Sharing flows

Ontime is designed for shared production work: one rundown, multiple role-specific views, and browser access from the devices your team already uses.
This page explains what a shared link does, what it does not do, and when Ontime Cloud is the better fit.

Sharing inside Ontime

Once Ontime is running, every view has a URL.
Sharing is handing out the right link for the job: a Cuesheet for a department to follow and annotate, an Operator view for a stage manager, or an automated timeline or stage timer for signage.

Any device with a browser on the same network can open these links.
See network and security for how Ontime becomes available on your network.

Links carry their configuration

Views in Ontime save their configuration in the URL, so a link carries the layout and data you set up, not just an address.

You can leverage URL Presets to turn these into short, memorable links and to lock navigation: opening a preset lands the user on the intended view, configured as you set it.

In short, links let you pre-set a configuration and send people to the right view.

Where access control belongs

Ontime does not have built-in accounts, users or logins.
This is a deliberate trade-off: the app stays quick to set up, self-hostable, and usable from any browser on your network without managing credentials.

The consequence is that Ontime does not decide who a user is.
A link directs people to the right place, but it is not a security boundary. Someone who can reach the Ontime server can also edit the URL to try another view, including the editor. Adding a Pin Code can block that, but it also blocks the viewers you intended to reach.

For this reason, access control belongs at the network layer — controlling who can reach the machine in the first place.

The Pin Code

The Pin Code in the General Settings adds a thin layer of protection over views such as /editor, /cuesheet and /op.
It gates a whole view and is easily shared around, so treat it as a convenience rather than a boundary.

When Ontime Cloud helps

Ontime Cloud is the same Ontime workflow, hosted for you. It is useful when the team needs online access without setting up or maintaining infrastructure.

The Cloud plans are built around:

• Stable public links — a reachable URL with HTTPS.
• No setup or maintenance — Ontime runs online without managing a local server.
• No seat limits — invite the people who need to help manage stages.
• Support for the open-source project — subscriptions help fund continued development.

Invite your team

You can invite people into your team to manage Cloud stages from the dashboard.

This is orchestration access, for the people running your infrastructure.
It is separate from viewing a stage: you do not need to add someone to your team for them to open a shared view.

Share live views

Ontime Cloud can also share live, read-only views of your rundown and overview timeline.

These shares are separate from stage access, so guests can follow the show without being given a route back into the running stage:

• Read-only — the viewer follows the show but cannot write to it.
• No login — guests can open the share without registering.
• Own password — a share can optionally have its own password.
• Pre-defined expiration — shares are scoped to the stage and can optionally have an expiration date.