--- source_url: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/sdks/c-sharp/api-reference/access-manager-v2 title: Access Manager v2 API for C# SDK updated_at: 2026-05-22T11:06:02.185Z sdk_name: PubNub C# SDK sdk_version: 8.2.0 --- > Documentation Index > For a curated overview of PubNub documentation, see: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/llms.txt > For the full list of all documentation pages, see: https://www.pubnub.com/docs/llms-full.txt # Access Manager v2 API for C# SDK PubNub C# SDK, use the latest version: 8.2.0 Install: ```bash dotnet add package PubNub@8.2.0 ``` Access Manager extends PubNub's existing security framework by allowing developers to create and enforce secure access to channels and channel groups throughout the PubNub Real-Time Network. As soon as Access Manager is enabled, no pub/sub-operations can be done without first explicitly providing an authorization token to the PubNub object. If an invalid token is provided, the requesting client will receive a Forbidden Error. Learn more about Access Manager [here](https://www.pubnub.com/docs/general/security/access-control-v2). ## Grant :::note Requires Access Manager add-on This method requires that the *Access Manager* add-on is enabled for your key in the [Admin Portal](https://admin.pubnub.com/). Read the [support page](https://support.pubnub.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051974791-How-do-I-enable-add-on-features-for-my-keys-) on enabling add-on features on your keys. ::: This function establishes access permissions for Access Manager by setting the `read` or `write` attribute to `true`. A `grant` with `read` or `write` set to `false` (or not included) will revoke any previous grants with `read` or `write` set to `true`. Permissions can be applied to any one of three levels: 1. Application level privileges are based on `SubscribeKey` applying to all associated channels. 2. Channel level privileges are based on a combination of `SubscribeKey` and `channel` name. 3. User level privileges are based on the combination of `SubscribeKey`, `channel` and `AuthKeys`. :::warning NTP configuration For NTP synchronization, please ensure that you have configured NTP on your server to keep the clock in sync. This is to prevent system clock drift leading to 400 `Invalid Timestamp` error response. Read the [support article](https://support.pubnub.com/hc/en-us/articles/360051973331-Why-do-I-get-Invalid-Timestamp-when-I-try-to-grant-permission-using-Access-Manager-) for more details. ::: #### Wildcard permissions Wildcard notation allows you to grant permissions to multiple channels at a time and later revoke these permissions in the same manner. You can only go one level deep using wildcards. In other words: * `a.*` grants access on all channels that begin with `a.`. * `*` or `a.b.*` won't work this way. If you grant on `*` or `a.b.*`, the grant treats `*` or `a.b.*` as a channel name, not a wildcard. :::warning Wildcard revokes You can revoke permissions with wildcards from one level deep, like `a.*`, only when you initially used wildcards to grant permissions to `a.*`. ::: #### How Access Manager rules are evaluated When a user attempts to access a PubNub resource, Access Manager will evaluate any existing rules using the following order of precedence before access to a channel is granted to the user: 1. Application Level - Access Manager privileges are always evaluated first at the Application level. If either read or write attribute is set to true for a SubscribeKey, Access Manager will immediately grant access for that attribute without proceeding to check permissions at either Channel or User levels. If an attribute is set to false at the Application level, Access Manager proceeds to evaluate the attribute at the next most granular level. Use application level grants with cautionWhen access is granted on an application level, all channels and users will have access.Application level grants can also happen due to a bug in your code. For example, Null parameters for channels and auth-keys can cause accidental application level grants. 2. Channel Level - After first verifying an attribute at the Application level, Access Manager evaluates the attribute at the Channel level. If an attribute is set to true for a combination of SubscribeKey and channel, Access Manager grants access for that attribute at the Channel level without proceeding to check whether there may be user level permissions. 