# Tracking Users with Zen Firewall

Zen Firewall by Aikido provides a way to identify and block users who are unwanted or trigger attacks, enhancing your app's security by preventing malicious activity.

### Use Cases <a href="#use-cases" id="use-cases"></a>

* 🔍 **Monitoring active users:** Track user activity to identify and respond to potential threats.
* 🛡️ **Block Malicious Users**: Prevent access from users who have triggered security events

### How to Identify Users <a href="#how-to-identify-and-block-users" id="how-to-identify-and-block-users"></a>

**Step 1:** Configure the Aikido middleware using the provided installation instructions.

{% content-ref url="../zen-installation-instructions/" %}
[zen-installation-instructions](https://help.aikidogov.us/zen-firewall/zen-installation-instructions)
{% endcontent-ref %}

**Step 2:** Use the `setUser` function to specify the current user in your application's context.

Once set, Aikido will display all active users in the dashboard.

![User management dashboard showing user status and last activity for a demo app.](https://help.aikidogov.us/_assets/212280fbb741/Screenshot-2025-10-30-at-11.59.35.png)

**Step 2:** Identify which user to block and open the Action menu by clicking the triple dots.

![User management table showing "Active" status with a menu option to block a user.](https://help.aikidogov.us/_assets/5ef239b1a310/Screenshot-2025-10-30-at-11.59.44.png)

{% hint style="info" %}
Note that user blocking is not immediate; it takes up to a minute for the block to take effect.
{% endhint %}

## Features <a href="#privacy--gdpr" id="privacy--gdpr"></a>

<figure><img src="https://help.aikidogov.us/_assets/4a89e43bd2d6/Screenshot-2026-04-23-at-10.54.28.png" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

### Block a User

You can permanently block a user from accessing your application by clicking on the actions menu of a User and using the "Block User" action.

### Remove Rate Limiting

Disable Rate limiting for a specific user by clicking on the actions menu of a User and using the "Disable Rate Limiting" action. This will disable **ALL** rate limits for this specific user.

## Privacy & GDPR <a href="#privacy--gdpr" id="privacy--gdpr"></a>

Passing the user's name is optional, but it can help you identify the user in the dashboard. You will be required to list Aikido Security as a processor if you choose to share personal identifiable information (PII).