Counterfeiting works because a buyer cannot tell a real item from a convincing copy. AuthPlus closes that gap. A brand registers what it produces, and AuthPlus mints a unique, tamper-proof code for every unit. The code is printed on the product, its label or its certificate. Anyone holding the item can scan that code and receive an immediate, unambiguous answer: Authentic, Authentic with a warning, or Non Authentic.

Every scan is recorded, so the brand sees where and when its products are being checked, and unusual patterns — the same code verified far more often than a single physical item ever could be — surface automatically as warnings.

AuthPlus is delivered as two connected experiences that share one account system:

• The dashboard (/dash) — a web workspace where brand owners register their catalogue, issue codes, print labels and monitor activity.
• The verification app (/verify) — a deliberately simple scanning experience, available as an Android app and in any web browser, used in shops, at customs, or by end customers.

• Names of on-screen elements appear like this: Issue Codes. They match the English interface exactly; in French or Arabic the label is translated but the position is identical.
• Sequences of navigation are written Products → New.
• Technical values — addresses, file names, settings — appear as code.
• Numbered procedures always follow the same shape: purpose, prerequisites, the steps, then the expected result.
• A role badge next to a heading means the feature is limited to that role: Standard user Admin Superadmin Verifier

Three kinds of callout are used:

Everything you protect in AuthPlus follows the same five-level chain. Understanding it makes every screen in the dashboard predictable, because each level is simply a list of the level below it.

Level	What it is	Example
1. Brand	The name behind your items. Everything you register belongs to a brand.	Aurora Watches
2. Subject Product · Asset · Content	The thing you protect, or a category of them. Its type decides how it is verified.	Aurora Chrono 42
3. Item	A concrete unit: a production batch, one individual valuable, or one document entry.	Batch AC42-2026-A
4. Issuance	One act of minting codes for an item. An item can have several issuances over time.	10 Public codes, 30 July 2026
5. Code	A single unique authenticity code, printed as text and as a QR code.	2H7KLM4GUEXDVM

In the dashboard you walk down this chain by clicking: a brand’s products, a product’s batches, a batch’s issuances, an issuance’s codes. Breadcrumbs at the top of each screen show you where you are and let you climb back up.

A subject’s type is chosen when you create it and cannot be changed afterwards. It determines which section of the dashboard the subject lives in, how codes are issued for it, and what a verifier sees when it is scanned.

	Products	Assets	Contents
For	Manufactured goods produced in quantity	Unique valuables: art, jewellery, collectibles	Files: certificates, official documents, media
Item means	A production batch	One individual piece	One document entry
Codes per item	Many — one per physical unit	Normally one	One per uploaded file
Issued by	Choosing a quantity	Choosing a quantity	Uploading files — each file becomes one code
Verified by	Scanning the printed code	Scanning the code on the certificate	Scanning the code, or checking the file itself
Verifier sees	Brand, product, batch, dates, scan history	An ownership certificate with its provenance	A certification record and the document

A code is a short random string, unique across the platform, printed as text and encoded in a QR code. Codes are not sequential and cannot be guessed from one another.

Every code belongs to a code type, chosen at issuance. Code types are configured centrally for the whole platform and typically follow the distribution chain:

Code type	Intended for	Typical placement
Public	End customers. The default.	Visible on the product or its packaging
Reseller	Distributors and retail partners	On the carton or delivery documents
Control	Internal inspection and enforcement	Hidden or restricted placement

A verifier is the identity under which a scan is recorded — a shop, an employee, an inspector, or simply an anonymous consumer device. Verifiers are not dashboard user accounts; they exist so that an item’s history is meaningful, and so that custody can be tracked as goods move.

Each verifier belongs to a verifier type, which decides how it behaves:

• Public — created automatically on first launch of the app. No credentials, no setup. This is what an ordinary customer uses without ever noticing.
• Reseller — for trade partners; also self-provisioning, but tied to reseller codes.
• Control — restricted inspection accounts. These are created by the platform administrator and handed out with a username and password (see Control verifiers).

Verifier types can also require the device’s location before a scan is accepted, restrict a verifier to codes created by a particular owner, or fill in the verifier’s profile automatically from the device.

Every scan — successful or not — creates an operation: a permanent line in the audit trail recording what was scanned, by which verifier, when, from where, and with what result. Operations are what feed the dashboard’s statistics, the map, and the warning system.

The verdict falls into one of three classes:

Verdict	Meaning	What to do
Authentic	The code exists, is active, and nothing about the scan is unusual.	Proceed with confidence.
Authentic, with a warning	The code is genuine, but the circumstances deserve attention — most often because it has been verified more times than a single item plausibly would be.	Treat with care; the item may be genuine while its code has been copied.
Non Authentic	The code does not exist, or it has been blocked or archived.	Do not trust the item. Report it to the brand.

The exhaustive list of outcomes, with the exact message shown for each, is in §12 Verdict reference.

AuthPlus is an evidence system, so records are not destroyed. Instead of deleting a brand, product, item, issuance, code or verifier, you archive it. An archived record stays visible (behind the Archived filter), keeps its history, and can be restored.

Archiving has one immediate, deliberate consequence:

Use it deliberately: archiving a brand silently disables every code beneath it. When you only need to stop one batch, archive that issuance rather than anything higher up the chain.

Every record in AuthPlus has an owner — the user account that created it. Ownership is the boundary of visibility: a standard user sees their own brands, subjects, items, codes, verifiers, operations and warnings, and nothing belonging to anyone else. Administrators can widen that boundary deliberately with the owner filter (The owner filter).

Who can do what, and why you may not see a screen that this documentation describes.

AuthPlus separates the people who check items from the people who manage them. Only the latter have accounts.

Verifier — no account

Anyone using the verification app. Identified by a verifier profile on their device rather than by a login. Ordinary customers get one automatically; trade and inspection profiles are issued with a username and password. A verifier can scan, view the verdict, transfer custody and see the history of their own scans. They have no access to the dashboard.

