Umbraco User Management | OpsBlu Docs

Umbraco User Management

Umbraco back-office permission model covering user groups, content node permissions, section access, and analytics dashboard controls.

Umbraco uses a section-and-node-based permission system where back-office users are organized into User Groups that control which sections (Content, Media, Settings, etc.) they can access and what operations they can perform on individual content nodes. The system supports content-tree-level permissions with inheritance, making it possible to give editors access to only their department's content branch while restricting everything else.

Permission model

Umbraco's access control operates at three levels:

  • User Groups -- containers that define section access and default content permissions. A user can belong to multiple groups; permissions are additive. Each group specifies which back-office sections are visible and what content node permissions apply by default.
  • Section access -- Umbraco's back office is divided into sections: Content, Media, Settings, Packages, Users, Members, Forms, Translation. Each group is granted access to specific sections.
  • Content node permissions -- granular permissions on individual content tree nodes: Browse, Create, Update, Delete, Publish, Unpublish, Move, Copy, Sort, Send to Publish, Rollback, Culture and Hostnames, Public Access. These can be set per group per node, with inheritance down the tree.

Start nodes (content and media) restrict which branch of the tree a group sees. Setting a start node to /en/blog/ means users in that group only see the Blog section and its children.

Built-in user groups

Group Sections Default permissions Typical use
Administrators All sections All node permissions Full back-office access
Writers Content Browse, Create, Update, Send to Publish Content authors who cannot publish
Editors Content, Media Browse, Create, Update, Delete, Publish, Unpublish, Rollback Content editors with publish rights
Translators Content (with language-specific start node) Browse, Update Translation workflows
Sensitive Data (special group) N/A Grants access to properties marked as "sensitive" GDPR/privacy compliance

Custom groups are created at Users > User Groups. Umbraco 13+ also supports Granular Permissions at the document type level.

Admin UI paths

Task Path
Manage users Users section > Users
Create/edit User Groups Users section > User Groups
Invite users Users > Users > Invite User
Set content node permissions Right-click content node > Permissions
Set start nodes User Group > Content Start Node / Media Start Node
Section access User Group > Sections checkboxes
Member management Members section
Audit trail Content node > Info tab > Audit Trail

API access management

Umbraco Content Delivery API (v12+):

  • Read-only RESTful API at /umbraco/delivery/api/v2/content
  • Enabled in appsettings.json under Umbraco:CMS:DeliveryApi
  • Public by default (serves published content without authentication)
  • Protected content can require API key or member authentication
  • API key configured in appsettings.json

Management API (Umbraco 14+):

  • Full CRUD back-office API at /umbraco/management/api/v1/
  • OAuth2 authentication via back-office user credentials
  • Permissions follow the authenticated user's group permissions
  • Swagger documentation at /umbraco/swagger

Custom API controllers:

  • Extend UmbracoApiController for custom endpoints
  • Manually check permissions via IAuthorizationService or [Authorize] attributes
  • Back-office API controllers use [Authorize(Policy = AuthorizationPolicies.BackOfficeAccess)]

Webhook events (Umbraco 12+):

  • Configured at Settings > Webhooks
  • Trigger on content publish/unpublish/delete, media upload/delete, member events
  • Include content payload in POST request
  • No secret signing; verify by source IP or custom header

Analytics-specific permissions

Umbraco provides analytics integration points at several levels:

  • Umbraco Analytics package (community) -- packages like Analytics.Umbraco add a dedicated Analytics section to the back office. Access is controlled by adding the Analytics section to a user group's section access.
  • Content node properties -- if analytics metadata (tracking IDs, campaign tags) are added as document type properties, access follows content node permissions. Use the "Sensitive Data" property flag to restrict visibility to the Sensitive Data group.
  • Settings section -- global analytics configuration (GA tracking ID, GTM container) stored in Umbraco's Content or Settings section. Restrict the Settings section to admin groups only.
  • Audit trail -- every content node has an audit trail (Info tab) showing all publish, save, and permission changes. Available to any user with Browse permission on the node.
  • uSync / config files -- if tracking code is in view files (.cshtml), changes require file system access (deployed via CI/CD). This naturally restricts analytics code changes to developers.
  • Umbraco Forms -- form submission data and analytics are in the Forms section. Forms section access is controlled per user group.

To create an analytics-only user:

  1. Create an "Analytics" user group
  2. Grant section access to Content (read only) and the Analytics section (if using an analytics package)
  3. Set content node permissions to Browse only (no Create, Update, Delete, Publish)
  4. Set the start node to the site root so they can browse content for context
  5. Do not grant Settings, Users, Packages, or Members sections

Sub-pages

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