3. User Level - As a final step Access Manager evaluates the attributes at the User level. If an attribute is set to true for SubscribeKey, channel and AuthKeys, access is granted for that attribute. :::note grant method default If an argument of the `grant` is not provided, an expected default will be assumed. * `read` and `write` arguments default to `false` * no `AuthKeys` results in `channel-level` grant * no `channel` results in `application-level` grant ::: **No Permissions** - If no permissions were granted at any of the three levels, the user will be denied access to the PubNub resource and receive a 403 error message. This is the default behavior for a Access Manager enabled application. :::note Privileges hierarchy Note that privileges specifically granted to an application's `SubscribeKey` always take precedence over privileges granted to `channel` or `AuthKeys`. Therefore an application that requires authentication at the `user`level should not grant access at either the `Application` or `Channel` levels. ::: #### Related behavior * **History** To access historical messages you must grant full `read` access at either the `SubscribeKey` or `channel` level. Note that you must grant `read` access to each channel in a channel group individually. When a user has the appropriate permissions they can access any data stored. If they do not have access a `403` will be returned by Access Manager. * **Presence** To grant access to Presence for a particular channel name you must also allow `read` and `write` access to the presence `channel` name which is specified by adding the `-pnpres` suffix to the name. Also note that a `leave` will fail in the case where a user's grant expires while connected. An HTTP `403` will be returned. * **APNS** Standard permissions are required for publishing. #### Duration of permissions The duration of permission set with `Grant()` are controlled by setting a time-to-live(`TTL`). If a `TTL` is not specified it is automatically set to `1440` minutes by default. Once the `TTL` associated with an entry in Access Manager has expired, the `read` and `write` attributes are immediately set to `false` for that entry in the Access Manager table. :::warning Requests size Access Manager grant or revoke requests must be less than ~32KB at a time, or the client will return an error. For requests greater than 32KB, break them into smaller batched requests. ::: :::warning Maximum message size When the message size exceeds 32KB the server returns the HTTP Error code 500, instead of the correct error code 414. ::: :::note Maximum number of channels The limit on the total amount of `channels` that you can pass at once when using `Grant()` is `200`. ::: ### Method(s) To `Grant Permissions on a Channel` you can use the following method(s) in the C# SDK: ```csharp pubnub.Grant().Uuids(Array).Channels(Array).ChannelGroups(Array).AuthKeys(Array).Get(bool).Update(bool).Join(bool).Write(bool).Read(bool).Delete(bool).Manage(bool).TTL(long).QueryParam(Dictionary) ``` | Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Uuids | Array | Optional | | Specifies a list of `uuids` on which to `grant` permissions. You can't grant permissions to channels and channel groups in the same request if you decide to use `uuids`. This parameter does **not** support wildcards. | | Channels | Array | Optional | | Specifies the `channels` on which to `grant` permissions. If no `channels/channelGroups` are specified, then the `grant` applies to any and all `channels/channelGroups` that have been or will be created for that `publish/subscribe` key set. Furthermore, any existing or future grants on specific `channels` are ignored, until the `all channels` grant is revoked. It is possible to `grant` permissions to multiple `channels` simultaneously.Wildcard notation like `a.*` can be used to `grant` access on channels. You can `grant` one level deep. a.* - you can grant on this., * and a.b.* - grant will not work on these levels. If you grant on * or a.b.*, the grant will treat * or a.b.* as a single channel named either * or a.b.*. | | ChannelGroups | Array | Optional | | Specifies the `channelGroups` to `grant` permissions. If no `channels/channelGroups` are specified, then the `grant` applies to any and all `channels/channelGroups` that have been or will be created for that `publish/subscribe` key set. Furthermore, any existing or future grants on specific `channelGroups` are ignored, until the `all channelGroups` grant is revoked. It is possible to `grant` permissions to multiple `channelGroups` simultaneously. This parameter does **not** support wildcards. | | AuthKeys | Array | Optional | | Specifies `auth` Key to grant permissions. It is possible to specify multiple `auth` keys. You can also grant access to a single `auth` key for multiple `channels` at the same time. Zero or more `channels` with zero or more `auth` tokens are allowed. | | Get | bool | Optional | | `Get` permission. | | Update | bool | Optional | | `Update` permission. | | Join | bool | Optional | | `Join` permission. | | Write | bool | Optional | | `Write` permission. | | Read | bool | Optional | | `Read` permission. | | Delete | bool | Optional | | `Delete` permission. | | Manage | bool | Optional | | `Manage` permission. | | TTL | long | Optional | | `Time to live` for permission to be valid | | QueryParam | Dictionary`. | ### Sample code #### Grant Access Manager permissions for channel and AuthKeys ```csharp using PubnubApi; //Create configuration PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId")) { SubscribeKey = "demo", PublishKey = "demo" }; //Create a new PubNub instance Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration); PNResult grantResponse = await pubnub.Grant() .Channels(new string[]{ //channels to allow grant on "ch1", "ch2", "ch3" }) .ChannelGroups(new string[] { // groups to allow grant on "cg1", "cg2", "cg3" }) .AuthKeys(new string[] { // the keys we are provisioning "key1", "key2", "key3" }) .Write(true) // allow those keys to write (false by default) .Manage(true) // allow those keys to manage channel groups (false by default) .Read(true) // allow keys to read the subscribe feed (false by default) .Delete(true) // allow those keys to delete the subscribe feed (false by default) .TTL(12337) // how long those keys will remain valid (0 for eternity) .ExecuteAsync(); PNAccessManagerGrantResult grantResult = grantResponse.Result; PNStatus status = grantResponse.Status; //PNAccessManagerGrantResult is a parsed and abstracted response from server ``` ### Returns The `Grant()` operation returns a `PNResult` which contains the following properties: | Property Name | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | `Result` | PNAccessManagerGrantResult | Returns a `PNAccessManagerGrantResult` object. | | `Status` | PNStatus | Returns a `PNStatus` object. | `PNAccessManagerGrantResult` contains the following properties: | Property Name | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | `Level` | string | Subkey or `channel` level. | | `Ttl` | int | `Ttl` of `grant`. | | `SubscribeKey` | string | The `SubscribeKey`. | | `Channels` | `Dictionary>` | Access rights per `channel`. See [PNAccessManagerKeyData](#pnaccessmanagerkeydata) for more details. | | `ChannelGroups` | `Dictionary>` | Access rights per `channel group`. See [PNAccessManagerKeyData](#pnaccessmanagerkeydata) for more details. | #### PNAccessManagerKeyData | Property Name | Type | Description | | --- | --- | --- | | `ReadEnabled` | bool | `true` if the user has `read` rights. | | `WriteEnabled` | bool | `true` if the user has `write` rights. | | `DeleteEnabled` | bool | `true` if the user has `delete` rights. | | `ManageEnabled` | bool | `true` if the user has `manage` rights. | ### Other examples #### Grant Access Manager permissions for channel and AuthKeys synchronously ```csharp using PubnubApi; //Create configuration PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId")) { SubscribeKey = "demo", PublishKey = "demo" }; //Create a new PubNub instance Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration); pubnub.Grant() .Channels(new string[]{ //channels to allow grant on "ch1", "ch2", "ch3" }) .ChannelGroups(new string[] { // groups to allow grant on "cg1", "cg2", "cg3" }) .AuthKeys(new string[] { // the keys we are provisioning "key1", "key2", "key3" }) .Write(true) // allow those keys to write (false by default) .Manage(true) // allow those keys to manage channel groups (false by default) .Read(true) // allow keys to read the subscribe feed (false by default) .Delete(true) // allow those keys to delete the subscribe feed (false by default) .TTL(12337) // how long those keys will remain valid (0 for eternity) .Execute(new PNAccessManagerGrantResultExt( (result, status) => { //PNAccessManagerGrantResult is a parsed and abstracted response from server } )); ``` #### Grant subscribe access to a channel only for clients with a specific AuthKeys with a 5 minute ttl ```csharp using PubnubApi; //Create configuration PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId")) { SubscribeKey = "demo", PublishKey = "demo" }; //Create a new PubNub instance Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration); PNResult grantResponse = await pubnub.Grant() .Channels(new string[] { "my_channel" }) .Write(false) .Read(true) .Delete(false) .AuthKeys(new string[] { "my_ro_authkey" }) .TTL(5) .ExecuteAsync(); PNAccessManagerGrantResult grantResult = grantResponse.Result; PNStatus status = grantResponse.Status; //PNAccessManagerGrantResult is a parsed and abstracted response from server ``` The above code would return the following response to the client: ```json { "status" : 