Standard user — the default account

A brand owner. Sees and manages only what they own: their brands, products, assets, contents, items, issuances, codes and verifiers, plus the operations and warnings those generate. This is the role every self-registered account receives.

Administrator

Everything a standard user can do, but across all owners, plus user management, global settings, the prohibited-name blocklist, brand-badge approvals and the full warning queue.

Superadministrator

A single platform-operator account created when the server is first started. Adds the platform-wide catalogue — code types, print templates and verifier types — and maintenance actions. It is never listed in Users and cannot be modified by administrators.

● full access   ◐ limited — see note   — no access

Capability	Verifier	Standard	Admin	Super
Verify codes, files and links	●	●	●	●
Transfer custody of a code	●	●	●	●
Sign in to the dashboard	—	●	●	●
Create & manage brands, subjects, items, issuances, codes	—	◐ own	● any owner	●
Generate PDF / CSV label documents	—	◐ own	●	●
Create & manage verifier accounts	—	◐ permitted types only	◐ permitted types only	● all types
View operations (audit trail & map)	—	◐ own	● all	●
View warnings	—	◐ own over-verified only	● all kinds	●
Request a brand verification badge	—	●	●	●
Approve, reject or revoke a badge	—	—	●	●
Switch the owner filter (see other owners’ data)	—	—	●	●
Create users & change roles	—	—	◐ Standard/Admin only	◐ Standard/Admin only
Archive / restore a user account	—	—	◐ not self	◐ not self
Global settings (ceilings, label footer)	—	—	●	●
Prohibited-name blocklist	—	—	●	●
Code types, print templates, verifier types	—	◐ read-only	◐ read-only	●
Enable / disable interface languages	—	—	—	●

Two rules constrain administrators, by design:

• You cannot change your own role or archive your own account. This prevents an administrator from accidentally locking everyone out of the platform. Ask another administrator.
• The superadministrator is untouchable. It does not appear in the user list and cannot be demoted, archived, or created from the interface.

Every list in the dashboard is filtered by the owner scope in force. For a standard user that scope is fixed to their own account and cannot be changed. For an administrator it is chosen in the sidebar and applies everywhere at once — lists, statistics, the map, warnings and the global search. See §27 The owner filter.

Accounts are needed only for the dashboard. Verifying items never requires one.

Purpose. Create your own brand-owner account and reach the dashboard for the first time.

Prerequisites. An email address you can read right now, and a password of at least 8 characters.

1. Open the AuthPlus website and choose Get started, then Create account. You can also go straight to /signup.
2. Fill in First name, Last name, Email and Password, then submit the form.
3. AuthPlus emails you a 6-digit verification code. Check your inbox — and your spam folder if it does not arrive within a minute or two.
4. Type the code into Verification code and choose Verify & create account.

Expected result. The account is created, you are signed in immediately, and you land on the dashboard Overview with empty statistics. Your role is Standard user.

Item	Rule
Password	Minimum 8 characters. No other requirement is enforced — no obligatory digits, symbols or mixed case, and no maximum length.
Email	Must be a valid address and must not already be registered.
Verification code	6 digits, valid for 10 minutes, and accepted for at most 5 attempts.
Names	First and last name are both required.
Role	Always Standard user. Only an administrator can grant the Admin role afterwards.

Message	Meaning	Resolution
An account with this email already exists	The address is already registered.	Sign in instead, or use Forgot password if you cannot remember it.
Invalid or expired code	One message covers every failure: wrong digits, more than 10 minutes elapsed, or five wrong attempts.	Restart the sign-up form to have a fresh code sent.
Password must be at least 8 characters	The password is too short.	Lengthen it and submit again.
A valid email is required	The address is malformed.	Correct the typo — a domain and an @ are required.
Challenge verification failed	An invisible anti-bot check did not complete, usually after the page has been left open a long time.	Reload the page and submit again. See The invisible anti-bot check.

Organisations usually create accounts centrally instead of letting staff self-register. In that case an administrator creates the account with an initial password and passes it to you directly (see §28 User management).

Two ways in — a password, or a single-use code by email — plus recovery if you are locked out.

1. Go to /signin, or choose Get started on the website.
2. Enter your Email and Password.
3. Select Sign in.

Expected result. You arrive on the dashboard. If you were sent to the sign-in page from a deeper link, you return to that page instead.

Purpose. Sign in without typing a password — useful on shared or unfamiliar devices, or if you never set a memorable password.

1. On the sign-in page choose Sign in with a code instead.
2. Enter your email address and choose Send code.
3. Read the 6-digit code from your inbox and enter it.

Expected result. You are signed in exactly as with a password. The code is then consumed and cannot be reused.

1. On the sign-in page select Forgot password?
2. Enter your email address and request the code.
3. Enter the emailed code and your new password (at least 8 characters).

Expected result. The password is replaced and you can sign in with it immediately.

AuthPlus keeps you signed in across restarts of the browser or the mobile app; your session is renewed silently in the background, so you should not be interrupted while working. To end a session, open the avatar menu at the top-right and choose Sign out.

Everything you can change about your own account, from the avatar menu → Profile.

Your first and last name are what other users see beside the records you create — for example in the Created by column of the operations list. Both are required.

The Timezone setting governs every date and time displayed in the dashboard: operations, warnings, issuance dates, everything. Set it to the zone you actually work in so that “10:32” means what you expect. A live clock next to the field shows the current time in the selected zone.

A ceiling is the number of times one of your codes may be verified before AuthPlus raises an over-verified warning. It is the main automatic anti-counterfeiting signal: a genuine item is normally checked a handful of times, while a code copied onto a thousand fakes is checked constantly.

Field	Applies to	Default
Max verifications — products	Codes on product batches	25
Max verifications — assets	Codes on individual valuables	25
Max verifications — files	Codes certifying documents	0 (disabled)

Setting a value to 0 disables the ceiling for that type — no over-verified warning will ever be raised. Files default to 0 because a public certificate is expected to be checked by many people.

