# Roles
Nuvolos uses a role-based system that aligns with the platform's organisational structure. Each level has specific roles designed to meet different use cases and responsibilities. Roles can be granted via **invitations**.
The general flow is:
1. A user with a role that has granting capability sends an invitation with appropriate roles.
2. The recipient confirms the invitations by clicking the link.
3. Invitations are granted to the recipient.
## Getting started
To better understand how roles work, we recommend familiarizing yourself with [Nuvolos' organisational structure](/features/nuvolos-basic-concepts/organisational-hierarchy.md) first.
## Resource pool roles
[Resource pools](/pricing-and-billing/resource-pools-and-budgets.md) serve as cost centres and accounting units on Nuvolos.
There are two roles:
* **Manager**: Has the ability to assign resource pool to projects, to invite other managers, transfer credits and review full utilisation of all mapped content.
* **Member**: No active role. Members are users who at current time are using resources mapped to the resource pool.
## Organisation level roles
Organisations serve as high level structural units in Nuvolos. Each organisation comes with a default resource pool.
### No role
Users without a role in an organisation cannot view any content within that organisation. organisation managers can revoke roles when needed.
### Member
organisation members are users who have been invited to participate in any space within the organisation.
**What members can do:**
* View **Public** spaces in the organisation
* Access any content they're specifically invited to
* Automatically receive **Instance Observer** status in Dataset spaces with Public visibility
* The member role indicates that the user has an established connection with the organisation
### Faculty
Faculty members have the ability to manage and control resources within the organisation.
**What faculty members can do:**
* Create new spaces and invite users to those spaces (creators automatically become ***space administrators***)
* Automatically receive **Instance Viewer** status in Dataset spaces with Public and Faculty-only visibility
* Automatically become ***space administrators*** in Research and Course spaces with Faculty-only visibility
* Distribute licensed content to other users—a powerful capability that supports collaboration
### Manager
Organisation managers oversee resources and control membership across the organisation.
**What organisation managers can do:**
* Create new spaces and invite users (creators automatically become *space administrators*)
* They receive a ***resource pool manager*** role to the default resource pool of the organisation.
* As a resource pool manager, monitor resource usage across the entire organisation (though they can only view and modify content in spaces where they have Space or Instance roles).
* Automatically become ***space administrators*** in Dataset spaces with Public and Faculty-only visibility, and in Research and Course spaces with Faculty-only visibility.
* Invite additional faculty members or organisation managers.
* Revoke access to organisational resources when necessary.
* [Remove derelict projects](/administration/space-management.md#delete-a-space).
## Space level roles
Every space has one special elevated role: **space administrator**. All other users access a space through editor or viewer roles in one or more instances within that space.
### Space administrator
Space administrators have full administrative control within a single space.
**What Space administrators can do:**
* View and edit every instance in the space and take any action in them (related to files, tables, applications).
* Create and delete snapshots.
* Invite users to instances as editors or viewers.
* Create new instances within the space.
* Change space configurations (secrets, quotas, resource mapping if sufficient resource pool roles are available).
## Instance level roles
### Editor
**Instance editors can:**
* Modify the contents of the **current state** of an instance.
* Edit instance name and description (except for Master and Distributed instances).
* Upload and download files.
* Run applications.
* Create snapshots of the instance's current state.
* Distribute to the instance from another location where they are at least **Instance Viewers**.
### Viewer
**Instance viewers can:**
* View the contents of snapshots in the instance,
* Write queries against data,
* Distribute from the instance to another location where they are at least **Instance Editors**.
### Observer
**Instance observers can:**
* View the README.md file at the root of the instance's Workspace files
* Request viewer roles for the instance
This role is only found in Dataset spaces, making it easy to discover datasets while maintaining controlled access.
## FAQ
How do I find my role level in an organisation?
Go on the navigation bar on the top, and the first level is the organisation dropdown, where you can see all organisations available to you. Click the dropdown and each organisation shows your current role.
How do I find my role level in a space?
Go on the navigation bar on the top, and the second level is the space dropdown, where you can see all spaces available to you in the selected organisation. Click the dropdown and each space shows your current role.
How do I find my role level in an instance?
Go on the navigation bar on the top, and the third level is the instance dropdown, where you can see all instances available to you in the selected organisation and space. Click the dropdown and each instance shows your current role.
I can't create a new space, research project or course. Why?
You need to be at least an organisation faculty or organisation manager to create a space on Nuvolos in an organisation.
I am a space administrator, why can't I create new spaces, research projects or courses on Nuvolos. Why?
Space roles and organisation roles are separate and independent from each other. You need to be at least an ***organisation faculty*** or ***organisation manager*** to create a space on Nuvolos in an organisation.
I used to be able to create new spaces, research projects or courses on Nuvolos, but not any more. Why?
There are two options: either an ***organisation faculty*** or ***organisation manager*** role was revoked from you, or you since have become member of multiple organisations. Make sure you select the correct context - it might be that you are active now in an organisation where you don't have sufficient role, but in another organisation you still have.
I want to be able to create projects in an organisation, but I can't. What should I do?
You need to be at least an ***organisation faculty*** or ***organisation manager*** to create a space on Nuvolos in an organisation. Only ***organisation managers*** can grant this role. In order to contact them, go on the dashboard screen, and click on the cogwheel icon on the top right corner of the dashboard itself. The cogwheel lists all organisation managers.
---
# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation
If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.
Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:
```
GET https://docs.nuvolos.com/administration/roles.md?ask=
```
The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.
Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.