Skip to main content
Version: Next (nightly)

Invites and signups

A person gets an account on your instance one of two ways: open public signup, or a single-use invite link you hand out.

  1. Open signup (PUBLIC_SIGNUP_ENABLED=true) just long enough to create your own account.
  2. Close it (PUBLIC_SIGNUP_ENABLED=false), then docker compose up -d.
  3. Add everyone else by invite from the Invites tab.

The signup gate​

PUBLIC_SIGNUP_ENABLED controls whether anyone can register from the login page.

PUBLIC_SIGNUP_ENABLED=true

Turn it off once your account exists, then docker compose up -d:

PUBLIC_SIGNUP_ENABLED=false
  • Default: closed. In a production deploy it defaults to closed when the variable is unset, which is the safe default for a box that might be reachable from outside.
  • The setup builder sets it to true so first-run registration works.
  • Confirm the mode in the Instance settings section of the console, which shows the current state under public_signup, without reading the file.

Single-use invites​

The Invites tab mints a link that lets one new person register their own account and their own fresh workspace, even while public signup is off. Each link is single-use.

When you mint one you can:

  • Lock it to an email so only that address can redeem it.
  • Add a note for your own reference.
  • Set an expiry in days (1 to 365).

After minting:

  • Locked to an email, with an email sender configured: the join link is sent straight to that address.
  • Otherwise the link is shown to you once, at mint time. It is a credential, so copy it then, hand it over yourself, and keep the expiry short.
  • Revoke any invite that has not been used yet, which makes the link stop working immediately.
  • The list below the form shows every invite with a status of open, consumed, expired, or revoked, plus who redeemed it.

Letting owners invite​

By default only the operator mints invites. COBBLR_SELF_SERVE_INVITES opens a second path. Turn it on only when you want that kind of growth:

COBBLR_SELF_SERVE_INVITES=true
  • With it on, a regular workspace owner can generate a "start your own workspace" link for someone else.
  • Each invitee becomes an owner who can then invite more, so it defaults to closed in production.

The waitlist​

If you point a public signup form at your instance, submissions land in the Waitlist tab.

  • Approving an entry mints an invite locked to that email (emailed when a sender is configured) and marks the row invited.
  • Dismissing declines it.
  • On an instance you run for yourself or a known group, this tab stays empty.