Your personal ceiling takes precedence over the platform-wide default set by an administrator (Global settings).

Prerequisites. Either your current password, or access to your mailbox.

1. Open Profile and find the security card.
2. Enter your new password (at least 8 characters).
3. Prove it is you, in one of two ways:
   • type your current password; or
   • select the mail icon in the field to switch to Use a code instead — AuthPlus emails a 6-digit code to your own address, which you then enter. This is the route to take if you always sign in with email codes and have no password to recall.
4. Save.

Expected result. The password changes immediately and you stay signed in.

1. In Profile, enter the new address in the Change email card.
2. AuthPlus sends a 6-digit code to the new address. Read it there.
3. Enter the code to confirm.

Expected result. The address is updated at once and becomes your sign-in identity. Your password is unchanged.

Message	Resolution
An account with this email already exists	Another account already uses that address. Choose a different one, or archive the other account first.
Invalid or expired code	Request a new code and enter the most recent one within 10 minutes.
Current password is incorrect	Shown when changing a password with the wrong current password. Use the emailed-code route instead if you are unsure.

The top bar carries a language selector and a light/dark theme toggle. Both apply instantly, are stored on the device, and are independent of your account — so the same user can work in French on a laptop and in English on a phone.

Choosing Arabic mirrors the entire interface to a right-to-left layout. The language you pick also becomes the default language offered when generating label documents (Labels & exports).

1. Open the AuthPlus site and choose Create account. Enter your details, then the 6-digit code emailed to you. Passwords are 8 characters or more.
2. You land on Overview: live counts of subjects, codes issued, authentic scans, warnings and failures, plus recent activity.
3. Set your timezone in Profile — every date in the dashboard follows it.

The core workflow, in four steps:

1. Brands → New brand. Add a logo, and request the verification badge — once an administrator approves it, customers see a green check beside your name.
2. Products → New: name it and pick its brand. (Assets and Contents work the same way.)
3. Open the product and add an item — your own batch reference, dates and unit value.
4. Open the batch and choose Issue Codes: pick the code type and a quantity between 1 and 1000. For contents, upload files instead — each file becomes one certified code.

Open the issuance and choose Documents. Generate a PDF — one sticker per code, with QR, product, batch, price and expiry — or a CSV listing every code for a printing partner. Both are available per language and stay downloadable afterwards.

Operations lists every verification and transfer — who, when, what result and where — filterable, and plottable on a map. Look for clusters of failures in places you do not sell.

Warnings flags codes verified more often than the ceiling you set in Profile (25 by default). Review each one against Operations, then Dismiss it if the activity is legitimate, or Block the code — which archives it, so it stops verifying at once. Both decisions can be reverted.

Any current desktop or mobile browser, kept up to date. The interface is responsive and works on a phone, though the code tables and the map are far more comfortable on a laptop.

Browser	Minimum version
Google Chrome / Microsoft Edge	107
Mozilla Firefox	104
Safari (macOS / iOS)	16

JavaScript and cookies-equivalent local storage must be enabled. No plug-ins or extensions are required.

Nothing is installed. Open the AuthPlus address supplied by your organisation and choose Get started, or go straight to /dash. You will be asked to sign in (Signing in).

The dashboard and the verification app are two areas of one product, and you can move between them at any time:

• In the dashboard, the scan icon in the top bar opens the verification app — useful for checking one of your own codes exactly as a customer would.
• In the verification app, the grid icon at the top opens the dashboard. You will be asked to sign in if you are not already.

On Android, the app opens on the verification screen; in a browser, the same address opens the dashboard. Both contain both areas.

Where everything lives, and what the first screen is telling you.

Card	Counts
Subjects	Products, asset categories and content categories you have registered.
Codes issued	Every authenticity code you have minted, across all issuances.
Authentic	Scans that returned a clean authentic verdict.
With warnings	Scans that were authentic but flagged — repeat checks, custody conflicts, over-verification.
Non-authentic	Scans that failed: unknown codes, or codes you have withdrawn.

Recent activity lists the five most recent verifications and transfers, each with its result and the place it happened. For the full list, use Operations.

Element	Purpose
Sidebar	Overview, Brands, Products, Assets, Contents, Verifiers, Operations, Warnings — and, for administrators, more (Administrator overview).
Warnings badge	A red count of unresolved warnings. It is hidden when there are none.
Search field	Searches brands, subjects, items and codes at once. Type at least two characters.
Scan icon	Opens the verification app, to check one of your own codes as a customer would.
Language / theme	Interface language and light or dark appearance.
Avatar menu	Profile and Sign out.
Version, bottom-left	The AuthPlus release you are using — quote it when contacting support.

• Search and filters sit above every table, including a date range on most.
• Status filter — lists show Active records by default. Switch it to see archived ones.
• Breadcrumbs at the top of detail screens climb back up the chain.
• Pagination shows 25 rows per page by default.
• Archive rather than delete — see Archiving — nothing is ever deleted.

The first thing to create: everything else hangs off a brand.

Purpose. Register the name that will appear to anyone verifying your products.

1. Open Brands and select New brand.
2. Enter the Name — required, and shown on every verdict screen.
3. Add a Description (optional).
4. Select Create.

Expected result. The brand appears in the list with status Active and can immediately be chosen when creating products.

Open the brand and use Add logo. The logo appears next to the brand name on verdict screens, which is a strong trust signal for customers.

Requirement	Value
Format	An image file. Non-images are rejected with please upload an image file.
Maximum size	8 MB
Recommendation	A square image on a transparent or white background reproduces best at small sizes.

Purpose. Obtain the green check displayed beside your brand name on every verdict screen — the visible proof that AuthPlus has confirmed you are who you claim to be.

1. Open the brand and choose the verification request action.
2. Add a note explaining who you are, and attach supporting evidence — registration documents, trademark certificates. Images and PDFs are accepted, up to 8 MB each.
3. Submit. The brand’s status becomes Pending.

