Outline. Managing users

This article covers operations on the VPN user list: how the list is organized, how to get the connection link, edit a user, temporarily disable, or delete one. The minimum "install the module and connect the first device" scenario is described in Outline quick start; here we go into more detail.

Unlike Amnezia and Xray, Outline in BeAdmin has no licence limit on users — create as many as you need, with no payment per slot. Each account gets its own access key in the ss://… format.

The users list

The list opens on the Outline module page by default and shows every created user with their current state. To create a new user, click Create user above the list.

Each user is a separate row that expands on click. Collapsed, it shows the name, the email address (if provided), and the Enabled toggle for temporary deactivation. User actions become available when the row is expanded: click it to expand.

When there are no users yet

Right after the install the list is empty: the panel shows an Empty for now card with an invitation to create the first user and a Create user button. Once the first user is created, the card disappears and a regular list takes its place.

The expanded user row

The expanded row is where a user gets the access key for a device and where the actions on the user live.

QR code and access key

Right under the avatar the row shows a QR code — it carries the access key in the ss://… format (a standard Shadowsocks SIP002 URI understood by the official Outline client and any Shadowsocks-compatible app). Show this QR code to the user on screen so they scan it with their device's camera — or save the image file with the QR code button and forward it any convenient way. The Link button copies the same ss://… string to the clipboard. If you opened the panel on the very device you'll be connecting from — just copy the link directly: the panel places it on the clipboard, and you can paste it into the client without a camera.

A .conf file is not used with Outline — clients accept only the ss://… access key or a QR code carrying it.

Emailing the key

The Email button sends the access key to the address from the user's record. Available when SMTP is configured in the panel and the user has an email address set. Otherwise the button is disabled — the tooltip will say exactly what's missing: SMTP isn't configured, or no address is set.

Editing and deleting

The Edit button opens the dialog with the user settings (details — in Editing a user). The Delete button starts the deletion — see Deleting a user.

Email and comment tiles

Below the buttons are tiles with the user's email and comment, if they are filled in. The fields themselves are edited in the Edit user dialog.

When SMTP is not configured

When SMTP is off, the expanded row shows a hint Sending email is not configured on the server. with a Go to settings link — it leads to the panel's system settings, where the SMTP relay is enabled. Until the relay is configured, the Email button stays disabled; copying the key and saving the QR code work regardless. For details on configuring the relay, see How to set up an SMTP relay for sending email.

Creating a user

The minimum scenario is described in Outline quick start: open the dialog with the Create user button in the list header. All the fields in the dialog are optional — the form can be submitted fully empty, and the panel will generate a username and issue the access key right away. If you want to set the name yourself, 2 to 32 characters are allowed — Latin letters, digits, and hyphens — and the name must be unique across existing accounts. Email is needed only for sending the access key by mail; Comment is a free-form label up to 64 characters for easier navigation in the list; User language is the language of the email with the link, English by default. The Enabled toggle in the dialog footer controls the user's state right after creation.

⚠️ ISP restrictions

Traffic encryption makes a VPN a reliable way to protect a connection, but in some countries and regions internet providers actively interfere with VPN protocols. Because of this, full availability of the service cannot be guaranteed — regardless of the connection type. If one protocol does not work for you, try another VPN module available in the panel. If none of them work on your network, contact support and we will issue a refund for the license.

Editing a user

In the expanded row click Edit — the Edit user dialog opens.

The dialog lets you change:

• Email and Comment — edited by the same rules as on creation. To clear a value, leave the field empty and save: the panel will wipe it on the server.
• User language — the language of the email with the access key. Default — English.
• Enabled — the toggle in the dialog footer, which lets you temporarily turn the account off without deleting it.

The username in this dialog is read-only — an existing user cannot be renamed. The Save button is active only when something in the form has changed compared to the current state.

Enabling and disabling a user

The user row has a toggle — one tap enables or disables the account without opening a dialog. On disable, the user's key is removed from the Outline server configuration, and new connections under it stop being established automatically — a service restart isn't needed for that.

On re-enable the key is not reissued: the same ss://… string already saved in the client app works again — no need to reimport the key on the device. But if the link could have ended up in the wrong hands, disabling is not enough — delete the user and create a new one, and a fresh access key is issued.

ℹ️ Why disable instead of delete

Disabling is useful if the user's device is temporarily unavailable, or you need to pause access without losing the settings: the account stays in the list, and on re-enable the same key works again without reimport. If you don't plan to bring the user back, or the key is compromised, choose delete.

Deleting a user

In the expanded row click Delete. The panel asks for confirmation in the Delete user dialog, which names the account being deleted and notes that the access key will be revoked and active connections dropped.

‼️ Deleting a user is irreversible

After confirmation the account is deleted and the access key is lost for good. The ss://… string added to a client app stops working. The user cannot be restored "as it was" — even if you create a new one with the same name, the access key will be different, and the server has to be added in the client app from scratch.

What's next

• Outline quick start — installing the module and the first connection.
• Outline. Managing the module — managing the service, updating, and uninstalling the module.
• How to set up an SMTP relay for sending email — so you can email users the access key.