Super User

The Super User is the highest-privilege account in LNbits - created on first run when the Admin UI is enabled, stored in data/.super_user.

The Super User has unrestricted access to every function in LNbits. It is the only account that can manage Top Ups and Funding Sources.

How the Super User is created

The Super User is created automatically the first time you enable the Admin UI and access LNbits:

1. Set LNBITS_ADMIN_UI=true in your .env file
2. Start LNbits
3. On first visit, you're prompted to create credentials (username and password)
4. The account you create becomes the Super User

The Super User identity is stored in:

data/.super_user

This file contains the Super User's user ID. It is created once and persists across restarts.

WARNING

Since LNbits v1, credentialed login is required. The old URL-based access (wallet ID in the URL) no longer grants Super User privileges. You must log in with username and password.

Capabilities

The Super User has all admin privileges plus exclusive capabilities:

Capability	Super User	Admin	Regular User
Manage own wallets	Yes	Yes	Yes
Access extensions	Yes	Yes	Yes
View admin dashboard	Yes	Yes	No
Manage server settings	Yes	Yes	No
Manage extensions (install/uninstall)	Yes	Yes	No
View audit log	Yes	Yes	No
Add/remove admin users	Yes	No	No
Impersonate any user	Yes	No	No
Access all system settings	Yes	No	No
Modify the admin user list	Yes	No	No
Cannot be demoted by admins	Yes	-	-

Key rules

• Cannot be demoted - admins cannot remove or demote the Super User. Only the Super User can modify its own status.
• Only one Super User - there is exactly one Super User per LNbits instance.
• CLI-only replacement - to replace the Super User, you must edit or delete the data/.super_user file directly. There is no UI for this.

Replacing the Super User

If you need to change the Super User (e.g., lost credentials):

# Stop LNbits
# Delete the super user file
rm data/.super_user

# Restart LNbits
# On next visit, you'll be prompted to create a new Super User

Alternatively, edit the file directly with a different user ID:

# Replace with an existing user's ID
echo "new-user-id-here" > data/.super_user

Super User vs Admin

Aspect	Super User	Admin
Set via	First-run prompt + data/.super_user	LNBITS_ADMIN_USERS env var or UI
Quantity	Exactly one	Multiple allowed
Can manage admins	Yes	Yes
Can be demoted	Only via CLI	Yes
Impersonation	Yes	No

Configuration

# Enable the Admin UI (required for Super User creation)
LNBITS_ADMIN_UI=true

# Optional: set admin users (these are NOT the Super User)
LNBITS_ADMIN_USERS=user-id-1,user-id-2

The Super User is not set via environment variables - it's created interactively on first run and stored in data/.super_user.

Security best practices

• Use a strong password for the Super User account
• Limit who has filesystem access to data/.super_user
• Don't share Super User credentials - create separate admin accounts for other administrators
• Regularly review the admin user list
• Consider using the Super User only for initial setup, then use regular admin accounts for day-to-day operations

Related Pages

• Admin Dashboard - server administration interface
• User Management - managing user accounts
• Authentication - login methods and access control
• Security - hardening your LNbits instance