Expected result. An administrator reviews the request and approves or rejects it (Brand verification). Once approved, the badge appears everywhere the brand is shown.

Status	Meaning
None	No request has been made. No badge is shown.
Pending	Submitted and awaiting review. You cannot submit again while pending.
Verified	Approved. The green check is displayed to everyone.
Rejected	Declined, with a reason from the reviewer. You may correct the issue and request again.

Message	Resolution
Brand is already verified or pending review	A request is already open, or the badge is already granted. Nothing to do.
Attachments must be images or PDFs	Convert the evidence to PDF or an image before attaching.
Name is required	Shown when saving a brand with an empty name.

Editing is immediate and affects what verifiers see from then on. Archiving is the emergency control:

Manufactured goods, organised as product → batch → codes. This is the most common workflow in AuthPlus.

1. Open Products and select New.
2. Enter the Name as customers know it — it appears on the verdict screen.
3. Choose the Brand.
4. Add a description (optional) and create.

Expected result. The product is listed with counts of its items and codes, both zero for now.

Purpose. A batch (an item) is the production run that codes will be minted for. Splitting production into batches lets you withdraw one run without touching the others.

1. Open the product and add a new item.
2. Enter a Reference of your choosing — your own batch or lot number, shown on the verdict screen and printed on labels.
3. Optionally record the Manufacturing date, Expiration date, unit Value, and a description.
4. Save.

Expected result. The batch appears under the product and can have codes issued for it.

Products and batches accept images (up to 8 MB each), which help your team identify the right record. One image can be marked as the primary one.

Unique valuables — art, jewellery, watches, collectibles — where each piece is registered individually and carries a signed ownership certificate.

The structure mirrors products, with different meanings:

Level	For assets	Example
Subject	A category of valuables	Collector Timepieces
Item	One individual piece	HERITAGE-1965
Issuance	Normally a single code for that piece	1 code

1. Open Assets and create a category, choosing its brand.
2. Inside the category, add one item per physical piece, with its reference or serial number and its value.
3. Issue a single code for it (Issuing codes) and attach the printed certificate to the piece.

Expected result. Scanning that code shows a certificate view with the certification date and the number of ownership transfers, rather than a product view.

Certified files: certificates of authenticity, warranties, official documents, media. Each file becomes one code and carries a fingerprint that makes tampering detectable.

1. Open Contents and create a category — for example Certificates & Documents.
2. Add an item per document, with a reference and description.
3. Issue codes by uploading the files themselves. Each uploaded file becomes exactly one certified code.

Expected result. The file is stored, its fingerprint recorded, and anyone can then confirm the document is genuine — by scanning its code, by checking the file directly, or by pasting a link to it (Verifying assets & documents).

Minting the codes that will be printed on your goods.

Prerequisites. A brand, a subject and an item must already exist.

1. Open the batch (or asset item) and select Issue Codes.
2. Choose the Code type — Public for anything a customer will scan.
3. Enter the Quantity: between 1 and 1000 codes.
4. Select Issue.

Expected result. The issuance is created instantly with that many unique codes, listed and ready to view, download or print.

Message	Resolution
Quantity must be between 1 and 1000	Split larger runs into several issuances.
Item and authcode type are required	Select both before submitting.
File subjects require uploaded files; products and assets require a quantity	You are issuing for a content item — upload files instead of entering a quantity (Issuing codes for content).
Object storage is not configured	A server-side setup problem. Contact your administrator — see Troubleshooting.

1. Open the content item and select Issue Codes.
2. Choose the code type.
3. Select the files to certify — up to 1000 files at a time, each up to 8 MB.
4. Select Issue. The count of files is shown before you confirm.

Expected result. One certified code per file, each bound to that file’s fingerprint.

Open an issuance to see its codes. Each row offers:

Action	What it does
Copy code	Copies the code text to the clipboard.
QR code	Shows the QR image, with a download button for a single label.
Holdings	Shows which verifier currently holds the item, and since when.
Operations	Every scan and transfer recorded for this one code.
Settings	Code configuration, including ownership transfer for assets and contents.
Archive	Stops this single code verifying, without affecting the rest of the batch.

Purpose. Hand an asset or a certified document to another AuthPlus account — for example when a valuable is sold to a collector who has their own account.

1. Open the code’s settings from the issuance list.
2. Enter the recipient’s AuthPlus account email under Transfer ownership.
3. Confirm.

Expected result. The code moves to the other account, which can then manage it. The movement is recorded and contributes to the provenance count shown on the certificate.

Turning codes into something you can physically print.

1. Open the issuance and select Documents.
2. For a printable sheet: choose a Template and a Language, then Generate PDF.
3. For a data file: choose a language and Generate CSV.
4. Generated documents stay listed, with a download button, so colleagues can retrieve them later.

PDF sticker shows	CSV columns
QR code · product or subject name · batch reference · unit value · expiry date · code type · the platform label footer text for that language	Code · Product · Batch · Price · Expiration Date — with headings translated into the language you chose

Message	Resolution
No print template available	No label template is configured on the platform. Ask an administrator to add one (Platform configuration).
Kind must be pdf or csv	An internal request problem — reload the page and try again.
Object storage is not configured	Documents cannot be stored server-side. Contact your administrator.

The register of who is allowed to scan your codes in the field.

Everyday profiles — the consumer Public type and, where configured, Reseller — are created automatically by the app, so this page is mostly a register: it shows who can scan for you, their type, username and creation date.

1. Select New verifier.
2. Give it a recognisable Name — this is what appears in scan histories, so name it after the shop or the person.
3. Choose the Type. Only types your role may create are offered.
4. Set a Username and Password (at least 4 characters), and save.
5. Pass the credentials to the person who will use them; they add the profile as described in Adding a professional profile.

Archiving a verifier immediately prevents it from verifying anything, while preserving every scan it already made. This is the correct response to a lost device or a terminated partner.

