Create Namespaces

There are two ways to create a namespace in EMQX: explicit creation and automatic creation. With these two approaches, you can flexibly choose how to create namespaces based on your needs.

• Explicit creation is suitable for tightly controlled environments.
• Automatic creation is better for dynamic, large-scale deployments that benefit from reduced manual intervention.

Explicit Namespace Creation

You can manually create namespaces through the Dashboard or the REST API. Explicitly created namespaces can be directly managed, edited, and deleted.

Use case: Recommended when you need explicit control over which namespaces exist and require fine-grained management.

Create a Namespace via Dashboard

To quickly create a namespace in the Dashboard:

1. In the Dashboard's left menu, go to Management -> Namespace.
2. Click Create. In the Create Namespace dialog that appears, enter the name of the namespace. Leave other options at their default values. For details on configuring maximum session count and rate limits, see Configure and Manage Namespaces via Dashboard.
3. Click Create. The newly created namespace will appear in the list.

Create a Namespace via REST API

Before applying any namespace-specific configurations, you must explicitly create the namespace using the following API:

POST /mt/ns/<namespace>

Replace <namespace> with the desired namespace ID. No request body is required.

Automatic Namespace Creation

When a client connects, EMQX can automatically create a namespace by extracting the client_attrs.tns attribute from the client's metadata. This method is typically used in large-scale, automated environments where manual creation is impractical.

Use case: Ideal for trusted client connection environments where each tenant or client should be assigned a separate namespace without manual setup.

Note

Automatically created namespaces cannot be edited via the Dashboard. They are only generated through configuration or extracted automatically from client metadata.

Note

Automatic namespace creation is enabled only when the following configuration is set:

multi_tenancy.allow_only_managed_namespaces = false