This article explains the three steps required to give an external user access to an AODocs Portal. Each step can be performed manually or automated through scripts.

Automatically generated table of contents

Step 1: Add user to the domain allowlist

External users must be allowlisted before they can access any portal on your domain.

Manual method

Use the domain administration interface. Learn more

Automated method

Use a custom script in your workflow:

DomainAdministrationService das = getDomainAdministrationService();
das.allowlistEmail(recipientEmail, "Added for portal: " + documentTitle);

Note: By default, granting access to external users automatically is  blocked ; contact our sales teams sales@aodocs.com to enable it on your tenant.

Note: Users already in your organization (Google Workspace or Azure AD) don't need allowlisting—they can sign in with SSO. Users outside your organization will also be able to use their own azure or google SSO as long as they are whitelisted on the domain (the permissions will apply based on the email provided.

Step 2: Add user to library security

The user needs a role in your library that defines their maximum permission level.

Manual method

Add the user in library security settings. Learn more

Automated method

Use a custom script:

PermissionService ps = getPermissionService();
String contributorRole = ps.getContributorRole();
ps.addLibraryUser(recipientEmail, contributorRole);

Step 3: Set document-level permissions

Finally, grant the user specific access to the portal document and any related documents. These permissions can be inherited from the class, set by the worfklows you configured, or any other methods available ; 

Learn more:

• Share documents in Document Management libraries
• Configure inherited permissions in document classes

Best practices for access control

Create an "External Users" role

Makes it easy to track and manage all external access.

Use Read-only on the portal itself

Grant Write only on related documents for document requests.

Add a validation workflow

Require approval before external access is granted to sensitive content.

Set expiration dates

Automatically revoke access after a specified date.

Next steps

You've configured access for external users. Now learn what they'll experience when using the portal and how to track their activity.

Portal user experience and audit — Discover the features available to external users, their authentication journey, and how to monitor portal activity through audit logs.