Service accounts

Instabase supports creating service accounts, which are userless Instabase accounts used only for making API calls to Instabase APIs. Service accounts can be assigned access and permissions just like a standard user account and are useful when creating programmatic interactions that shouldn’t or don’t need to be tied to a specific user. Examples of when you might use a service account to call Instabase APIs include triggering flows as part of a continuous development pipeline or performing automated tasks on a set schedule.

Create a service account

You can create service accounts for a given environment from the Admin app. You can create as many service accounts as needed, to enable task-specific service account usage.

To add a service account:

1. From the Admin app, select Service accounts.

2. Click Create service account.

3. In Name, name the service account according to the function it serves. To create additional service accounts at the same time, click Add line so that another Name field appears.

   Info

   Service accounts can’t be used to log in to the Instabase platform and have no login credentials. This name is used for easy lookup when assigning permissions and access, not as a username for logging in.

4. Click Add.

Service account API authentication

To use a service account for programmatic access, it needs an OAuth token. To add an OAuth app and generate a token:

1. From the Admin app, select Service account.

2. Click the three-dot icon in the account’s row of the Service accounts list.

3. Click View service account.

4. Select the OAuth management tab.

5. Click Create app.

   Provide an app name, description, and a Redirect URI. You can provide any filler URL for Redirect URI. The option to create a token is toggled on by default, but you can create a new token later if needed.

6. Click Create.

With the OAuth app created, you can copy the service account’s generated token and use it to authorize Instabase API requests.

Service account access and permissions

You can grant service accounts access and permisions in the same way you would any user account, including:

• Enabling the site admin status. Simply turn on the Site admin toggle in the account’s row of the Service accounts list.

• Assigning specific site permissions, app permissions, or space and subspace access to the service account. The process is the same as for user accounts.

• Adding the service account to a group so that the account inherits the group’s access and permissions. The process is the same as for adding user accounts to groups.

Disable or deactivate service accounts

You can disable or deactivate a service account at any time. Service accounts can’t be deleted.

When a service account is disabled or deactivated, the account remains in the service accounts list but can no longer authenticate any API calls. When a service account is deactivated, it’s also removed from any previously assigned groups, spaces, or subspaces.

If a disabled service account is reactivated, the account’s access is the same as previously configured. If a deactivated service account is reactivated, it does not automatically regain previously granted access permissions.

To disable a service account:

1. From the Admin app, select Service accounts.

2. Click the three-dot icon in the account’s row of the Service accounts list.

3. Click Disable.

4. Click Disable.

To deactivate a service account:

1. From the Admin app, select Service accounts.

2. Click the three-dot icon in the account’s row of the Service accounts list.

3. Click Disable.

4. Select Also delete all ACLs for {account}.

5. Click Deactivate.

To reactivate a disabled or deactivated service account:

1. From the Admin app, select Service accounts.

2. Click the three-dot icon in the account’s row of the Service accounts list.

3. Click Reactivate.

4. Click Reactivate.