Role-based access control (RBAC) grants permissions through roles, while attribute-based access control (ABAC) evaluates attributes against policy rules.
RBAC works well for repeatable job-based access, such as assigning a finance analyst role. ABAC supports finer context using factors such as department, resource classification, device posture, location and time. Many organizations combine them: roles provide understandable access bundles, while attributes and policy refine eligibility or runtime decisions.