Understanding the Unloc platform structure

What is the difference between an Organization and Project? And how do Subprojects work? This guide gives you the context you need to fully utilize the flexibilty of the Unloc platform.

The Unloc Platform provides a comprehensive mobile key management system that enables organizations to control physical access through mobile devices. This guide explains the core structure and relationships between the main components of the platform.

The Unloc Platform Structure

The Unloc Platform is built on a hierarchical structure where Locks belong to an Organization and are organized into Projects. This architecture allows for flexible access management at different scales, from single buildings to entire cities:

• Organizations sit at the top level and contain multiple Projects
• Projects organize Locks, Keys, and Users into logical groupings
• Subprojects enable delegation of access management within Projects
• Locks represent physical access points and belong exclusively to one Project
• Keys grant users the ability to operate Locks through the mobile app

This architecture provides the flexibility to scale from small, single-building deployments to large, multi-property operations while maintaining clear administrative boundaries and security. Let's take a deep dive into each concept to better understand how everything is connected.

Organization

An Organization is the top-level entity in the Unloc platform. It represents a customer of Unloc that uses either the Unloc API or the Unloc Control Center to manage mobile keys.

Key characteristics:

• Organizations manage their work through one or more Projects
• All Organizations can log into the Unloc Control Center to view and manage all their Projects
• Organizations can create their own integrations using the Unloc API or use third-party applications
• Organizations have the ability to create new Projects as needed

Projects

A Project is a logical container for organizing your access management work. Projects include Locks, Managed Users, Keys, and related resources.

Project Flexibility

Projects can vary significantly in size and scope. The appropriate size depends on how you manage access:

• Small-scale: A single building or co-op where access is managed independently
• Large-scale: Multiple properties across a city where service personnel need access to various doors

Example: A property management company overseeing multiple buildings might create one large Project if service staff need cross-property access, or separate Projects if each building operates independently.

Subprojects: Delegated Access Management

Subprojects provide a powerful way to delegate access management responsibilities within a Project. A Subproject is essentially a scoped-down version of a Project with its own Keys and Managed Users.

Purpose and Benefits

Subprojects enable Project Administrators to delegate door access management to other administrators in the Unloc Control Center without giving them full Project-level access. This creates a hierarchy of administrative control.

How Subprojects Work

• Structure: Each Subproject belongs to a parent Project
• Lock References: Subprojects hold references to Locks in the parent Project (they don't own the Locks)
• Key Creation: Within a Subproject, administrators can create Keys for the referenced Locks
• Shared Locks: Multiple Subprojects can reference the same Lock
• Doorbell Management: Each Subproject can manage one or more Doorbell lists

Administrative Control

Project Administrator Powers:

• Add Locks to Subprojects
• Assign Subproject Administrators
• Remove Locks from Subprojects (automatically removes all associated Keys)

Subproject Administrator Powers:

• Add users within the Subproject scope
• Create Keys for Locks within the Subproject
• Manage Access Groups within the Subproject
• View only the users and Keys within their Subproject (not other Subprojects)

Isolation and Security

Critical security feature: Administrators of different Subprojects cannot see each other's Keys or users. For example, if Subproject A and Subproject B both have access to the same Lock, the administrator of Subproject A cannot see the Keys and users created in Subproject B, and vice versa.

Updated on: 23/01/2026