Clarifications to the admin api documentation (#7647)

* Clarify how to authenticate * path params are not the same thing as query params * Fix documentation for `/_synapse/admin/v2/users/<user_id>`
matrix-org · Jun 5, 2020 · 1bc00fd · 1bc00fd
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diff --git a/changelog.d/7647.doc b/changelog.d/7647.doc
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+Clarifications to the admin api documentation.
diff --git a/docs/admin_api/README.rst b/docs/admin_api/README.rst
@@ -4,17 +4,21 @@ Admin APIs
 This directory includes documentation for the various synapse specific admin
 APIs available.
 
-Only users that are server admins can use these APIs. A user can be marked as a
-server admin by updating the database directly, e.g.:
+Authenticating as a server admin
+--------------------------------
 
-``UPDATE users SET admin = 1 WHERE name = '@foo:bar.com'``
+Many of the API calls in the admin api will require an `access_token` for a
+server admin. (Note that a server admin is distinct from a room admin.)
 
-Restarting may be required for the changes to register.
+A user can be marked as a server admin by updating the database directly, e.g.:
 
-Using an admin access_token
-###########################
+.. code-block:: sql
+
+    UPDATE users SET admin = 1 WHERE name = '@foo:bar.com';
+
+A new server admin user can also be created using the
+``register_new_matrix_user`` script.
 
-Many of the API calls listed in the documentation here will require to include an admin `access_token`.
 Finding your user's `access_token` is client-dependent, but will usually be shown in the client's settings.
 
 Once you have your `access_token`, to include it in a request, the best option is to add the token to a request header:

diff --git a/docs/admin_api/delete_group.md b/docs/admin_api/delete_group.md
@@ -4,11 +4,11 @@ This API lets a server admin delete a local group. Doing so will kick all
 users out of the group so that their clients will correctly handle the group
 being deleted.
 
-
 The API is:
 
 ```
 POST /_synapse/admin/v1/delete_group/<group_id>
 ```
 
-including an `access_token` of a server admin.
+To use it, you will need to authenticate by providing an `access_token` for a
+server admin: see [README.rst](README.rst).
diff --git a/docs/admin_api/media_admin_api.md b/docs/admin_api/media_admin_api.md
@@ -6,9 +6,10 @@ The API is:
 ```
 GET /_synapse/admin/v1/room/<room_id>/media
 ```
-including an `access_token` of a server admin.
+To use it, you will need to authenticate by providing an `access_token` for a
+server admin: see [README.rst](README.rst).
 
-It returns a JSON body like the following:
+The API returns a JSON body like the following:
 ```
 {
     "local": [
@@ -99,4 +100,3 @@ Response:
   "num_quarantined": 10  # The number of media items successfully quarantined
 }
 ```
-
diff --git a/docs/admin_api/purge_history_api.rst b/docs/admin_api/purge_history_api.rst
@@ -15,7 +15,8 @@ The API is:
 
 ``POST /_synapse/admin/v1/purge_history/<room_id>[/<event_id>]``
 
-including an ``access_token`` of a server admin.
+To use it, you will need to authenticate by providing an ``access_token`` for a
+server admin: see `README.rst <README.rst>`_.
 
 By default, events sent by local users are not deleted, as they may represent
 the only copies of this content in existence. (Events sent by remote users are
@@ -54,8 +55,10 @@ It is possible to poll for updates on recent purges with a second API;
 
 ``GET /_synapse/admin/v1/purge_history_status/<purge_id>``
 
-(again, with a suitable ``access_token``). This API returns a JSON body like
-the following:
+Again, you will need to authenticate by providing an ``access_token`` for a
+server admin.
+
+This API returns a JSON body like the following:
 
 .. code:: json
 

diff --git a/docs/admin_api/purge_remote_media.rst b/docs/admin_api/purge_remote_media.rst
@@ -6,12 +6,15 @@ media.
 
 The API is::
 
-    POST /_synapse/admin/v1/purge_media_cache?before_ts=<unix_timestamp_in_ms>&access_token=<access_token>
+    POST /_synapse/admin/v1/purge_media_cache?before_ts=<unix_timestamp_in_ms>
 
     {}
 
-Which will remove all cached media that was last accessed before
+\... which will remove all cached media that was last accessed before
 ``<unix_timestamp_in_ms>``.
 
+To use it, you will need to authenticate by providing an ``access_token`` for a
+server admin: see `README.rst <README.rst>`_.
+
 If the user re-requests purged remote media, synapse will re-request the media
 from the originating server.
diff --git a/docs/admin_api/room_membership.md b/docs/admin_api/room_membership.md
@@ -23,7 +23,8 @@ POST /_synapse/admin/v1/join/<room_id_or_alias>
 }
 ```
 
-Including an `access_token` of a server admin.
+To use it, you will need to authenticate by providing an `access_token` for a
+server admin: see [README.rst](README.rst).
 
 Response: