Users
In FS PBX, a User is a person’s login to the web dashboard. Users control who can sign in, what they can see, and what they’re allowed to change.
A User is not the same thing as an Extension.
What a User is (plain English)
A User is used for:
-
Logging into the FS PBX web UI
-
Managing settings based on permissions/roles
-
Accessing user features (depending on your setup), like:
- voicemail UI
- call history / recordings access
- admin pages (extensions, routing, devices, etc.)
Think: User = web account + permissions.
Users vs Extensions (most common confusion)
Extension
- A phone account used for calling (SIP registration)
- Has things like: extension number, voicemail box, call routing settings
- Phones and softphones register using extension credentials
User
- A dashboard login for a person (admin, receptionist, manager, agent, etc.)
- Has things like: username/email, password, permissions, domain access
- Does not need to exist for calling to work
In many setups, you link them together:
- One User ↔ one Extension (common) But they don’t have to be 1:1.
Do I need to create a User for every phone/extension?
No. You only need a User if someone needs to:
- log into the FS PBX dashboard, or
- use web features that require authentication
If a phone is configured manually (or via provisioning) and only needs to place/receive calls, it can work fine with just an Extension.
Why Users matter in a multi-tenant system (Domains)
FS PBX is multi-tenant, so Users are typically tied to:
- a specific Domain (tenant/company), and
- a set of permissions
This prevents customer A from seeing or editing customer B’s PBX data.
Common types of Users
- Domain Admin: manages their own company (extensions, routing, voicemail settings, etc.)
- Receptionist / Manager: limited access (directory, call history, recordings, etc.)
- Call Center Supervisor / Agent: queue tools and reporting (if enabled)
- System Admin: manages the whole platform across Domains (service provider role)
What you typically do with Users
- Create the User
- name, email/username
- password (or invite flow, depending on your setup)
- Assign permissions / role
- what menus they can access
- what actions they can perform (view/edit/delete/etc.)
- Assign Domain access
- most users belong to one Domain
- system admins may access multiple Domains
- (Optional) Link a User to an Extension
- convenient for “My Extension” style features
- helps map a dashboard user to a calling identity