> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs-dev-actions-triggers-prototype.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

> Describes how identifiers like email and phone must be configured for a database connection.

# Activate and Configure Attributes for Flexible Identifiers

<Warning>
  Enabling Flexible Identifiers on your tenant has the potential to introduce breaking changes to your production environment. For more information on potential problems and limitations, read [Flexible Identifiers and Attributes](/docs/authenticate/database-connections/flexible-identifiers-and-attributes).
</Warning>

An Attribute for database connections, email, phone number, or username, is part of the Flexible Identifiers. End users sign up, authenticate, and reset passwords with an Attribute. Each Attribute has a unique configuration.

## Activate Attributes

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="New connection" icon="database">
    1. Navigate to [**Auth0 Dashboard > Authentication > Database**](https://manage.auth0.com/#/connections/database).
    2. Select **+Create DB Connection**.
    3. Enter a name for the connection and choose the attributes.
    4. Choose the authentication method for the connection.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Existing connection" icon="database">
    1. Navigate to [**Auth0 Dashboard > Authentication > Database**](https://manage.auth0.com/#/connections/database).
    2. Select the Database Connection you want to update from the list.
    3. Select the **Attributes** tab and choose **Activate**.
    4. When prompted to confirm you’ve tested your configuration in a Development environment, select **Proceed**.
    5. On the Attributes screen, select **Add Attribute**, or **Configure** an existing attribute.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

Default values are assigned to a new connection and can be edited after the connection has been created.

| Setting                                | Value          |
| -------------------------------------- | -------------- |
| Use `\{attribute}` as Identifier       | `True`         |
| Allow Signup with `\{attribute}`       | Required       |
| Require `\{attribute}` on user profile | `True`         |
| Username Length                        | Min: 1 Max: 15 |
| Allow usernames in email format        | `False`        |
| Allow usernames in phone number format | `False`        |

## Configure Attributes

Select the **Attributes** tab on the connection. Choose from the available Attributes and select **Configure**. Once you've updated Attribute configurations, select **Save**.

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Email Attribute Configuration Options">
    | Option                        |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        |
    | ----------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |
    | Use Email as Identifier       | Turning this on will make email an identifier for this connection. Users will be able to use email for login and password reset.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |
    | Verification Method           | Choose Email Verification link or One-Time Password (OTP).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |
    | Allow Signup with Email       | Choose how email will be collected at signup<br /><ul><li>**Off**: Attribute will be blocked from signup flows.</li><li>**Optional**: Attribute will be optional on signup flows.</li><li>**Required**: Signup flows will fail if the attribute is not present.</li></ul><br />Signup flows include:<br /><ul><li>Universal Login</li><li>Authentication API `dbconnections/signup` endpoint</li></ul> |
    | Verify email on sign up       | Users will be asked to verify their email address via magic link when signing up.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |
    | Require email on user profile | Requires email to be present across all operations that create or update a user profile on this connection.<br />Will require email is present on the following:<br /><ul><li>Signup flows</li><li>Creating or updating a user via the Management API</li> <li>Bulk user import</li></ul>                                                                                                              |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Username Attributes and Configuration Options">
    | Option                           |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |
    | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Use Username as Identifier       | Turning this on will make username an identifier for this connection. Users will be able to use username for login and password reset.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    |
    | Allow Signup with Username       | Choose how the username will be collected at signup<br /><ul><li>**Off**: Attribute will be blocked from signup flows.</li><li>**Optional**: Attribute will be optional on signup flows.</li><li>**Required**: Signup flows will fail if Attribute is not present.</li></ul><br />Signup flows include:<br /><ul><li>Universal Login</li><li>Authentication API `dbconnections/signup` endpoint</li></ul> |
    | Require username on user profile | Requires username to be present across all operations that create or update a user profile on this connection.<br />Will require username is present on the following:<br /><ul><li>Signup flows</li><li>Creating or updating a user via the Management API</li> <li>Bulk user import</li></ul>                                                                                                           |
    | Username Length                  | Set the minimum and maximum values allowed for a user to have as username.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Phone Number Attributes and Configuration Options">
    | Option                         |                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
    | ------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
    | Use Phone Number as Identifier | Turning this on will make `phone_number` an identifier for this connection. Users will be able to use `phone_number` for login and password reset.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            |
    | Allow Signup with Phone Number | Choose how the phone number will be collected at signup<br /><ul><li>**Off**: Attribute will be blocked from signup flows.</li><li>**Optional**: Attribute will be optional on signup flows.</li><li>**Required**: Signup flows will fail if attribute is not present.</li></ul><br />Signup flows include:<br /><ul><li>Universal Login</li><li>Authentication API `dbconnections/signup` endpoint</li></ul> |
    | Verify phone on signup         | Users will be required to verify their phone number via OTP when signing up.<br />Please ensure you have configured a phone provider or your users will not be able to proceed with signing up.                                                                                                                                                                                                               |
    | Require phone on user profile  | Requires phone to be present across all operations that create or update a user profile on this connection.<br />Will require phone is present on the following:<ul><li>Signup flows</li><li>Creating or updating a user via the Management API</li> <li>Bulk user import</li></ul>                                                                                                                           |
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

### Configure or remove existing Attributes on a connection

All Attributes can be changed or deleted from your <Tooltip tip="Auth0 Dashboard: Auth0's main product to configure your services." cta="View Glossary" href="/docs/glossary?term=Auth0+Dashboard">Auth0 Dashboard</Tooltip>. Users cannot log in, sign up or reset passwords using the removed Attribute, and a minimum of one Attribute must remain active on every connection.

To change or remove an Attribute, navigate to the **Attributes** tab, then choose **Remove**.

### Revert a connection

To revert a connection back to its original state, use the <Tooltip tip="Management API: A product to allow customers to perform administrative tasks." cta="View Glossary" href="/docs/glossary?term=Management+API">Management API</Tooltip> [Update a connection](https://auth0.com/docs/api/management/v2/connections/patch-connections-by-id) endpoint with an `options` object that does not include the `attributes` parameter, as shown below.

<Callout icon="file-lines" color="#0EA5E9" iconType="regular">
  * If you use the `options` parameter, the entire `options` object is overridden. To avoid partial data or other issues, ensure all current parameters are present by copying the contents within the connections `options` object and including it in the PATCH call. The only parameter you should remove is `attributes`.
  * If your tenant has `username` enabled as an Attribute, performing the following action requires you to modify your `username` settings. You'll need to reconfigure your username settings if you choose this path.
</Callout>

```json lines theme={null}
{
"options": {
       }
}
```