Anonymous and guest viewers

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Anonymous readers never receive an API token, so anything that needs a live, authenticated render cannot run for them. They get the stored preview image instead.

This matters most on public spaces and published sites, where a lot of your readers may never sign in.

#When this matters

  • Public Confluence spaces.

  • Sites published with Capable Sites.

  • Diagnosing a diagram that works for you and not for a customer.

#The detail

Thing

What happens

Text diagrams

The stored preview image, rendered when the diagram was saved.

draw.io and Excalidraw

The stored preview image.

Editing

Not available. Anonymous readers cannot open the editor.

A brand new diagram

May show nothing until its preview has been written.

#A few things that catch people out

  • If a diagram looks fine to you and blank to an anonymous reader, the preview is the first thing to check.

  • Previews are attachments, so they inherit the page's permissions exactly.

  • Published sites have their own behaviour, covered in Integrations.

Ask us the awkward questions. They have answers.