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Managing channels

Creating a channel​

Creating a channel registers its streams on Polygon PoS — the one action in Pombo that costs a network fee (a few cents' worth of POL). You'll choose:

  • Type — public, password-protected, or on-chain (native). Pick based on who should get in; the trade-offs are explained in Channels and ownership.
  • Retention — how long storage keeps history (default 180 days).
  • Storage node — the default Pombo cluster, or a custom storage node you specify (must be an HTTPS-reachable Streamr storage node).

The channel is owned by the account that creates it. Ownership is on-chain and cannot be transferred away from you by anyone.

Managing members (native channels)​

In a native channel, you control access by granting and revoking on-chain permissions to Ethereum addresses. Each grant/revoke is a Polygon transaction paid by you (the owner). Members join and chat for free.

This is the channel type to use when a ban has to actually stick: revoking a member's permission removes their ability to publish at the protocol level, not just cosmetically.

Moderation tools​

As owner, you can:

  • Ban members — their messages stop being displayed by clients.
  • Hide individual messages.
  • Pin messages.

Moderation state is published on the channel's admin stream, which only you can write to.

caution

In public and password channels, remember that bans are advisory: a determined user can rejoin with a fresh account, and the underlying messages remain on the network. For enforceable access control, use a native channel. See the honest limits.

Inviting people​

  • Share the channel link — anyone opening it lands in the channel (for password channels, they'll also need the password; share it through a secure path such as a Pombo DM).
  • In-app invites — sent through the recipient's DM inbox, end-to-end encrypted like any DM.