How do I restrict the confluence knowledge base so only customers can see it?
Asked by Missy:

I have a Jira help desk and confluence knowledge base. I want to allow my service desk customers (no confluence license) to see the confluence content but not allow anyone on the internet to access it. How do I set up the permissions?


Answers:
author: Jessica
body: You might find these two articles useful.

[Confluence: Mixing public-facing without login articles and internal content](https://confluence.atlassian.com/confeval/confluence-evaluator-resources/confluence-mixing-public-facing-without-login-articles-and-internal-content)

[Setting Up Public Access](https://confluence.atlassian.com/confcloud/setting-up-public-access-934718729.html)

Let me know if that helps!

comments: author: Mike Bowen
body: Hi [@Missy](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/3017178)

1. Do your customers raise quests via the Customer Portal or Email?
2. Do you want your customers to see the knowledge base through the Customer Portal?

Point 2 is the best option because it allows your customers access to the Customer Portal where they can raise requests as well as access to the knowledge base / It also allows yours Service Desk Agents access to the same knowledge base to add links to posts in the comments / It also allows your Service Desk agents who will author knowledge base posts access to the knowledge base.

In terms of permissions, or setting this up it quite simple:

1. In Jira Service Desk under **Project Settings, Knowledge Base** - Link to a Confluence Space (*pick the Confluence space that is your knowledge base*).
2. Under Access - Viewing - Select '*Everyone with access to your service desk can read articles without a Confluence license. This option is best if you want to share knowledge base articles with your customers'.*
3. Authoring - here you can specify who can author knowledge base posts.

That is it.

No one but your customers and internal authors and Service Desk Agents have access to your KB.

-Mike


author: Missy
body: @\[deleted\] Thanks for the reply.

To answer your questions, my customers raise tickets through the portal and I do want them to see my content through the portal.

I already have the service desk settings set as you mentioned. On my linked space I have links to other knowledge base spaces I want my customers to see. My customers can view anything I post in the space. That's not my issue.

The problem I have is my customers are complaining that they can't see the content for other spaces that are linked to my KB space. So I had to change the space settings to allow anonymous users view access for those linked spaces. Now the spaces are open to anyone on the internet, which I don't want.

I can't find anything in Atlassian's documetation that has a good explanation of how permissons work across links. There is plenty for how to set a single space or page but nothing on which permissions take precedence or override each other through the links.


author: Mike Bowen
body: Hi [@Missy](/t5/user/viewprofilepage/user-id/3017178)

Thanks for the extra bit of information, I know what you can do and it is a simple solution:

You ++don't want to be allowing anonymous access++ to your confluence pages.

Do the following:

**Create another Jira Service Desk project** (*except this one will not have any request types, so be sure to ++remove everything++ in Project Settings - Request Types* ). Then go to **Project Settings - Knowledge Base** and point it to your other SPACE. (*basically the setup is exactly as your current Jira Service Desk)*.

Back in the new Service Desk - click **Customers** and add an organisation. Start typing in an existing customer name and you will see your existing customers appear. Pick the customers who needs access to this space. (*that can be all or some of them, you're in control*).

Now when the customer logs into the Customer Portal they are presented with two portals (*one is your default Jira Service Desk/Knowledge Base*) and one is your new space.

In fact if you have multiple spaces you want to give customers access to, then repeat the process.

**Example:**

![Multiple portals under one log in.png](https://community.atlassian.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-id/81531iDFC647C70747B5DC/image-size/large?v=v2&px=999 "Multiple portals under one log in.png")

-Mike


Tags: confluence-cloud