The complete audit trail: every verification and transfer of every code you own.

Column	Meaning
Time	When it happened, in your profile’s timezone.
Type	Verification or Transfer.
Result	The verdict returned to the verifier.
Subject / Kind	What was scanned, and whether it is a product, asset or file.
Code	The code scanned.
Created by	The account that owns the code.
Verifier	The profile that performed the scan.
Location	Where the scan came from, as a place name and network address.

Filters above the table narrow by free text, subject type, result, operation kind, verifier, subject and date range. They combine, so you can isolate, for example, every non-authentic scan of one product last month.

Switch to Map to plot the same filtered set geographically. Each point is a scan, coloured by result.

Automatic alerts on suspicious activity affecting your codes.

As a brand owner you see one kind of warning: over-verified codes. A warning is raised when one of your codes has been verified more times than the ceiling you set in your profile (Your verification ceilings) — the clearest automated signal that a code has been copied onto counterfeit goods.

1. Open Warnings. Pending items are shown by default; the sidebar badge counts them.
2. Read the entry: which code, which subject, and how many scans it has accumulated.
3. Cross-check it in Operations — filter by that code and look at where and how often it was scanned.
4. Decide:
   • Dismiss — the activity is legitimate. The warning is closed; the code keeps working.
   • Block — the code is compromised. It is archived, so it stops verifying at once and any further scan returns This product has been withdrawn.

A closed warning can be reopened later with Revert, which also restores a blocked code.

Status	Meaning
Pending	Awaiting your decision. Counted in the sidebar badge.
Dismissed	Judged legitimate. The code was left active.
Resolved	The code was blocked.

Screen	What it does
Owner selector	Scopes every page to your own items, one owner, or all owners. Check it first when data looks missing.
Users	Create accounts (Standard or Admin), change roles, archive. No invitation email is sent — pass the password on yourself.
Settings	Platform-wide verification ceilings and the footer text printed on every label.
Prohibited names	The blocklist that flags brand, product and item names for review.
Brand verification	Approve, reject or revoke brand badges. Record why — nobody is emailed the decision.
Warnings	Every kind, including duplicate and prohibited names, with the power to block a record.

Only relevant if your organisation hosts AuthPlus itself.

Component	Requirement	Purpose
Application	A single self-contained binary, distributed as a container image	Serves the website, the dashboard, the verification app and the API from one process.
Database	PostgreSQL 18 with the postgis, pg_trgm, fuzzystrmatch and unaccent extensions	Storage; map positions; duplicate-name detection.
Object storage	Any S3-compatible service	Logos, product images, certified files and generated labels. Without it, code issuance is disabled.
PDF renderer	The Typst binary, included in the container image	Renders label sheets, including right-to-left scripts.
Reverse proxy	Recommended, terminating TLS	The application itself speaks plain HTTP and expects to sit behind a proxy.
Outbound mail	An SMTP relay	One-time codes. Without it, no one can register or reset a password.

A production installation consists of three containers and a reverse proxy:

1. Application — the AuthPlus bundle image, listening on its internal port and bound to the loopback interface.
2. Database — PostgreSQL 18 with PostGIS, on a persistent volume. Not exposed outside the container network.
3. Object storage — an S3-compatible service on a persistent volume. Its data API stays internal; only the management console is proxied, if at all.
4. Reverse proxy — terminates TLS, redirects plain HTTP, and forwards the client’s real address so that verification locations are recorded correctly.

Configuration is entirely by environment variables. Database migrations run automatically at startup, and the first superadministrator account is created then from the credentials you supply.

What administrators get in addition to everything in Part IV.

An administrator is a brand owner with a wider view and a moderation mandate. Every screen described in Part IV works identically; the difference is that you can point them at any owner, and you have five extra responsibilities.

The single control that decides whose data you are looking at.

A standard user always sees only their own records. As an administrator, the Owner selector at the top of the sidebar widens that scope:

Choice	Effect
My items	Only the records you created yourself. The default.
A specific owner	That user’s catalogue, exactly as they see it. Search the list by name or email.
All owners	Every record on the platform, from every account.

The choice applies everywhere at once — brands, products, assets, contents, verifiers, operations, warnings, the statistics on Overview, and the global search. It persists between sessions.

Creating accounts, granting roles, and withdrawing access.

1. Open Users and select New user.
2. Enter First name, Last name and Email.
3. Set an initial Password of at least 8 characters.
4. Choose the Role: Standard or Admin.
5. Select Create.

Expected result. The account exists immediately and can sign in with the credentials you set.

Message	Resolution
An account with this email already exists	Search the list — the account may be archived rather than absent. Restore it instead of creating a duplicate.
A valid email is required	Correct the address.
Password must be at least 8 characters	Set a longer initial password.
Role must be ‘admin’ or ‘standard’	Choose one of the two offered roles.

Use the role selector on the user’s row. The change takes effect the next time that user’s session refreshes.

Two changes are refused by design:

• You cannot change your own role — ask another administrator.
• You cannot change your own status — you cannot archive yourself.

The superadministrator account never appears in this list and cannot be modified from it.

Purpose. Withdraw access when someone leaves, or suspend an account under investigation.

1. Find the user and choose the archive action.
2. Confirm.

Expected result. The account can no longer sign in and is marked Archived. Restoring it re-enables sign-in.

Platform-wide policy: detection thresholds and label text.

These are the platform’s own thresholds, applied to every code regardless of who owns it. They are separate from the ceilings each owner sets for themselves, and both are evaluated:

Ceiling	Set by	Default	Raises
Owner ceiling	Each user, in Profile	25 products · 25 assets · 0 files	A warning the owner sees
Global ceiling	Administrators, here	100 products · 100 assets · 0 files	A warning administrators see

Setting a value to 0 disables that ceiling. A single code can trip both and produce two separate warnings — one for its owner, one for the platform.

