.String("your-bigtable-table"),
			PolicyData:   pulumi.String(admin.PolicyData),
		})
		if err != nil {
			return err
		}
		return nil
	})
}

using System.Collections.Generic;
using System.Linq;
using Pulumi;
using Gcp = Pulumi.Gcp;

return await Deployment.RunAsync(() => 
{
    var admin = Gcp.Organizations.GetIAMPolicy.Invoke(new()
    {
        Bindings = new[]
        {
            new Gcp.Organizations.Inputs.GetIAMPolicyBindingInputArgs
            {
                Role = "roles/bigtable.user",
                Members = new[]
                {
                    "user:jane@example.com",
                },
            },
        },
    });

    var editor = new Gcp.BigTable.TableIamPolicy("editor", new()
    {
        Project = "your-project",
        InstanceName = "your-bigtable-instance",
        Table = "your-bigtable-table",
        PolicyData = admin.Apply(getIAMPolicyResult => getIAMPolicyResult.PolicyData),
    });

});

package generated_program;

import com.pulumi.Context;
import com.pulumi.Pulumi;
import com.pulumi.core.Output;
import com.pulumi.gcp.organizations.OrganizationsFunctions;
import com.pulumi.gcp.organizations.inputs.GetIAMPolicyArgs;
import com.pulumi.gcp.bigtable.TableIamPolicy;
import com.pulumi.gcp.bigtable.TableIamPolicyArgs;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.ArrayList;
import java.util.Map;
import java.io.File;
import java.nio.file.Files;
import java.nio.file.Paths;

public class App {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        Pulumi.run(App::stack);
    }

    public static void stack(Context ctx) {
        final var admin = OrganizationsFunctions.getIAMPolicy(GetIAMPolicyArgs.builder()
            .bindings(GetIAMPolicyBindingArgs.builder()
                .role("roles/bigtable.user")
                .members("user:jane@example.com")
                .build())
            .build());

        var editor = new TableIamPolicy("editor", TableIamPolicyArgs.builder()
            .project("your-project")
            .instanceName("your-bigtable-instance")
            .table("your-bigtable-table")
            .policyData(admin.policyData())
            .build());

    }
}

resources:
  editor:
    type: gcp:bigtable:TableIamPolicy
    properties:
      project: your-project
      instanceName: your-bigtable-instance
      table: your-bigtable-table
      policyData: ${admin.policyData}
variables:
  admin:
    fn::invoke:
      function: gcp:organizations:getIAMPolicy
      arguments:
        bindings:
          - role: roles/bigtable.user
            members:
              - user:jane@example.com

The policyData property accepts a complete IAM policy document from getIAMPolicy. This resource is fully authoritative: it replaces the entire policy, removing any bindings not included in policyData. Use this when you need to define all access in one place, but be careful not to accidentally remove ownership or lock yourself out.

Beyond these examples

These snippets focus on specific IAM management features: incremental member and binding management, and authoritative policy replacement. They’re intentionally minimal rather than full access control configurations.

The examples reference pre-existing infrastructure such as Bigtable tables and instances, and GCP projects. They focus on IAM binding configuration rather than provisioning the tables themselves.

To keep things focused, common IAM patterns are omitted, including:

Conditional IAM bindings (condition property)
Custom role definitions
Cross-project or organization-level policies
Audit logging configuration

These omissions are intentional: the goal is to illustrate how each IAM resource type is wired, not provide drop-in access control modules. See the Bigtable TableIamMember resource reference for all available configuration options.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Resource Selection & Conflicts

What's the difference between TableIamPolicy, TableIamBinding, and TableIamMember?

TableIamPolicy is authoritative and replaces the entire IAM policy. TableIamBinding is authoritative for a specific role, preserving other roles. TableIamMember is non-authoritative and adds a single member to a role without affecting other members.

Can I use TableIamPolicy with TableIamBinding or TableIamMember?

No, TableIamPolicy cannot be used alongside TableIamBinding or TableIamMember because they will conflict over the policy configuration.

Can I use TableIamBinding and TableIamMember together?

Yes, but only if they grant privileges to different roles. Using both for the same role will cause conflicts.

Why did I lose ownership of my Bigtable table?

TableIamPolicy replaces the entire IAM policy, which can accidentally remove ownership bindings. Ensure all necessary bindings are included when using TableIamPolicy.

Configuration & Formats

What member formats can I use for IAM bindings?

Supported formats include allUsers, allAuthenticatedUsers, user:{email}, serviceAccount:{email}, group:{email}, and domain:{domain}.

How do I specify a custom role?

Custom roles must use the format [projects|organizations]/{parent-name}/roles/{role-name}.

Immutability & Limitations

Can I modify IAM bindings after creation?

No, all properties (table, instanceName, project, role, member) are immutable and require resource replacement to change.

Using a different cloud?

Explore security guides for other cloud providers:

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