---
title: Resource types
description: Define resource type templates in PingAM to specify which resources policies protect and what actions users can perform on those resources
component: pingam
version: 7.5
page_id: pingam:am-authorization:resource-types
canonical_url: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingam/8.1/am-authorization/resource-types.html
llms_txt: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingam/llms.txt
docs_for_agents: https://developer.pingidentity.com/build-with-ai/docs-for-agents.md
keywords: ["Authorization", "Policy", "Resource"]
page_aliases: ["authorization-guide:resource-types.adoc"]
superseded_by: https://docs.pingidentity.com/pingam/8.1/am-authorization/resource-types.html
section_ids:
  default_resource_types: Default resource types
---

# Resource types

Resource types define a template for the resources that policies apply to, and the actions that can be performed on those resources.

AM needs a *policy* to decide whether a user can access a resource. When you configure a policy, you also configure a resource (or a pattern to match several resources) that the policy applies to, and the actions that the policy allows or denies.

Resource types are templates that you can define once and reuse in several policies. For example, you could create a template that always allows PUT and POST operations from your internal network.

## Default resource types

AM includes two resource types by default: `URL` and `OAuth2 Scope`. These default resource types are sufficient for most environments.

* `URL` resource type

  The `URL` resource type acts as a template for protecting web pages or applications. It contains resource patterns, such as `*://*:*/*?*`, that can be more specific when used in the policy.

  This resource type supports the following actions:

  GET\
  POST\
  PUT\
  HEAD\
  PATCH\
  DELETE\
  OPTIONS

  For example, an application for Example.com's HR service might contain resource types that constrain all policies to apply to URL resource types under `http*://example.com/hr*` and `http*://example.com/hr*?*`, and only allow HTTP `GET` and `POST` actions.

* `OAuth2 Scope` resource type

  The `OAuth2 Scope` resource type acts as a template for granting or denying OAuth 2.0 scopes. It contains a string-based scope pattern, `*`, and two URL-based scope patterns, such as `*://*:*/*?*`.

The resource supports the `GRANT` action, which can be allowed or denied.