Error
Error Code:
58
MongoDB Error 58: Role Change Failure
Description
Error 58, 'Role Modification Failed,' indicates that MongoDB was unable to complete an operation related to altering user roles. This typically occurs when a user attempts to create, update, or delete a role without the necessary administrative privileges or when targeting an immutable system role.
Error Message
Role Modification Failed
Known Causes
3 known causesInsufficient User Privileges
The user attempting to modify the role lacks the required administrative permissions (e.g., `grantRole`, `revokeRole`, `createRole`).
Attempting to Modify Built-in Role
MongoDB's built-in roles (like `read`, `readWrite`, `dbAdmin`) cannot be directly modified or deleted by users.
Role Does Not Exist
The specified role name in the modification command does not correspond to an existing role in the database.
Solutions
3 solutions available1. Verify User Authentication and Authorization easy
Ensure the user performing the role modification has the necessary privileges and is authenticated correctly.
1
Connect to your MongoDB instance using an administrative user account that has the `userAdminAnyDatabase` or `userAdmin` role.
mongosh --username <admin_user> --password --authenticationDatabase admin2
Attempt to grant or modify the role again. This verifies if the issue was a transient authentication or authorization problem.
db.grantRolesToUser("username", [ { role: "rolename", db: "dbname" } ])3
If the above command fails, check the user's existing roles and permissions. Ensure the user performing the operation has the `userAdmin` role on the database where the user/role resides, or `userAdminAnyDatabase` for cross-database operations.
db.getUser("username")4
If the user lacks the necessary roles, grant them to the administrative user you are currently logged in as.
db.grantRolesToUser("<admin_user>", [ { role: "userAdminAnyDatabase", db: "admin" } ])2. Check for Conflicting Role Definitions medium
Investigate if the role being modified or granted already exists with conflicting definitions or permissions.
1
Connect to MongoDB as an administrator.
mongosh --username <admin_user> --password --authenticationDatabase admin2
List all roles defined on the target database to identify potential duplicates or similar roles.
db.getRoles({showBuiltinRoles: false})3
If you find a role with the same name but different permissions, you may need to consolidate or rename roles. Alternatively, if you are trying to grant a role that exists with different permissions, MongoDB might reject the operation.
db.revokeRolesFromUser("username", [ { role: "conflicting_rolename", db: "dbname" } ])
db.grantRolesToUser("username", [ { role: "new_rolename_with_correct_permissions", db: "dbname" } ])4
Carefully review the exact role name and database name you are attempting to grant/modify. Case sensitivity matters.
db.grantRolesToUser("username", [ { role: "MyRole", db: "myDatabase" } ]) // Incorrect if role is 'myrole'3. Restart MongoDB Service easy
A simple restart can resolve transient issues with the authorization system.
1
On Linux systems, use systemctl to restart the MongoDB service.
sudo systemctl restart mongod2
On Windows systems, open the Services application, locate MongoDB, and restart it.
N/A (GUI operation)3
After the service has restarted, attempt the role modification operation again.
db.grantRolesToUser("username", [ { role: "rolename", db: "dbname" } ])