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User Management

This guide covers managing users on your Nebulae instance as an administrator.

Accessing User Management

  1. Log in as admin
  2. Navigate to Admin Panel
  3. Click Manage Users

Adding Users

Step 1: Click "Add New User"

From the Manage Users page, click the Add New User button.

Step 2: Fill in User Details

Field Description Notes
Username User's email address Used for login, never shared with remote nodes
Password Initial password User can change this later
Display Name Public-facing name What other users see
Date of Birth User's birthdate ⚠️ Cannot be changed after creation

Step 3: Create the User

Click Add User to create the account.

The user can now log in with: - Username: (the email you entered) - Password: (the password you set)

Password Management

Resetting User Passwords

  1. Go to Manage Users
  2. Find the user in the list
  3. Click Actions → Reset Password
  4. Enter new password
  5. Confirm new password
  6. Click Reset Password

The user will be able to log in with the new password immediately.

Password Requirements

Passwords must meet these criteria: - Minimum 8 characters - At least one uppercase letter - At least one lowercase letter - At least one number - At least one special character

Changing Usernames

If a user needs to change their email address/username:

  1. Go to Manage Users
  2. Find the user
  3. Click Actions → Change Username
  4. Enter the new username (email address)
  5. Click Change Username

⚠️ Important: The user will need to use the new username to log in.

Media Path Configuration

Users cannot upload or browse media without configured media paths.

Types of Media Paths

  1. Read-Only Media (user_media) - Browse existing photos
  2. Upload Directory (user_uploads) - Save new uploads

Configuring Media Paths

Step 1: Set Up Docker Volumes

First, ensure volumes are mounted in docker-compose.yml:

volumes:
  - /home/bob/Photos:/app/user_media/bob_media:ro
  - /home/bob/Uploads:/app/user_uploads/bob_uploads

Step 2: Configure in Admin Panel

  1. Go to Manage Users
  2. Find the user
  3. Click Actions → Set Media Path
  4. Enter paths:
  5. Read-only media path: /app/user_media/bob_media
  6. Upload path: /app/user_uploads/bob_uploads
  7. Click Save

Path Requirements

  • Paths must be inside the container (not host paths)
  • Read-only paths should match the :ro volume mounts
  • Upload paths must be writable (no :ro flag)

Parental Controls

For users under 16 years old (or your region's age requirement):

Enabling Parental Controls

  1. Go to Manage Users
  2. Find the child user
  3. Click Actions → Manage Parental Controls
  4. Toggle Enable Parental Controls
  5. Click Add Parent
  6. Select parent username from dropdown
  7. Click Save Changes

What Parents Control

When parental controls are enabled, parents must approve: - ✅ Friend requests (sent and received) - ✅ Group join requests - ✅ Event RSVPs - ✅ Post creation - ✅ Media uploads - ✅ Comments on others' posts

Multiple Parents

You can assign multiple parents. Any parent can approve or deny requests.

Parent Dashboard

Parents can access their dashboard from: Profile → Settings → Parental Dashboard

From here they can: - View pending approval requests - Approve or deny with explanations - See their children's activity

Deleting Users

⚠️ Warning: User deletion is permanent and cannot be undone!

What Gets Deleted

  • User account and profile
  • All posts and comments by the user
  • Media uploaded by the user
  • Group memberships
  • Event RSVPs
  • Friend connections
  • Notifications

Deletion Process

  1. Go to Manage Users
  2. Find the user
  3. Click Actions → Delete User
  4. Confirm the deletion

Deletion Behavior

  • Local users: Completely removed from your node
  • Federated content: Other nodes are notified to remove the user's content
  • Media files: Removed from storage

Viewing User Information

Click on a username in the Manage Users list to view:

  • User ID (PUID)
  • Account creation date
  • Last login
  • User type (user, admin, public_page, remote)
  • Hostname (for remote users)
  • Age and birthdate
  • Media path configuration
  • Parental control status

User Types

Regular Users

  • Standard user accounts
  • Can post, friend, join groups
  • Subject to parental controls if under 16

Admin Users

  • Has access to admin panel
  • Can manage all users
  • Can create groups and public pages
  • Not subject to parental controls

Public Pages

  • Special account type for organizations
  • Followers instead of friends
  • Can create public events
  • See Public Pages Management

Remote Users

  • Users from federated nodes
  • Created automatically through federation
  • Cannot be edited on your node
  • Will show originating hostname

Session Management

Viewing Active Sessions

For security, you can view a user's active sessions:

  1. Go to user profile (as admin)
  2. View Active Sessions section
  3. See:
  4. Device/browser information
  5. Last activity time
  6. IP address (if available)

Revoking Sessions

As admin, you cannot directly revoke user sessions. Users must manage their own sessions through:

Profile → Settings → Security → Active Sessions

However, changing a user's password will invalidate all their sessions, forcing them to log in again.

Two-Factor Authentication

Enabling 2FA for Users

Users must enable their own 2FA from: Profile → Settings → Security → Two-Factor Authentication

As admin, you cannot enable/disable 2FA for users, but you can:

Reset 2FA (if user loses access)

If a user loses access to their 2FA device:

  1. Temporarily disable 2FA via database (requires SSH access)
  2. Have user log in
  3. Have user re-enable 2FA with new device

Emergency 2FA Reset: 

docker exec -it nebulae sqlite3 /app/instance/nebulae.db
sqlite> UPDATE users SET totp_secret = NULL WHERE username = 'user@example.com';
sqlite> .quit

Best Practices

Account Creation

✅ Do: - Use real email addresses for usernames - Set strong initial passwords - Configure media paths before users log in - Enable parental controls for minors immediately

❌ Don't: - Use simple/guessable passwords - Forget to set date of birth (can't change later) - Create accounts without media paths (users can't upload)

Security

✅ Do: - Encourage users to enable 2FA - Regularly review active sessions - Monitor for suspicious activity - Use strong password requirements

❌ Don't: - Share admin credentials - Leave default admin password unchanged - Ignore security notifications

Privacy

✅ Do: - Respect user privacy - Only access user data when necessary - Inform users of any data access - Follow local privacy regulations

❌ Don't: - Browse user's private posts without reason - Share user information with third parties - Monitor user activity without disclosure

Troubleshooting

User Can't Log In

  1. Verify username (email) is correct
  2. Reset password if needed
  3. Check if 2FA is enabled
  4. Verify account isn't suspended

Media Not Showing

  1. Check media path configuration
  2. Verify Docker volume mounts
  3. Check file permissions
  4. Restart container if needed

Parental Controls Not Working

  1. Verify user's age (under 16)
  2. Check parent assignments
  3. Ensure parents have accounts
  4. Verify parental controls are enabled

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