Overview

Moderating user activity is essential to delivering a safe and clean chat environment to your users. Sendbird's Chat API gives you multiple options to handle inappropriate user behavior to ensure a safe and fun chat experience for all.

Moderation tools

The Chat API provides the following moderation tools.

Block: Individual users can block other users in the channel so that they stop receiving messages from users they have blocked. Blocked users aren't notified that they have been blocked and will continue to receive all messages except those sent to the channel by users who blocked them.
Mute: Muted users aren't allowed to send any messages to the channel they are muted in for a set period of time or until the mute is lifted. They can still be in the channel and read all messages.
Ban: You can ban users from channels. Banned users are immediately removed from the channels and won't be able to re-enter for a set period of time or until the ban is lifted.
Freeze: Freezing a channel lets only operators to communicate in the channel. Other channel members aren't allowed to send messages to the channel.

Resource representation

The following tables show the lists of properties for a user, open channel, group channel, and message moderation resource.

List of properties in a user resource

Property name	Type	Description
user_id	string	The unique ID of the user.
nickname	string	The user's nickname.
profile_url	string	The URL of the user's profile image.
is_online	boolean	Indicates whether the user is connected to the Sendbird server.
last_seen_at	long	The time the user went offline in Unix milliseconds format to indicate when the user was last connected to the Sendbird server. If the user is online, the value is set as `0`. If the user is offline and there's no `last_seen_at` data, the value is set as `-1`. * This property isn't tracked by default. To start tracking `last_seen_at`, visit this page and contact us on Sendbird Dashboard.
metadata	nested object	A JSON object of one or more key-value items to store additional user information such as phone number, email or a long description of the user. For more information, see Manage channel information.

List of properties in an open channel resource

Property name	Type	Description
name	string	The channel topic, or the name of the channel.
channel_url	string	The unique URL of the channel.
cover_url	string	The URL of the cover image.
custom_type	string	A custom channel type which is used for channel grouping. * Custom types are also used within Sendbird's statistics to segment metrics, which enables the sub-classification of data views.
data	string	A string type data which can contain additional channel information such a long description of the channel or a JSON-formatted string.
is_ephemeral	boolean	Indicates whether to preserve the messages in the channel for the purpose of retrieving chat history.
participant_count	int	The current number of participants in the channel. Once the number exceeds 500, this count is sent according to the following two rules. - Time-based: the participant count is sent every five minutes. - Number-based: besides the time-based counts, an additional count is sent whenever the participant number increases by an increment of 10, 100, and 1,000. For example, the count is sent when the participant number reaches 510, 520, 530, and so on. When the participant number exceeds 1,000, the count is sent for 1,100, 1,200, 1,300, and so on. When it exceeds 10,000, the count is sent for 11,000, 12,000, 13,000, and so on.
max_length_message	int	The maximum length of a message allowed to be sent within the channel. This is the same as the value set in the application's `max_message_length` property.
created_at	long	The timestamp of when the channel was created, in Unix milliseconds format.
operators[]	list	The list of users registered as operators of the channel. Operators can delete any messages in the channel, and can also receive all messages that have been throttled. * Operators cannot view messages that have been moderated by the domain filter or profanity filter. Only the sender will be notified that the message has been blocked.
freeze	boolean	Indicates whether the channel is currently frozen. A value of `true` indicates that normal participants can't chat within the channel but the operators can.
is_dynamic_partitioned	boolean	Indicates whether the channel is an open channel with dynamic partitioning or not. If the value of this property is `true`, the properties below show the detail configuration of the open channel with dynamic partitioning. (Default: `false`) * For the new Sendbird applications created after December 15, 2020, this property will be automatically set to `true`.