200, "message" : "Success", "payload" : { "ttl" : 5, "auths" : { "my_ro_authkey" : { "r" : 1, "w" : 0, "d" : 0 } }, "subscribe_key" : "my_subkey", "level" : "user", "channel" : "my_channel" }, "service" : "Access Manager" } ``` #### Allow access to a specific channel for Presence ```csharp using PubnubApi; //Create configuration PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId")) { SubscribeKey = "demo", PublishKey = "demo" }; //Create a new PubNub instance Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration); PNResult grantResponse = await pubnub.Grant() .Channels(new string[] { "my_channel-pnpres" }) .Write(true) .Read(true) .Delete(true) .ExecuteAsync(); PNAccessManagerGrantResult grantResult = grantResponse.Result; PNStatus status = grantResponse.Status; //PNAccessManagerGrantResult is a parsed and abstracted response from server ``` #### Grant Access Manager permissions for channel group ```csharp using PubnubApi; //Create configuration PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId")) { SubscribeKey = "demo", PublishKey = "demo" }; //Create a new PubNub instance Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration); PNResult grantResponse = await pubnub.Grant() .ChannelGroups(new string[] { "cg1", "cg2", "cg3" }) .AuthKeys(new string[] { "key1", "key2", "key3" }) .Write(true) .Manage(true) .Read(true) .Delete(true) .TTL(12337) .ExecuteAsync(); PNAccessManagerGrantResult grantResult = grantResponse.Result; PNStatus status = grantResponse.Status; //PNAccessManagerGrantResult is a parsed and abstracted response from server ``` The above code would return the following response to the client: ```json { "status":200, "message":"Success", "payload":{ "ttl":5, "auths":{ "my_rw_authkey":{ "r":1, "w":1, "d":1 } }, "subscribe_key":"my_subkey", "level":"user", "channel":"my_channel" }, "service":"Access Manager" } ``` #### Grant get, update, and delete access to a uuid only for clients with a specific AuthKeys with a 24 hrs ttl ```csharp using PubnubApi; //Create configuration PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId")) { SubscribeKey = "demo", PublishKey = "demo" }; //Create a new PubNub instance Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration); PNResult grantResponse = await pubnub.Grant() .Uuids(new string[] { "my_uuid" }) .Get(true) .Update(true) .Delete(true) .AuthKeys(new string[] { "my_ro_authkey" }) .TTL(1440) .ExecuteAsync(); PNAccessManagerGrantResult grantResult = grantResponse.Result; PNStatus status = grantResponse.Status; //PNAccessManagerGrantResult is a parsed and abstracted response from server ``` #### Application level grant :::warning Use application level grants with caution When access is granted on an application level, `all channels and users` will have access. Application level grants can also happen due to a bug in your code. *For example, Null parameters for channels and auth-keys can cause accidental application level grants.* ::: ```csharp using PubnubApi; //Create configuration PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId")) { SubscribeKey = "demo", PublishKey = "demo" }; //Create a new PubNub instance Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration); PNResult grantResponse = await pubnub.Grant() .Write(true) .Read(true) .Delete(true) .ExecuteAsync(); PNAccessManagerGrantResult grantResult = grantResponse.Result; PNStatus status = grantResponse.Status; //PNAccessManagerGrantResult is a parsed and abstracted response from server ``` #### Channel level grant ```csharp using PubnubApi; //Create configuration PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId")) { SubscribeKey = "demo", PublishKey = "demo" }; //Create a new PubNub instance Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration); PNResult grantResponse = await pubnub.Grant() .Channels(new string[] { "my_channel" }) .Write(true) .Read(true) .Delete(true) .ExecuteAsync(); PNAccessManagerGrantResult grantResult = grantResponse.Result; PNStatus status = grantResponse.Status; //PNAccessManagerGrantResult is a parsed and abstracted response from server ``` #### User level grant ```csharp using PubnubApi; //Create configuration PNConfiguration pnConfiguration = new PNConfiguration(new UserId("myUniqueUserId")) { SubscribeKey = "demo", PublishKey = "demo" }; //Create a new PubNub instance Pubnub pubnub = new Pubnub(pnConfiguration); PNResult grantResponse = await pubnub.Grant() .Channels(new string[] { "my_channel" }) .Write(true) .Read(true) .Delete(true) .AuthKeys(new string[]{ "my_authkey" }) .TTL(5) .ExecuteAsync(); PNAccessManagerGrantResult grantResult = grantResponse.Result; PNStatus status = grantResponse.Status; //PNAccessManagerGrantResult is a parsed and abstracted response from server ```