# ACLs

This API allows you to manage Kafka ACLs (Access Control Lists) for your WarpStream virtual clusters.

ACL rules are only *enforced* on Kafka traffic once ACLs are [enabled on the virtual cluster](/warpstream/kafka/manage-security/configure-acls.md#enabling-and-disabling-acls). This lets you set up your ACL rules before turning on enforcement. You can enable ACLs via the [UpdateConfiguration](/warpstream/reference/api-reference/virtual-clusters/updateconfiguration.md) endpoint by setting `are_acls_enabled` to `true`.

For general information about ACLs in WarpStream, including principals, super users, and caching behavior, see the [ACLs guide](/warpstream/kafka/manage-security/configure-acls.md).

## ACL Fields

Each ACL rule consists of the following fields:

| Field             | Description                                                                                                                                                              |
| ----------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| `resource_type`   | The type of Kafka resource. One of: `TOPIC`, `GROUP`, `CLUSTER`, `TRANSACTIONAL_ID`, `DELEGATION_TOKEN`, `ANY`.                                                          |
| `resource_name`   | The name of the resource (e.g., topic name, consumer group name). For `CLUSTER` resources, use `kafka-cluster`.                                                          |
| `pattern_type`    | How the resource name is matched. One of: `LITERAL` (exact match), `PREFIXED` (prefix match).                                                                            |
| `principal`       | The user principal in the format `User:<name>`. See [ACL Principals](/warpstream/kafka/manage-security/configure-acls.md#acl-principal) for details.                     |
| `host`            | The client host. Use `*` to allow all hosts.                                                                                                                             |
| `operation`       | The Kafka operation. One of: `ALL`, `READ`, `WRITE`, `CREATE`, `DELETE`, `ALTER`, `DESCRIBE`, `CLUSTER_ACTION`, `DESCRIBE_CONFIGS`, `ALTER_CONFIGS`, `IDEMPOTENT_WRITE`. |
| `permission_type` | Whether to allow or deny the operation. One of: `ALLOW`, `DENY`.                                                                                                         |


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