List of properties in a group channel resource

Property name	Type	Description
name	string	The name of the channel, or the channel topic.
channel_url	string	The unique URL of the channel.
cover_url	string	The URL of the cover image.
custom_type	string	A custom channel type which is used for channel grouping. * Custom types are also used within Sendbird's statistics to segment metrics, which enables the sub-classification of data views.
data	string	A `string` data which can contain additional channel information such as a long description of the channel or a JSON-formatted string.
is_distinct	boolean	Indicates whether an existing channel is reused or a new channel has been created with a combination of the channel members as well as the custom channel type if specified.
is_public	boolean	Indicates whether to allow a user to join the channel without an invitation.
is_super	boolean	Indicates whether the channel is a group channel or a Supergroup channel.
is_ephemeral	boolean	Indicates whether to preserve the messages in the channel for the purpose of retrieving chat history.
is_access_code_required	boolean	Indicates whether to set an access code to the channel and require an access code to a user who attempts to join the channel.
member_count	int	The number of all members who have joined the channel and who have been invited but not joined.
joined_member_count	int	The number of members who have joined the channel only.
members	list	The list of users who are members of the group channel.
operators	list	The list of users registered as operators of the channel. The operators can ban, mute or delete messages in the channel that they join as an operator.
read_receipt	nested object	The timestamps of when each member has last read the messages in the channel, in Unix milliseconds. Each key-value pair has a key with the unique ID of a user and a value with the user's timestamp.
max_length_message	int	The maximum length of a message allowed to be sent within the channel. This is the same as the value set in the application's `max_message_length` property.
unread_message_count	int	The number of messages a specific user hasn't read in the channel. If not specified, the value of `0` returns. However, if you specify a user in the request when using an API such as list group channels by user, the value isn't `0`.
unread_mention_count	int	The number of messages in the channel a specific user is mentioned in but hasn't read. If a user isn't specified in the request, the value returns `0`. However, if you specify a user in the request when using an API such as list group channels by user, the value isn't `0`.
last_message	nested object	The last message that was sent within the channel.
created_by	nested object	The information of the user who created the channel and invited other users as its members. This consists of `user_id`, `nickname`, `profile_url`, and `require_auth_for_profile_image` properties. The `require_auth_for_profile_image` indicates whether or not the profile image of the channel creator can be accessed only by other channel members within the application.
created_at	long	The timestamp of when the channel was created, in Unix milliseconds format.
freeze	boolean	Indicates whether the channel is currently frozen. A value of `true` indicates that normal members can't chat with each other within the channel but the operators can.
~~channel~~	nested object	*(Deprecated)* An object that exists only for backward compatibility.

