RSSBus AppServer offers a robust suite of user managements tools. Administrators can add and remove users, control what apps users use, and choose the specific areas of apps users can access. This FAQ covers the general concepts of user administration for RSSBus AppServer.

User Management FAQ

• What kinds of user roles does RSSBus AppServer provide?
• What are services?
• How can a user execute an app's service while logged out?
• What is an "authtoken"?
• Do authorizations for an app and its services work independent of each other?
• How do I change a user's authtoken?
• How do I authorize a user to run an app?
• How do I grant or revoke administrative access for a user?
• What kinds of users can modify an app's settings?
• Do users need passwords?
• What information can a user change on his or her own profile?
• Are users renamable?

What kinds of user roles does RSSBus AppServer provide?

RSSBus AppServer offers three levels of user roles: regular, administrator, and root. Regular users can execute app and app services, provided they are authorized to do so.

Administrators possess the ability to modify both app and user settings. Administrators can authorize users to run apps and individual app services. Adminstrators may also create and delete users, and grant or revoke administrator access to other users (and themselves).

There is only one root user, the admin. The root user behaves and functions exactly like administrative users, with a two exceptions. First, the root user cannot be deleted. Second, the password for the root user is set during the installation process for AS2 Connector.

What are services?

Services allow users to perform a greater set of functionality in an app than what is exposed through an app's user interface. Services execute either through the RSSBus AppServer interface or through HTTP requests. Each service has its own unique URL, plus services may take parameters of various sorts. For more information about services in RSSBus Apps, please see this knowledge base article.

How can a user execute an app's service while logged out?

Regular users can execute an app's services with authtokens. An administrator must first authorize a user to access a service. To do so, log in as an administrator, and then navigate to the desired service. Scroll down to the Security section and select a user from the Add User drop-down.

To run the service, add the HTTP header x-rssbus-authtoken with the desired authtoken as part of the HTTP request. Alternatively, you may specify the authtoken as @authtoken as part of HHTP form-post data or a query parameter.

For more information about services in RSSBus Apps, please see this knowledge base article.

What is an "authtoken"?

Authtokens are unique identifiers that allow users to execute app services, even while they are logged out. To authorize a user to run services, see this section.

Do authorizations for an app and its services work independent of each other?

Yes. If authorized, users may use an app's front-end interface, without access to any of that app's services. Conversely, users may execute services of an app without authorization to run an app itself. Controlling which services a user may execute allows administrators to create highly granular models of user behavior.

How do I change a user's authtoken?

In the Manage Users page of the RSSBus AppServer, click on the user whose authtoken you wish to change. In the modal dialog that appears, click New button that appears next to the Authtoken field, and save the change.

How do I authorize a user to run an app?

In the Manage Users page of the RSSBus AppServer, click on the user whose access you wish to authorize. In the modal dialog that appears, click checkbox that appears next to the app you wish to grant access to, and save the change.

How do I grant or revoke administrative access for a user?

In the Manage Users page of the RSSBus AppServer, click on the user whose administrative access you wish to modify. In the modal dialog that appears, click the checkbox that appears in the Administrator field, and save the change.

What kinds of users can modify an app's settings?

Only administrators can modify an app's settings.

Do users need passwords?

For security purposes, all users are required to have passwords.

What information can a user change on his or her own profile?

Regular users may only change their password. Administrators may additionally alter email and authtoken values, grant administrative access, and grant access to apps and app services.

Are users renamable?

User names are permanent and not renamable.