are standalone web applications that let you share your Kinabase data with people who don't need full access to your workspace - whether that's field engineers checking job details on-site, clients viewing their project status, or partners accessing shared inventory.

What are Portals?

Portals provide a focused, branded interface for specific users to interact with your data. Unlike giving someone full Kinabase access, portals let you:

Control what they see

Choose exactly which collections

Collection

A list of records in Kinabase, similar to a table in a spreadsheet or database.

, fields

Field

A column in a Collection that stores a specific type of information for each Record, such as text, number, or date.

, and records

Record

An individual entry within a Collection, like a row in a database table, representing one item or entity.

each portal displays.

Keep data secure

Apply filters to show users only the records relevant to them - like a client seeing only their own projects.

Maintain your brand

Apply your organisation's branding, colours, and even use a custom domain.

Enable self-service

Let users trigger automations

Automation

A process that triggers actions automatically when specified conditions are met, reducing manual work.

, complete forms

Forms

A custom form to capture user inputs to drive actions & updates.

, and move records through workflow

Workflow

A defined sequence of stages and actions that a Record passes through, often representing a business process.

stages.

Portal Types

Kinabase offers two types of portals, designed for different audiences:

Internal Portals

Internal portals are for your own colleagues who sign in with their Kinabase account. These are ideal for:

Field engineers - accessing job sheets, equipment details, and site information on mobile devices
Warehouse staff - viewing inventory and stock levels without needing full Kinabase access
Inspectors - completing checklists and recording findings on-site
Remote workers - accessing specific data while away from the office

Internal portal users authenticate using Sign in with Kinabase Account, so they use their existing credentials.

Read our Internal Portals guide for setup instructions.

External Portals

External portals are for people outside your organisation - clients, vendors, partners, or volunteers who need access to specific data. These users:

Sign in using email verification codes (no Kinabase account required)
Are matched to records in a user collection you specify
See only the data filtered to their specific record

External portals are perfect for:

Clients - viewing project status, invoices, and deliverables
Vendors - checking order status and delivery schedules
Partners - accessing shared inventory or collaborative projects
Volunteers - viewing assigned tasks and event schedules
Donors - tracking the impact of their contributions

Read our External Portals guide for setup instructions.

Portal Features

Both portal types share a powerful set of features:

Portals can include multiple navigation items, each displaying different content:

Collections - display records from your collections in table or catalogue format
Reports - show dashboards
Dashboard
A page you configure with widgets, charts, and reports to monitor key metrics and data at a glance.
with charts and widgets
Links - provide quick access to external websites or resources

Display Options

Collections in portals can be displayed in different formats:

Table View - a familiar list format, similar to how collections appear in Kinabase
Catalogue View - groups records into categories displayed as cards or tiles

Read our Portal Views guide for details on configuring displays.

Actions & Automations

Portal users can:

Execute forms
Forms
A custom form to capture user inputs to drive actions & updates.
to collect input and trigger actions
Move records through workflow
Workflow
A defined sequence of stages and actions that a Record passes through, often representing a business process.
stages (where permitted)
Export data to CSV (where permitted)

Branding & Customisation

Make portals feel like an extension of your brand:

Apply your organisation's brand identity
Customise background colours
Use a custom domain (e.g., portal.yourcompany.com)
Customise welcome messages and sign-in screens

Read our Custom Domains & Branding guide for setup details.

Creating a Portal

To create a new portal:

Open Settings from the bottom-left corner of Kinabase
Under Organisation, select Portals
Click + Add Portal
Choose whether this will be an Internal or External portal
Configure the portal settings across the available tabs:
- General - name, icon, description, support contact details
- Structure - navigation items and their configuration
- Users - access permissions and user matching (for external portals)
- Hosting - Kinabase subdomain or custom domain
- Emails - invitation and sign-in email templates
- Display - welcome messages and branding

The user type (Internal or External) cannot be changed after the portal is created, so choose carefully.

Managing Portal Access

For internal portals, you control access by selecting which users or roles can access the portal.

For external portals, users are matched to records in a designated user collection. You can:

Grant access to specific records
Send invitations via email
Track access status (Active, Invited, Pending, No Access)
Revoke access when no longer needed

Read our Managing Portal Users guide for detailed instructions.

Troubleshooting Portals

If you're experiencing issues with portals:

Users can't sign in

Internal portals: Ensure the user has a Kinabase account and the correct permissions
External portals: Check that the user's email matches a record in the user collection, and that access has been granted
Verify the outbound email address is configured correctly in portal settings

Users can't see expected data

Review the field visibility settings for the navigation item
Check any filters applied to the collection
For external portals, verify the user-based filters are correctly configured

Custom domain not working

Ensure the CNAME record points to portal.kinabase.cloud
Allow up to 24 hours for DNS changes to propagate
Click Verify Domain in the portal settings to check the configuration

Emails not being received

Confirm the outbound email address is correctly configured
Check spam/junk folders
Verify the email address in the user record is correct

Next Steps

Ready to set up your first portal? Choose your starting point:

Internal Portals - for your own team members
External Portals - for clients and partners
Portal Views - configure how data is displayed
Custom Domains & Branding - make it your own
Managing Portal Users - control access and invitations

Portals transform Kinabase from an internal tool into a platform for collaboration with anyone who needs access to your data - all while maintaining security and your brand identity.

If you have questions or need further assistance, please reach out to your System Admin or our support team.

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