X-Pack gives the ability for admins to limit what certain users see when they log in to Kibana with a reserved kibana_dashboard_only_user role.

When you assign a user this role, the next time they sign in to Kibana they will only be able to see the Dashboard app, and no editing tools will be available.

If a user is also assigned the reserved superuser role, they will be able to see all of Kibana and have full access.

The kibana_dashboard_only_user role comes preconfigured with read only permissions on the .kibana index.

If you assign a user the kibana_dashboard_only_user role, along with a role with write permissions on the .kibana index, they will have write access, even though the controls will remain hidden in the kibana UI.

For advanced set ups that use a custom Kibana index, advanced configurations are possible.