Application Accounts
An application or service account is a type of account that is designed for machine-to-machine interaction and used by software applications, services, and automated tools to interact with each other without human intervention. Unlike personal user accounts, these accounts are typically assigned to automated processes or services to streamline workflows and enable efficient system integration. Application accounts are given specific permissions to do tasks or access resources within a system or across networks.
These accounts are essential for tasks that require automation, such as data synchronization, system monitoring, or batch processing. In M-Files, application accounts are special login accounts that you can use to set up federated authentication for machine-to-machine integrations.
Setting up application accounts
To set up this functionality, you must first configure OAuth authentication for application accounts. This means that you set up API and client applications in your identity provider, such as Microsoft Entra ID. The exact steps are different for each identity provider. After the identity provider configuration is ready, you create application accounts in the Users section of M-Files Manage.
For configuration instructions, refer Configuring OAuth Authentication for Application Accounts in M-Files Support Portal. The document has step-by-step instructions for environments that use Microsoft Entra ID. There, you can also find guidance on how to complete the configuration with other identity providers.