What Is Allowlisting?

Sometimes, the key to resilient digital security is knowing who and what to trust. That’s why one of the most effective ways to improve security and access control is allowlisting.

Allowlisting can mean different things depending on the context and industry in which it’s used. Here, we’ll take a look at allowlisting in social media, email marketing, IT, software development, and corporate/administrative tools.

By the end, you should have a clear understanding of allowlisting and why it matters in various tech industries.

What Is Allowlisting? 5 Ways This Term Is Used in Tech

At its core, allowlisting means explicitly granting access or privileges only to trusted users, systems, or entities, while blocking everything else by default. This proactive approach reduces exposure to unauthorized or malicious activity and strengthens control over who or what can interact with critical resources.

But that’s just a broad definition. Let’s take a look at what this term means in the various industries in which it’s used.

Below are five types of allowlisting:

Allowlisting in Social Media

Allowlisting in social media (also known as influencer allowlisting) is when an influencer allows brands to run ads through their private account. This permission makes sure the brand's message reaches the influencer’s established audience and appears seamlessly in their feed.

Social media allowlisting is a strategy commonly used in influencer partnerships, branded content ads, and audience targeting on platforms like Instagram. By leveraging influencers' existing content, brands promote posts directly through the influencer’s account while maintaining a sense of authenticity and relatability. The goal is to make the promotional message feel more like a personal recommendation than a traditional ad.

For instance, a brand may collaborate with an influencer on Instagram, where the influencer creates content featuring the brand's products. Through Instagram’s Branded Content Ads feature, the brand can gain permission to use that content in paid ads to extend its reach and target specific, relevant audiences. Even if the influencer later removes the original post, the brand can continue promoting the content as an ad.

Allowlisting in Email Marketing

In email marketing, allowlisting is the practice of getting your email address or domain added to a recipient’s list of approved senders. This makes sure your emails land in the inbox, not the spam or junk folder.

You can apply allowlisting in various ways:

• Server/Domain Allowlisting: Lets emails from a specific domain or server pass through without being blocked by spam filters.
• User-Level Allowlisting: Individual recipients add senders or domains to their allowlist so that emails from those addresses always go straight to their inbox.
• Email Service Providers (ESPs): Companies and marketers use tools like Mailchimp or SendGrid to help their emails get through without being blocked. These platforms make it easier to manage allowlisting by marking email domains as trusted. They also offer features to track how well your email campaigns perform, measure engagement, and improve how reliably emails reach inboxes. (Check out our list of best email marketing software to see some of our top picks.)

For example, a company using Mailchimp might ask subscribers to add its email address or domain to their personal allowlist so messages go straight to the inbox. In businesses, IT teams often set up server-level allowlisting to keep important emails, like invoices or internal updates, from ending up in spam.

Allowlisting in IT and Cybersecurity

In the context of IT and cybersecurity, allowlisting is a security strategy that involves granting access exclusively to pre-approved entities, such as applications, IP addresses, or devices, while denying all others by default. This helps strengthen security by reducing the potential attack surface.

There are several common types of allowlisting used in this field:

• Application Allowlisting: Only approved software can run on a system. This is especially common in enterprise environments to prevent employees from installing unauthorized or potentially harmful applications. It’s also a key line of defense against malware and ransomware.
• IP Allowlisting: Often used to limit access to internal systems, dashboards, or databases. For instance, a company may allow only a specific set of office IP addresses to access its admin portal. If an employee tries to log in from an unknown IP, access is denied.
• Email Domain Allowlisting: Companies frequently allowlist trusted domains (like their own or major providers like Gmail or Outlook) to ensure emails are delivered, especially in B2B communication, where critical messages might otherwise be filtered or blocked.
• Device or USB Allowlisting: Organizations might allowlist certain USB devices to prevent data breaches via unauthorized flash drives or external storage.

For example, platforms such as AWS, DigitalOcean, SiteGround, and Cloudflare use IP allowlisting to protect infrastructure. Administrators can restrict access to sensitive dashboards, control panels, or databases by allowlisting only specific, trusted IP addresses. This prevents unauthorized users from even reaching a login screen unless they’re connecting from an allowlisted address. Assessing and managing security threats in this way is typically part of a website maintenance plan.

Allowlisting in Software Development

In software development, allowlisting is often used to control access to APIs, services, and development environments. It guarantees that only trusted users, systems, or sources can interact with a particular tool or platform.

Below are some common ways allowlisting is used:

• API Key Allowlisting: Only requests made with approved API keys are allowed.
• IP or Domain Allowlisting: Access to APIs or services is limited to traffic coming from specific IP addresses or domains. This adds another layer of protection by filtering out unknown or untrusted sources.
• Environment-Level Access: Developers may allowlist access to certain environments (like staging or production) so that only select team members or systems can make changes or run deployments.

For example, a platform like Stripe uses allowlisting to control who can access its APIs. It allows only requests coming from verified domains or with valid API keys. This helps protect sensitive financial data and limits access to authorized apps or users.

Allowlisting in Corporate and Admin Tools

In corporate settings, allowlisting is used to manage and protect access to internal systems, networks, and admin tools. It limits connections to approved users, devices, or locations, preventing unauthorized access and lowering security risks.

This type of allowlisting is particularly important because admin tools often control sensitive operations like user data, system settings, or infrastructure management. A single compromised account or connection can lead to data breaches, service disruptions, or loss of control over core business tools.

Common examples include:

• VPN Access Control: Virtual private networks (VPNs) are often used by remote employees to access company systems. By allowlisting specific IP addresses or devices, companies can make sure that only trusted users from approved locations can connect.
• App Management Tools: Platforms like Microsoft Intune can be used to allowlist approved apps on employee devices.
• User-Based Access: Admin dashboards for tools like Google Workspace, Salesforce, or internal CMS platforms often include allowlisting options to restrict access by email domain, user role, or device.

For example, tools like Palo Alto Networks’ GlobalProtect, FortiGate, and OpenVPN allow companies to configure VPN access so that only users connecting from specific IPs or using company-issued devices can reach internal systems. This helps protect sensitive networks from external threats, even if login credentials are compromised.

Allowlisting vs Whitelisting

Allowlisting and whitelisting refer to the same thing. But while the term "whitelisting" has been widely used for years, "allowlisting" has become the preferred term. In fact, most major organizations have now updated their documentation and code bases to reflect this change.

Whitelisting, which was historically used alongside "blacklisting," implied that “white” was good and “black” was bad or untrustworthy. Some people believe terminology like this, which appears in many places besides tech, perpetuates negative racial stereotypes.

Allowlisting is seen as a more inclusive term, and one without any unintended associations. As such, allowlisting and “blocklisting” or “denylisting” are now the more accepted terminology.

Together, allowlisting and blocklisting form a comprehensive approach to access control. Allowlisting guarantees that only trusted entities can interact with sensitive systems, while blocklisting actively blocks known threats.

Final Thoughts

Allowlisting is a key term in many different industries. Whether it’s for social media platforms like Instagram, email marketing, IT security, or software development, allowlisting provides a reliable approach to controlling access and reducing security risks. The transition from whitelisting to allowlisting is a move towards more inclusive and accurate language that aligns with the evolving standards of the tech industry.

Software tools are often key to putting allowlisting into practice. Platforms like AWS and Palo Alto Networks offer strong features for managing access, such as IP allowlisting and app-level restrictions. Even email marketing tools like Mailchimp use allowlisting to improve email delivery by asking users to add senders to their approved lists.

To explore top software recommendations and tools that can enhance your allowlisting practices, check out Softailed’s Best Picks.