List of properties in message moderation

Property name	Type	Description
domain_filter	nested object	A domain filter configuration to filter out text and file messages with URLs that contain the domain set.
domain_filter.domains[]	array of strings	An array of domains to detect. Each item of the array is specified at least with a combination of domain name and TLD (top level domain) like `amazon.com`.
domain_filter.type	int	The filtering mode to apply to messages with URLs that contain any of the domain set. Valid values are limited to the following: - `0` (none): takes no action on matching messages. This is the default setting. - `1` (allow): only allows messages containing URLs that match the `domains` property. - `2` (block): blocks messages containing URLs that match the `domains` property. - `3` (replace): detects and replaces URLs that match the `domains` property with asterisks (*).
domain_filter.should_check_global	boolean	Indicates whether to apply the settings above of the application in addition to the domain filter of the settings for a custom channel type. For the application, the property value is always set to `false`. (Default: `false`)
profanity_filter	nested object	A filter configuration on certain words and patterns for matching character combinations in strings, which are not allowed to be used within the application.
profanity_filter.keywords[]	array of strings	Specifies an array of words to detect. -word filters all words that end* with "word" including "word" itself. - word* filters all words that start with "word" including "word" itself.
profanity_filter.regex_filters[]	array of strings	A list of regular expressions used for detecting. Each item of the list is specified in *{"regex": "a pattern in regular expression"}* format.
profanity_filter.type	int	The filtering method to apply to messages that contain the specified keywords or regular expressions. Valid values are the following: - `0` (none): takes no action on matched messages. This is the default setting. - `1` (replace): detects and replaces words that match the `keywords` property with asterisks (*). - `2` (block): prevents users from sending messages that contain the `keywords` property or match the `regex_filters` property.
profanity_filter.should_check_global	boolean	Indicates whether to apply the settings above of the application in addition to the profanity filter of the settings for a custom channel type. For the application, the property value is always set to `false`. (Default: `false`)
profanity_triggered_moderation	nested object	A moderation configuration on which penalty is automatically imposed on users who reach the profanity violation limit within a channel.
profanity_triggered_moderation.count	int	The number of profanity violation limit which then imposes a penalty on a user if reached. A value of `0` indicates that automatically-triggered moderation is turned off. A value of equal to or larger than `1` indicates that the moderation is turned on and imposes a penalty on a user who commits a number of violations equal to or beyond the set value of the `count` property within the set time of the `duration` property.
profanity_triggered_moderation.duration	int	The duration of the time window in seconds which counts the number of a user's violations within a channel. For example, if the `count` property is 2 and the `duration` property is 5, the number of violations equal to or beyond 2 will be moderated for every 5 seconds. The maximum value is `86400` which indicates 24 hours. (Default: `1` second)
profanity_triggered_moderation.action	int	The type of moderation penalty within a channel which is permanently imposed on users until canceled. Valid values are `0` (no action), `1` (mute), `2` (kick), and `3` (ban). (Default: `0`)
image_moderation	nested object	A moderation configuration on inappropriate images within the application. Google Cloud Vision API is used for image moderation and supports many types of images.
image_moderation.type	int	The moderation method to apply to the images and image URLs in the text and file messages. Valid values are the following: - `0` (none): no moderation is imposed. This is the default setting. - `1` (normal): the messages with images or image URLs are blocked if the images or image URLs violate the content policies. - `2` (strict): the file messages with no images are also blocked in addition to the messages with explicit images or inappropriate image URLs.
image_moderation.soft_block	boolean	If `true`, the moderation method set by the `type` property above is ignored and no moderation is imposed on the text and file messages in regard to explicit images or inappropriate image URLs. It will only give the image analysis results in the response. If `false`, the image moderation works according to the moderation method already set. (Default: `false`)
image_moderation.limits	nested object	A set of features pertaining to the images for moderation. Each feature specifies the content likelihood for the image which is used as a moderation standard. Valid likelihood values are `0` (unknown), `1` (very unlikely), `2` (unlikely), `3` (possible), `4` (likely), and `5` (very likely).
image_moderation.limits.adult	int	Likelihood that the image contains adult content. (Default: `3`)
image_moderation.limits.spoof	int	Likelihood that an modification was made to the image to make it appear funny or offensive. (Default: `5`)
image_moderation.limits.medical	int	Likelihood that the image is a medical image. (Default: `5`)
image_moderation.limits.violence	int	Likelihood that the image contains violent content. (Default: `3`)
image_moderation.limits.racy	int	Likelihood that the image contains racy content. (Default: `4`)
image_moderation.check_urls	boolean	Indicates whether to check if the image URLs in the text and file messages are appropriate. (Default: `false`)

Actions

The following table shows a list of actions supported for moderation. API endpoints are relative to the base URL allocated to your Sendbird application. The base URL for the following endpoints are https://api-{application_id}.sendbird.com/v3.

Note: If you want to know the ID and base URL of your application, sign in to the Sendbird Dashboard, go to the Settings > Application > General, and then check the Application ID and API request URL.

Urlencoding parameter values such as {channel_url} and {user_id} in API URLs is recommended.

List of actions for the block feature

Action	HTTP request
List blocked and blocking users	`GET` /users/{user_id}/block Retrieves a list of other users that a user has blocked.
Block users	`POST` /users/{user_id}/block Allows a user to block other users.
Unblock a user	`DELETE` /users/{user_id}/block/{target_id} Unblocks a user.