The footer text is printed at the bottom of every generated PDF label, for every brand on the platform. It is maintained per language, so a French label carries the French text.

The blocklist that prevents the platform being used to certify things it should not.

When a user names a brand, subject or item, AuthPlus compares that name against this list. A match raises a prohibited warning for administrators to review; it does not block the user’s action outright.

• Comparison ignores capitalisation, accents and punctuation.
• A match is raised when the name equals a blocked term, contains one, or is contained by one — so replica matches Replica Watch Co.
• Entries can be written in English, French or Arabic; the list ships with a baseline covering regulated, illegal and counterfeit-indicating terms.

1. Add a term with the create action. Duplicates are refused with this name is already on the blocklist.
2. Edit or remove a term with the row actions.

Deciding which brands may display the green check that customers rely on.

1. Open Brands and switch to the Brand verification tab. A red count shows how many requests are waiting.
2. Open a request and read the owner’s note and attachments — registration documents, trademark certificates.
3. Decide:
   • Approve — the badge appears immediately, everywhere the brand is shown.
   • Reject — record a clear reason; the owner sees it and may request again.
   • Revoke — remove a badge previously granted.

Restricted inspection profiles, for enforcement staff and internal audit.

Everyday verifier types provision themselves; Control profiles do not. They are created deliberately and issued to a named person, and they can only verify Control-tier codes.

1. Open Verifiers and select New verifier.
2. Give it a recognisable Name — for example Inspector 01. This name appears in every scan history it produces.
3. Choose Control as the Type.
4. Set a Username and Password, then save.
5. Hand the credentials to the inspector, who adds them in the app as described in Adding a professional profile.

The full warning queue and the administrative archive.

Administrators see three kinds of warning that owners never do:

Kind	Raised when	Typical decision
Duplicate	A new or renamed brand closely resembles another brand belonging to the same owner — by spelling or by sound.	Usually a legitimate variant; dismiss. Block if it looks like an attempt to impersonate.
Prohibited	A brand, subject or item name matches the blocklist (Prohibited names).	Judge in context — replica in a model name may be innocent. Block genuine abuse.
Over-verified (global)	A code has passed the platform ceiling (Global verification ceilings).	Investigate in Operations. Block a code that is plainly being used on counterfeits.

Filters let you narrow by kind, by entity type, by status and by date.

Action	Effect on the record	Reversible
Dismiss	None. The warning is closed and the record stays active.	Yes — Revert reopens it.
Block	Archives the offending brand, subject, item or code. It stops verifying immediately, and the archive is marked as administrative.	Yes — Revert restores the record and reopens the warning.
Revert	Undoes a previous decision and returns the warning to pending.	—

When an administrator archives a record — directly or through Block — the owner cannot restore it themselves. They see archived by an administrator; only an admin can unarchive it.

The catalogue that shapes how every brand on the platform works. Visible only to the superadministrator.

Page	Governs	Notes
Code types	The tiers available at issuance — Public, Reseller, Control — each with a code length between 12 and 20 characters, an optional logo, and a default print template.	One type is the platform default. Changing a type does not alter codes already issued.
Templates	The label layouts used to render PDF stickers.	At least one template must exist, otherwise owners see no print template available.
Verifier types	How verifier profiles behave: which code tier they may verify, whether they self-provision, whether they require location, whether they are limited to one creator’s codes, and which role may create them.	This is where the Control type is restricted to the superadministrator.
Languages	Which interface languages are offered.	—
Maintenance	Re-running the baseline setup that installs the default types and templates.	Safe to repeat; it does not overwrite your changes.

How AuthPlus protects accounts and codes, and what is expected of you.

Measure	Detail
Password storage	Passwords are never stored, and cannot be recovered by anyone including administrators. Only a modern, deliberately slow one-way hash is kept, so a stolen database does not yield usable passwords.
Password rules	Minimum 8 characters. No further complexity is imposed — strength is your responsibility.
One-time codes	6 digits, valid for 10 minutes, at most 5 attempts, single use. Requesting a new code cancels the previous one.
Automated-abuse protection	Sign-in, sign-up, password reset and every public scan carry an invisible proof-of-work check that makes bulk automated attempts expensive (The invisible anti-bot check).
Role separation	Ordinary users cannot reach administrative functions, and administrators cannot alter the superadministrator account.

Signing in creates a session that is renewed silently while you work, so you are not interrupted. Sessions are long-lived by design, so that field staff are not asked to sign in repeatedly.

Action	Effect on sessions
Sign out	Ends the session on that device only.
Password reset (from the sign-in page)	Ends every session, on every device.
Password change (from your profile)	Other devices stay signed in.
Email change	Sessions are unaffected.

• Unguessable. Codes are random, drawn from a 32-character alphabet that excludes easily confused glyphs, and are 12 to 20 characters long. They are not sequential, so knowing one tells an attacker nothing about another.
• Verified centrally. A code is meaningless on its own — authenticity is decided by the server, not by anything printed on the label.
• Signed for assets and documents. Certificates carry a cryptographic signature over the record’s identity; altering the record breaks the signature and the verdict becomes Verification failed.
• Fingerprinted for files. A certified document is bound to a fingerprint of its exact contents, so any modification is detectable.
• Copy-detection. Because copying a genuine code onto many fakes cannot be prevented physically, AuthPlus detects it statistically through verification ceilings and custody conflicts (Authentic, with a warning).

Before a sign-in, a sign-up, a password reset or a public scan is accepted, your device performs a small computation that proves a real client is present. There is no puzzle, no checkbox and nothing to read.

What you may notice	Explanation
A brief delay before the button responds	Normal, particularly on older devices.
Challenge verification failed	The check expired — usually a page left open a long time. Reload and try again.
Could not fetch verification challenge	The device could not reach the server. Check connectivity.

