Permissions
Updated October 26, 2026
ConfigPort has two permissions of its own besides Joomla's usual ones. By default only Super Users have them.
| Permission | Allows |
|---|---|
| Access Administration Interface | Opening ConfigPort. Every user needs it, whatever they do in ConfigPort. |
| Export settings | Exporting settings, on the Export screen and with the Export button of edit screens. |
| Import and restore settings | Uploading and previewing files, importing, the Import button of edit screens, and opening, restoring and deleting snapshots. |
| Configure Options (Joomla 3: Configure Options Only) | Changing the ConfigPort options, such as how long snapshots are kept. |
| Configure ACL & Options | Changing the ConfigPort options and who has the permissions above. A group with it can give itself Import and restore settings, so give it with the same care as that permission. |
Give a group a permission
- Open Components → ConfigPort and click Options.
- Open the Permissions tab.
- Pick the group and set Export settings, or Import and restore settings, to Allowed. Set Access Administration Interface to Allowed too.
- Click Save & Close.
The Options screen is Joomla's own, and it needs JavaScript to show its tabs.
Export and import are separate. A group can be allowed to export without being allowed to import.
Import is close to Super User for settings
Import and restore settings reaches the settings of every extension on the site, including extensions the group cannot edit in their own screens. A user with it can change options that Joomla itself keeps for Super Users or for users with the Configure Options permission of that extension. For example, they can change which file types the Media component accepts for upload. Give it only to groups you trust with the whole site.
Two kinds of settings stay with Super Users, as in Joomla:
- the Global Configuration's settings, which hold the text filters;
- the user group settings that Joomla guards, such as New User Registration Group and Guest User Group in the Users options, when the group has Super User permissions.
For other users, the preview shows such an item as one that cannot be imported as it is, with a message that starts "Only a Super User can". The same holds for a restore.
Snapshots are shared
Every user who may import can open, restore and delete every snapshot, including the snapshots of other users. Uploaded files are per user: nobody else can see, import or cancel a file you uploaded.
The buttons on edit screens
The Export and Import buttons show only for users who have the matching ConfigPort permission and can edit that item. See Quick actions on edit screens.
Every request is checked
ConfigPort checks the permissions again on the server for every step. Every step that changes something also needs Joomla's form token. A link or a form sent from another page is refused.