# Anonymous login (IRPCAnonymousLoginOperations)

Location: [gRPC API](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/index.md) > [Vault API](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/vault/index.md)

HTML version: https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCAnonymousLoginOperations/

An interface for managing anonymous authentication operations.

This interface provides ability to enable or disable anonymous authentication.

- **gRPC service:** `MFiles.IRPCAnonymousLoginOperations`
- **Book and level:** [Vault API](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/vault/index.md), standard
- **Methods:** 2
- **Proto file:** [`mfiles/IRPCAnonymousLoginOperations.proto`](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/downloads/proto/mfiles/IRPCAnonymousLoginOperations.proto)

<a id="overview"></a>

## Overview

Turns anonymous access to the vault on or off, and tells whether it is on. Used by vault
administration tools; applications that only read or write vault content do not need it.

- [GetAnonymousAuthenticationSettings](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCAnonymousLoginOperations/GetAnonymousAuthenticationSettings/index.md)
  reads the setting.
- [SetAnonymousAuthenticationSettings](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCAnonymousLoginOperations/SetAnonymousAuthenticationSettings/index.md)
  changes it.

Both methods need a vault session whose user has the vault rights `manage_users` and
`license_allows_modifications` ([VaultAccess](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/Messages/MFiles.VaultAccess/index.md)); other users get
"Access denied.".

Anonymous access is a user account of the vault: the account `ANONYMOUS LOGON` of the domain
`M-FILES AUTHORITY`. Turning it on creates that account or lets the existing one
log in again; turning it off only stops the account from logging in. What anonymous users may
see is governed by the permissions of that account, like for any other user. When it is on,
clients log in with `AUTH_DATA_TYPE_ANONYMOUS` (see
[Authentication and sessions](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/runtime/authentication/index.md)).
Without a session, [GetLoginSettings](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCLogin/GetLoginSettings/index.md) tells whether
a host name allows anonymous login.

<a id="methods"></a>

## Methods

| Method | Summary | Facts |
|---|---|---|
| [GetAnonymousAuthenticationSettings](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCAnonymousLoginOperations/GetAnonymousAuthenticationSettings/index.md) | Tells whether anonymous access to the vault is turned on. | `write` `session` |
| [SetAnonymousAuthenticationSettings](https://developer.m-files.com/APIs/gRPC-API/Reference/MFiles.IRPCAnonymousLoginOperations/SetAnonymousAuthenticationSettings/index.md) | Turns anonymous access to the vault on or off. | `write` `session` |