Policy Decision Point
A Policy Decision Point, or PDP, is the component that evaluates policies and returns authorization decisions.
- Acronym
- PDP
- Synonym
- PDP
Definition
A Policy Decision Point is the runtime decision engine in an authorization architecture. It receives a request containing the subject, resource, action, and context, evaluates this request against relevant policies and attributes, and returns a decision such as permit, deny, or a more contextual answer. In modern architectures, the PDP becomes the central authority for dynamic and fine-grained decisions.
Why it matters
The PDP is the brain of externalized authorization; its correctness and performance directly impact access control effectiveness.
The Ariovis perspective
Authorization policies should be separated from application code when consistency, auditability or scale require it. Enforcement remains close to the resource while the decision is governed independently.
Related services
Common pitfalls
- A common issue is insufficient performance testing of the PDP under load, causing authorization delays in high-traffic scenarios.
Standards and protocols
- ISO/IEC 24762
- XACML
- Open Policy Agent (OPA)
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