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User Management

Manage users and permissions in your self-hosted BillManager instance.

Administration Access​

Only users with the admin role can access user and Bill Group administration:

  1. Log in as an admin user
  2. Click Admin in the header
  3. Select the Users or Bill Groups tab

Inviting Users​

The recommended way to add users is via email invitations:

  1. Go to Admin → Users
  2. Click Invite User
  3. Enter the user's email address
  4. Select their role (User or Admin)
  5. Select which Bill Groups they should access
  6. Click Send Invitation

The invited user will:

  1. Receive an email with an invitation link
  2. Click the link to create their account
  3. Set their own username and password
  4. Gain access to the selected Bill Groups
Email Required

The "Invite User" button only appears when email is configured. See Email Setup for configuration instructions.

User Roles​

RolePermissions
UserAccess assigned Bill Groups, manage own bills and payments
AdminAll User permissions + access to the Users and Bill Groups tabs

Managing Existing Users​

Edit User Access​

  1. Go to Admin → Users
  2. Click the Edit icon next to a user
  3. Modify their email address
  4. Change their role (User or Admin)
  5. Add or remove Bill Group access
  6. Click Save Changes
Changing User Roles

You can promote a User to Admin or demote an Admin to User at any time. Role changes take effect immediately on their next action.

Delete a User​

  1. Go to Admin → Users
  2. Click the Delete icon next to a user
  3. Confirm the deletion
warning

Deleting a user is permanent. BillManager cleans up dependent authentication, sharing, ownership, and audit records instead of leaving orphaned data. Review the confirmation carefully and take a backup before removing an account that owns important bills or Bill Groups.

Managing Pending Invitations​

If a user hasn't accepted their invitation:

  1. Go to Admin → Users
  2. View the Pending Invitations section
  3. Cancel invitations if needed by clicking the X icon

Invitation links expire after 7 days by default.

Bill Group Access​

Users can only see bills in Bill Groups they have access to:

  1. Create Bill Groups in Admin → Bill Groups
  2. When inviting or editing users, select appropriate Bill Groups
  3. Users will only see bills from their assigned groups

Creating Users Without Email​

If email is not configured, you can still create users directly from the Admin Panel.

Direct User Creation​

When email is not configured, the Admin Panel shows a Create User button instead of "Invite User":

  1. Go to Admin → Users
  2. Click Create User
  3. Enter the user's information:
    • Username: 3-32 characters, letters/numbers/underscores/hyphens only
    • Email: Optional (for reference and future use)
    • Password: Minimum 8 characters with uppercase, lowercase, and number
    • Role: User or Admin
  4. Select which Bill Groups they should access
  5. Click Create User

The user can immediately log in with the credentials you provided.

Password Security

When creating users this way:

  • Use a temporary password and have the user change it immediately
  • Communicate passwords securely (not via unencrypted email or messaging)
  • Have users change their password via Profile → Change Password after first login

If email is configured (see Email Setup), email invitations are the recommended method:

  1. Go to Admin → Users
  2. Click Invite User
  3. Enter the user's email address
  4. Select role and Bill Group access
  5. Click Send Invitation

The user receives an email link to set their own username and password.

Which Method Should I Use?

Email Invitations (Recommended):

  • ✅ More secure - users set their own credentials
  • ✅ Audit trail via email delivery
  • ✅ User controls their own password
  • ✅ No need to communicate passwords

Direct Creation:

  • ✅ Works without email configuration
  • ✅ Faster onboarding
  • ⚠️ Requires secure password communication
  • ⚠️ Admin knows user's initial password

Social Login Auto-Registration​

If you've configured Social Login, users can create accounts by signing in with a social provider. If you enable OAUTH_AUTO_REGISTER=true:

  • A new user account is created automatically on first social login
  • The username is derived from the provider email address
  • The user gets the default user role
  • An admin must still grant them access to Bill Groups

Set OAUTH_AUTO_REGISTER=false if you want to manually create all accounts and only allow existing users to link social providers.

Enabling Public Registration (Advanced)​

As an alternative for trusted networks, you can temporarily enable self-registration:

environment:
  - ENABLE_REGISTRATION=true
  - REQUIRE_EMAIL_VERIFICATION=false  # Only if email not configured

After users register, disable registration again:

environment:
  - ENABLE_REGISTRATION=false

This allows users to create their own accounts without admin intervention, but should only be used on private networks or temporarily.