• Give each person their own account and their own verifier profile; never share credentials.
• Keep the number of administrators to a minimum and review the list regularly (User management).
• Archive accounts and verifier profiles the day someone leaves.
• Change any initial password set for you by an administrator at first sign-in.
• Sign out on shared or public computers — closing the tab is not enough.
• Treat the CSV of issued codes as confidential: it lists valid codes in bulk.
• Review Warnings and Operations on a regular schedule; nobody is emailed when something suspicious happens (Notifications).

What AuthPlus records, where it goes, and how long it stays. Read this before deploying the app to customers.

Every completed scan or transfer writes one permanent line to the audit trail:

Recorded	Detail	Visible to
What was scanned	The code, and the item it belongs to when it is recognised	The code’s owner, administrators
The result	Authentic, a warning, or the reason it failed	Same
When	Server timestamp	Same
Who	The verifier profile	Same
The device	A stable device identifier, plus manufacturer, model and operating system	Same
Where	Network address, resolved town or city, and precise coordinates when location is used	Same

Source	When used	Precision
Device location (GPS)	When the verifier type requires it, and permission is granted	Precise — the actual position of the scan
Network address	Otherwise	Approximate — typically the town or the internet provider’s location

• Uploaded files — logos, product images, certified documents — are stored unchanged, in their original form. They are not resized or re-encoded, so any metadata they contain (including photograph location data) is preserved.
• Certified content is additionally fingerprinted, and that fingerprint is what verification compares.
• When you verify a file from your own device, the file is not uploaded — only its fingerprint is sent. Verifying a link is different: the server downloads the file to fingerprint it.

AuthPlus is built to preserve evidence. The audit trail, in particular, is never edited or removed by the application.

Record	Can be removed?
Operations (verifications and transfers)	No — permanent
Brands, products, assets, contents, items, issuances, codes	Archived only, never deleted
User accounts	Archived only
Warnings	Closed, not deleted
Verifier accounts	Archived only
Code types, print templates, verifier types	Archived only
Generated label documents	Yes — deleted along with the stored file
Prohibited-name entries	Yes

Only two things can be removed outright, and neither is a record of anything: a generated PDF or CSV, which you can produce again at any time, and an entry on the prohibited-name blocklist. Everything else is archived.

Records are otherwise kept indefinitely: AuthPlus applies no automatic retention limit, and there is no self-service account deletion. Erasure requests are handled manually by the platform operator.

Stored	Why
A device identifier	Identifies the automatic verifier profile so scan history is continuous.
Verifier profiles and the active one	So you do not re-enter credentials at every launch.
Sign-in tokens	Keeps you signed in to the dashboard.
Language, theme, and the administrator’s owner filter	Preferences, per device.

AuthPlus uses no analytics, no advertising and no tracking cookies, and loads no third-party fonts or scripts. The only external call made by the app is the location lookup described in How location is determined.

Removing a verifier profile in the app removes it from that device only; the account and its history remain on the server.

Codes can be exported as CSV per issuance (Labels & exports), and label sheets as PDF. There is no bulk export of operations, catalogue or account data from the interface — an operator with database access can produce one on request.

What AuthPlus tells you, and — importantly — what it does not.

AuthPlus sends exactly one kind of email: a one-time code. Every message expires after 10 minutes and asks for nothing else.

Trigger	Subject	Sent to
Signing up	Verify your AuthPlus email	The address being registered
Signing in with a code	Your AuthPlus sign-in code	Your address
Forgotten password	Reset your AuthPlus password	Your address
Changing your email	Confirm your new AuthPlus email	The new address
Changing your password by code	Your AuthPlus password-change code	Your address

Signal	Where	Meaning
Red count on Warnings	Sidebar	Unresolved warnings. Hidden when there are none.
Red count on Brands	Sidebar, administrators only	Brand verification requests awaiting a decision.
Brief messages	Corner of the screen	Confirmation or failure of the action you just performed. They disappear after a few seconds.
Status chips	Brand pages	Verified, pending or rejected badge status.

Symptoms, causes and resolutions, grouped by where the problem appears.

Symptom	Likely cause	Resolution
Invalid email or password	Wrong credentials, or the address is not registered.	Re-type carefully. Use Forgot password, or sign in with an email code instead.
Account is not active	The account has been archived by an administrator.	Contact your administrator; only they can restore it (Archiving an account).
No code arrives	Wrong address, spam filtering, or the address is not registered.	Check spam. Confirm the address. For a sign-in code, remember the request always reports success even for unknown addresses.
Invalid or expired code	More than 10 minutes elapsed, five wrong attempts, or an older code was used.	Request a fresh code and use the newest email.
Challenge verification failed	The page has been open too long.	Reload and retry.
Signed out unexpectedly	Someone performed a password reset on the account.	Sign in again. If you did not request it, tell your administrator immediately.

Symptom	Likely cause	Resolution
You are not allowed to verify this code type	The active profile does not match the code’s tier.	Switch profile (Switching the active profile). The item is not necessarily suspect.
Select a verifier first	No profile is active on the device.	Open Verifiers and select one.
Camera shows nothing, or is refused	Camera permission denied, or another app holds the camera.	Grant camera access in the device settings; close other camera apps; use manual entry meanwhile.
The QR will not read	Print too small, poor contrast, glare, or a damaged label.	Improve lighting, hold steady at 10–15 cm, or type the printed code instead.
Stuck on Enable location	The profile requires a position and none is available.	Enable location, allow the permission, and move where the sky is visible (When location is required).
Everything times out	No connectivity, or the device cannot reach the server.	Verification always needs a connection. Check the network; on a private installation confirm the device is on the right one.
Verdict says withdrawn for stock you believe is fine	The brand, product, batch, issuance or the owner’s account has been archived.	Ask the brand — the withdrawal is deliberate (Archiving — nothing is ever deleted).

