13.7.1.8 REVOKE Syntax

The REVOKE statement enables system administrators to revoke privileges and roles, which can be revoked from user accounts and roles.

For details on the levels at which privileges exist, the permissible priv_type, priv_level, and object_type values, and the syntax for specifying users and passwords, see Section 13.7.1.6, “GRANT Syntax”.

For information about roles, see Section 6.2.10, “Using Roles”.

When the read_only system variable is enabled, REVOKE requires the CONNECTION_ADMIN or SUPER privilege in addition to any other required privileges described in the following discussion.

REVOKE either succeeds for all named users and roles or rolls back and has no effect if any error occurs. The statement is written to the binary log only if it succeeds for all named users and roles.

Each account name uses the format described in Section 6.2.4, “Specifying Account Names”. Each role name uses the format described in Section 6.2.5, “Specifying Role Names”. For example:

The host name part of the account or role name, if omitted, defaults to '%'.

To use the first REVOKE syntax, you must have the GRANT OPTION privilege, and you must have the privileges that you are revoking.

To revoke all privileges, use the second syntax, which drops all global, database, table, column, and routine privileges for the named users or roles:

REVOKE ALL PRIVILEGES, GRANT OPTION does not revoke any roles.

To use this REVOKE syntax, you must have the global CREATE USER privilege, or the UPDATE privilege for the mysql system database.

The syntax for which the REVOKE keyword is followed by one or more role names takes a FROM clause indicating one or more users or roles from which to revoke the roles.

Roles named in the mandatory_roles system variable value cannot be revoked.

A revoked role immediately affects any user account from which it was revoked, such that within any current session for the account, its privileges are adjusted for the next statement executed.

Revoking a role revokes the role itself, not the privileges that it represents. Suppose that an account is granted a role that includes a given privilege, and is also granted the privilege explicitly or another role that includes the privilege. In this case, the account still possesses that privilege if the first role is revoked. For example, if an account is granted two roles that each include SELECT, the account still can select after either role is revoked.

REVOKE ALL ON *.* (at the global level) revokes all granted static global privileges and all granted dynamic privileges.

User accounts and roles from which privileges and roles are to be revoked must exist, but the privileges and roles to be revoked need not be currently granted to them.

A revoked privilege that is granted but not known to the server is revoked with a warning. This situtation can occur for dynamic privileges. For example, a dynamic privilege can be granted while the component that registers it is installed, but if that component is subsequently uninstalled, the privilege becomes unregistered, although accounts that possess the privilege still possess it and it can be revoked from them.

REVOKE removes privileges, but does not remove rows from the mysql.user system table. To remove a user account entirely, use DROP USER. See Section 13.7.1.5, “DROP USER Syntax”.

If the grant tables hold privilege rows that contain mixed-case database or table names and the lower_case_table_names system variable is set to a nonzero value, REVOKE cannot be used to revoke these privileges. It will be necessary to manipulate the grant tables directly. (GRANT will not create such rows when lower_case_table_names is set, but such rows might have been created prior to setting the variable. The lower_case_table_names setting can only be configured when initializing the server.)

When successfully executed from the mysql program, REVOKE responds with Query OK, 0 rows affected. To determine what privileges remain after the operation, use SHOW GRANTS. See Section 13.7.6.21, “SHOW GRANTS Syntax”.