List of actions for the mute feature

Action	HTTP request
List channels where a user is muted	`GET` /users/{user_id}/mute Retrieves a list of open and group channels where the user is muted.
List muted participants in an open channel	`GET` /open_channels/{channel_url}/mute Retrieves a list of muted users in an open channel.
List muted members in a group channel	`GET` /group_channels/{channel_url}/mute Retrieves a list of muted users in a group channel.
List muted users in channels by a custom channel type	`GET` /applications/settings_by_channel_custom_type/{custom_type}/mute Retrieves a list of the muted users in channels with a custom channel type.
Get a muted participant in an open channel	`GET` /open_channels/{channel_url}/mute/{muted_user_id} Retrieves details of a mute imposed on a participant in an open channel.
Get a muted member in a group channel	`GET` /group_channels/{channel_url}/mute/{muted_user_id} Retrieves details of a mute imposed on a member in a group channel.
Mute a participant in an open channel	`POST` /open_channels/{channel_url}/mute Mutes a participant in an open channel.
Mute a member in a group channel	`POST` /group_channels/{channel_url}/mute Mutes a member in a group channel.
Mute a user in channels by custom channel types	`POST` /users/{user_id}/muted_channel_custom_types Mutes a user in channels with particular custom channel types.
Mute users in channels by a custom channel type	`POST` /applications/settings_by_channel_custom_type/{custom_type}/mute Mutes users in channels with a custom type at once.
Unmute a participant in an open channel	`DELETE` /open_channels/{channel_url}/mute/{muted_user_id} Unmutes a participant in an open channel.
Unmute a member in a group channel	`DELETE` /group_channels/{channel_url}/mute/{muted_user_id} Unmutes a member in a group channel.
Unmute users in channels by a custom channel type	`DELETE` /applications/settings_by_channel_custom_type/{custom_type}/mute Unmutes users in channels with a custom type at once.

List of actions for the ban feature

Action	HTTP request
List channels where a user is banned	`GET` /users/{user_id}/ban Retrieves a list of open and group channels where a user is banned.
List banned participants in an open channel	`GET` /open_channels/{channel_url}/ban Retrieves a list of users who are banned from a specific open channel.
List banned members in a group channel	`GET` /group_channels/{channel_url}/ban Retrieves a list of members who are banned from a group channel.
List banned users in channels by a custom channel type	`GET` /applications/settings_by_channel_custom_type/{custom_type}/ban Retrieves a list of users banned from channels with a specified custom channel type.
Get a banned participant of an open channel	`GET` /open_channels/{channel_url}/ban/{banned_user_id} Retrieves information about a participant banned from an open channel.
Get a banned member of a group channel	`GET` /group_channels/{channel_url}/ban/{banned_user_id} Retrieves information about a member banned from a group channel.
Ban a participant from an open channel	`POST` /open_channels/{channel_url}/ban Bans a participant from an open channel.
Ban a member from a group channel	`POST` /group_channels/{channel_url}/ban Bans a member from a group channel.
Ban a user from channels by custom channel types	`POST` /users/{user_id}/banned_channel_custom_types Bans a user from channels with specified custom channel types.
Ban users from channels by a custom channel type	`POST` /applications/settings_by_channel_custom_type/{custom_type}/ban Bans users from channels with a specified custom channel type at once.
Update status of a banned participant of an open channel	`PUT` /open_channels/{channel_url}/ban/{banned_user_id} Updates information about a banned participant of an open channel. You can adjust the duration of ban or update the description about the ban with this API.
Update status of a banned member of a group channel	`PUT` /group_channels/{channel_url}/ban/{banned_user_id} Updates information about a banned member of a group channel. You can adjust the duration of ban or update the description about the ban with this API.
Unban a participant from an open channel	`DELETE` /open_channels/{channel_url}/ban/{banned_user_id} Unbans a participant who had been banned from an open channel.
Unban a member from a group channel	`DELETE` /group_channels/{channel_url}/ban/{banned_user_id} Unbans a member who had been banned from a group channel.
Unban users from channels by a custom channel type	`DELETE` /applications/settings_by_channel_custom_type/{custom_type}/ban Unbans users who had been banned from channels with a specified custom channel type at once.

List of actions for the freeze feature

Action	HTTP request
Freeze an open channel	`PUT` /open_channels/{channel_url}/freeze Freezes or unfreezes an open channel.
Freeze a group channel	`PUT` /group_channels/{channel_url}/freeze Freezes or unfreezes a group channel.

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