Symptom	Likely cause	Resolution
Records are missing	The status filter is on Active, or (administrators) the owner filter is on the wrong owner.	Switch the status filter to see archived records; check the owner selector (The owner filter).
Times look wrong	No timezone set on your profile.	Set it in Profile (Name and timezone).
Quantity must be between 1 and 1000	Too many codes requested at once.	Split the run into several issuances.
Please upload an image file / attachments must be images or PDFs	Unsupported file type.	Convert to PNG, JPEG or PDF, under 8 MB.
Upload fails silently on a large file	The file exceeds 8 MB.	Compress or resize it.
No print template available	No label template is configured on the platform.	Ask an administrator (Platform configuration).
Object storage is not configured	Server-side storage is unavailable, so files and documents cannot be saved.	This is an installation problem — contact whoever operates your AuthPlus server.
The map is empty	No operations match the filters, or none carry a position.	Widen the date range and clear filters; remember approximate locations depend on the network.
A page briefly shows a generic error	Transient server or connectivity problem.	Use the retry action. If it persists, note the time and contact support.

Do customers need an account to verify a product?

No. The verification app works with no account and no registration, in the mobile app or a browser.

Does verification work without an internet connection?

No. Authenticity is decided by the server, so a connection is always required.

Can I verify a product without the mobile app?

Yes — open the AuthPlus website and choose the verification area. Everything except precise location works the same way.

What if the QR code is damaged?

Type the code printed beside it. Codes deliberately avoid the characters most often confused.

Someone scanned my product before me. Is it fake?

Not necessarily — a batch is normally checked by the factory, the distributor and the shop. What matters is the pattern: many checks, in distant places, in a short time.

How many codes can I issue at once?

Up to 1000 per issuance. Larger runs are split into several issuances, which also gives finer recall control.

Can I reuse or re-issue a code?

No. Every code is unique and permanent. Issue new codes instead.

Can I change a product's name after codes are printed?

Yes — verdict screens show the current details. What is printed on the physical label does not change, so keep the two consistent.

What size should the printed QR be?

Test before the full run. Print one sheet at the final size, on the final material, and scan it with an ordinary phone (Labels & exports).

Can I stop a single code without affecting the batch?

Yes. Archive that one code. Archiving the issuance, item, product or brand affects everything beneath it.

I forgot my password.

Use Forgot password, or sign in with a one-time email code (Signing in).

Can an administrator see my password?

No. Passwords are stored only as an irreversible hash. An administrator can set a new one for an account they create, but cannot read an existing one.

Can two people share one account?

Technically yes, but do not: the audit trail attributes every action to the account, so sharing destroys accountability.

What happens to my products if my account is archived?

They stop verifying — every code you own returns withdrawn until the account is restored (Archiving an account).

How do I get the Admin role?

Another administrator must grant it. It cannot be requested from the interface.

Is my document uploaded when I verify a file?

No. The fingerprint is computed on your own device and only that value is sent. Checking a link is different: there the server downloads the file to hash it.

Can I delete a record?

Records are archived, not deleted, so the audit trail stays intact. Archived records stop verifying and can be restored.

Who can see where a scan happened?

The owner of the scanned code, and administrators. Verifiers see their own history.

Will I be notified if one of my codes is abused?

Not by email or push — a warning appears in the dashboard and the sidebar badge (Notifications).

Archive

To withdraw a record without deleting it. Archived records stop verifying and can be restored (Archiving — nothing is ever deleted).

Asset

A unique valuable registered individually and carrying a signed ownership certificate.

Authenticity code (code)

The unique string, printed as text and as a QR symbol, that identifies one protected unit.

Batch

An item under a product: one production run, to which codes are attached.

Brand

The top of the protection chain; the name shown to anyone verifying.

Code type

The tier of a code — Public, Reseller or Control — which decides who may verify it.

Content

A certified file: a document, certificate or media item bound to a fingerprint of its contents.

Custody / holder

Which verifier profile currently holds an item in the field. Moved by a transfer in the app (Transfers & custody).

Fingerprint

A value computed from a file's exact contents. If the file changes, the fingerprint no longer matches.

Issuance

One act of minting codes for an item, and the unit at which codes are printed and withdrawn.

Item

A concrete unit: a batch of a product, one individual valuable, or one document entry.

Operation

One recorded verification or transfer — a line in the audit trail.

Over-verified

A code checked more times than its ceiling allows; the principal automated counterfeit signal.

Owner

The account a record belongs to, and the boundary of who can see it.

Owner filter

The administrator control that chooses whose data every screen shows (The owner filter).

Ownership transfer

Moving a code from one AuthPlus account to another, in the dashboard. Distinct from custody.

Product

A manufactured good produced in quantity, organised into batches.

Subject

The generic term for a product, an asset category or a content category.

Superadministrator

The platform operator's account, which configures code types, templates and verifier types.

Verification ceiling

The number of scans a code may receive before a warning is raised (Your verification ceilings).

Verifier

The identity under which a scan is recorded — a device profile, not a dashboard account.

Verifier type

The template governing a verifier's behaviour: which codes it may check, whether it self-provisions, whether it needs location.

Verification badge

The green check displayed beside a brand whose identity AuthPlus has confirmed (Brand verification).

Warning

An automatic alert on suspicious activity, awaiting a human decision (Warnings, Moderation).

Getting help, and what to include so that help is fast.

1. Check §38 Troubleshooting — the majority of reports match an entry there.
2. Reproduce the problem once more and note the exact wording of any message.
3. Confirm whether it affects one record, one device, or everyone.

Detail	Why it matters
The exact message	Distinguishes between a dozen similar-looking causes.
Date, time and your timezone	Lets the team find the corresponding record.
The code, brand or record involved	Identifies exactly what was affected.
The account and role you were using	Many behaviours are role-dependent.
Web or mobile app, and the device	Camera, location and storage issues are platform-specific.
The version at the bottom of the sidebar	Confirms which release you are running.
A screenshot	Faster than any description.

• Questions about your own catalogue, codes or account — your organisation’s AuthPlus administrator, who can see your records and act on them directly.
• Everything else — platform faults, installation and configuration questions, and suspected security problems — write to contact@authenticity-plus.com.