Skip to main content

​
Overview

Stardeck provides flexible access control that separates who can manage your project from who can use your deployed application. This guide explains how to invite team members, assign roles, and control access to both your project in Stardeck and your live deployed application.

​
Access Level Hierarchy

​
Organization Members

Users who are part of your organization automatically have full access to all projects within that organization. They can:
  • Manage project settings and code
  • Deploy and publish changes
  • Invite additional project members
  • Access all deployments as administrators

​
Project Members

You can invite specific users to individual projects with customized access levels. This is perfect for:
  • External contractors who need access to specific projects
  • Clients who should preview or use the deployed app
  • Team members who aren’t part of your organization

​
Public Pages (Default)

By default, anyone on the internet can access the public pages of your deployed application without signing in. This includes landing pages, marketing content, and any routes you’ve made publicly accessible in your application code.

​
Available Roles

When inviting project members, you can assign one of three roles depending on their needs:

​
Project Editor

Full control over the project in Stardeck Project Editors have complete access to manage the project within the Stardeck platform:
  • Modify project settings and configuration
  • Access and edit the codebase
  • Create and manage branches
  • Deploy changes
  • Invite and manage other project members
  • Sign in to the deployed application with admin privileges
Use cases:
  • External developers or contractors working on the project
  • Freelancers who need full project access without joining your organization
  • Partner agencies collaborating on development

​
Deployment Admin

Administrative access to your deployed application Deployment Admins can sign in to your live deployed application as administrators, but cannot modify the project in Stardeck:
  • Sign in to the deployed app with admin-level privileges
  • Access admin panels and features in your application
  • Manage users and content within the deployed app
  • No access to project settings or code in Stardeck
Use cases:
  • Clinic owner managing their booking system
  • Store manager overseeing inventory and orders
  • Client administrators who operate the application
  • Business owners who need admin access to their deployed app

​
Deployment User

Regular user access to your deployed application Deployment Users can sign in to your live application as regular users:
  • Create accounts and sign in to the deployed app
  • Access user-level features and functionality
  • No access to admin features
  • No access to project settings in Stardeck
Use cases:
  • Test users for QA and feedback
  • Beta testers evaluating specific features
  • Clients who need to preview the app as end users
  • Customers using a demo or early access version

​
Understanding the Access Flow

​
Public vs. Authenticated Access

Public Pages (No Sign-In Required)
  • By default, anyone can visit your deployed application’s public pages
  • No authentication needed for marketing pages, landing pages, or public content
  • Your application code controls which routes are public
Authenticated Access (Sign-In Required)
  • The member roles system controls who can sign in to your application
  • Different roles provide different levels of access within your app
  • This separation protects sensitive features and admin functionality

​
How Access is Determined

When someone tries to access your project or application, Stardeck checks access in this order:
  1. Project-Level Access (Stardeck Platform)
    • Organization members can manage all projects in their org
    • Project Editors can manage the specific projects they’re invited to
    • Access to Stardeck dashboard, settings, code, and deployments
  2. Deployment-Level Access (Your Live Application)
    • Deployment Admins sign in with administrative privileges
    • Deployment Users sign in with regular user privileges
    • Access is to your deployed application, not the Stardeck platform
  3. Public User Access (Optional Setting)
    • When enabled in project settings, any Stardeck user can create accounts
    • They automatically get regular user-level access to your deployed app
    • Perfect for open applications or public beta testing

​
Managing Project Members

​
Adding New Members

  1. Navigate to your project in the Stardeck dashboard
  2. Go to Settings → Members tab
  3. Enter the user’s email address
  4. Select the appropriate role for their needs
  5. Click Add Member
Important: The user must already have a Stardeck account. If they don’t, they’ll need to sign up at stardeck.ai first.

​
Updating Member Roles

You can change a member’s role at any time:
  1. Go to Settings → Members
  2. Find the member in the list
  3. Select a new role from the dropdown
  4. The change takes effect immediately

​
Removing Members

To revoke access:
  1. Go to Settings → Members
  2. Find the member you want to remove
  3. Click the Remove button
  4. Confirm the removal
The user will immediately lose access to the project and/or deployed application.

​
Enabling Public User Access

To allow anyone with a Stardeck account to use your deployed app:
  1. Go to Settings → General
  2. Toggle Allow Public User Access to enabled
  3. Save your changes
When enabled, any Stardeck user can sign in to your deployed application with regular user privileges.

​
Common Scenarios

​
Scenario 1: Hiring an External Developer

Situation: You’re hiring a freelance developer to work on a specific project, but you don’t want to add them to your organization. Solution: Invite them as a Project Editor
  • They get full access to manage and develop the project
  • They can deploy changes and test the application
  • They don’t have access to other projects in your organization
  • Easy to remove when the contract ends

​
Scenario 2: Building a Clinic Management System

Situation: You’ve built a booking system for a medical clinic. The clinic owner needs to manage appointments and patient records. Solution:
  • Invite the clinic owner as a Deployment Admin
  • They can sign in to the deployed app with admin privileges
  • They can manage bookings, staff schedules, and settings
  • They cannot modify the underlying code or project settings
  • Their patients can book appointments through public pages or as Deployment Users

​
Scenario 3: Client Wants to Test Before Launch

Situation: Your client wants to test the application as an end user before the official launch. Solution: Invite them as a Deployment User
  • They can sign in and use the app like a regular customer
  • They experience exactly what end users will see
  • They cannot access admin features or make configuration changes
  • Perfect for UAT (User Acceptance Testing)

​
Scenario 4: Public SaaS Application

Situation: You’re launching a SaaS product where anyone should be able to sign up and use the application. Solution: Enable Public User Access
  • Anyone with a Stardeck account can create accounts and sign in
  • They get regular user-level access automatically
  • You can still invite specific users as Deployment Admins for elevated access
  • Public marketing pages remain accessible without any sign-in

​
Scenario 5: Agency Working on Multiple Client Projects

Situation: Your agency manages projects for multiple clients. You want developers to access all projects, but clients to only see theirs. Solution:
  • Add your developers as organization members (full access to all projects)
  • Invite each client as a Deployment Admin to their specific project
  • Clients can manage their deployed applications
  • Clients cannot access other clients’ projects
  • Clean separation of concerns

​
Frequently Asked Questions

​
Can I add someone who’s already in my organization as a project member?

No, organization members automatically have access to all projects in the organization with full privileges. You don’t need to add them as project members.

​
What happens if I remove someone from a project?

They immediately lose access to both the project in Stardeck and the deployed application. Any active sessions will be invalidated.

​
Can a Deployment User see my code or project settings?

No, Deployment Users can only sign in to your deployed application as regular users. They cannot access the Stardeck platform, your code, or any project settings.

​
What’s the difference between Project Editor and Deployment Admin?

  • Project Editor: Can modify the project in Stardeck (code, settings, deployments) AND use the deployed app as admin
  • Deployment Admin: Can ONLY sign in to the deployed application as admin, cannot modify the project in Stardeck

​
How do public pages work?

Public pages are part of your application code. By default, anyone can access pages that don’t require authentication. The member roles system only controls who can sign in to authenticated parts of your application.

​
Can I see who has access to my project?

Yes, go to Settings → Members to see all project members, their roles, and when they were added.

​
Next Steps

Now that you understand how members and roles work:
  • Review your current project access settings
  • Invite team members or clients with appropriate roles
  • Consider enabling public access for open applications
  • Test the access levels to ensure they match your needs

Publishing & Deployment

Learn how to deploy your project to production

Branch Management

Understand how to work with multiple branches