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Managing Users

This guide covers user management functionality for administrators in Trunk8's multi-user environment.

Overview

Trunk8 supports multi-user functionality where administrators can create, manage, and delete user accounts. Each user has their own isolated data space with separate links and assets.

User Management Interface

Accessing User Management

  1. Log in as an administrator
  2. Navigate to the Users page from the main menu
  3. View all users and their statistics

User Information Display

For each user, you can see:

  • Username and display name
  • Admin status (Admin/User badge)
  • Number of links created
  • Account creation date
  • Total data usage

Creating Users

Registration Process

  1. Click Add User on the Users page
  2. Fill in the registration form:
    • Username: Unique identifier (3+ characters, letters/numbers/hyphens/underscores only)
    • Password: User password (4+ characters minimum)
    • Display Name: Human-readable name for the user
    • Admin Privileges: Check to grant admin access
  3. Click Register to create the user

User Directory Structure

When a user is created, Trunk8 automatically creates: 

users/
├── username/
│   ├── assets/          # User's uploaded files
│   └── links.toml       # User's link configuration

Deleting Users

⚠️ Cascading Deletion Warning

When you delete a user, ALL of their data is permanently removed, including: - User account and authentication - All user's links (redirect, file, and markdown links) - All uploaded files and assets - Entire user directory structure

This action cannot be undone!

Deletion Process

  1. Navigate to the Users page
  2. Find the user you want to delete
  3. Click Delete User or go to the user's detail page
  4. Confirm the deletion in the dialog box
  5. The system will:
    • Remove all user links
    • Delete all user files and assets
    • Remove the user directory
    • Remove the user account
    • Log cleanup statistics

Deletion Preview

Before deleting a user, you can view their data on the user detail page:

  • Number of links that will be deleted
  • Number of files that will be removed
  • Total storage space that will be freed
  • List of directories that will be deleted

Deletion Restrictions

  • The admin user cannot be deleted
  • Only administrators can delete users
  • Users cannot delete themselves or other users

Error Handling

The system handles various error conditions during deletion:

  • Permission Errors: If files cannot be deleted due to permissions, the user account is still removed
  • Missing Files: If files are already missing, deletion continues normally
  • Corrupted Data: If link files are corrupted, cleanup proceeds with warnings
  • Partial Failures: Any cleanup issues are logged, but user removal continues

User Switching (Admin Feature)

Viewing as Another User

Administrators can switch to view the system as any user:

  1. Go to the Users page or user detail page
  2. Click View as User
  3. The interface will switch to show that user's perspective
  4. You'll see their links, assets, and have their permissions
  5. Click Switch Back to return to admin view

Benefits of User Switching

  • Test user experience without separate login
  • Troubleshoot user-specific issues
  • Verify user permissions and data isolation
  • Assist users with their configuration

Best Practices

Before Deleting Users

  1. Backup Important Data: Export any links or files that should be preserved
  2. Notify the User: Ensure the user knows their account will be deleted
  3. Review Data: Check the user detail page to understand what will be lost
  4. Document Reasons: Keep records of why the account was deleted

User Account Management

  1. Regular Audits: Periodically review user accounts and usage
  2. Cleanup Inactive Accounts: Remove accounts that are no longer needed
  3. Monitor Storage: Keep track of total system storage usage
  4. Security Reviews: Regularly review admin privileges

Data Recovery

  • No Built-in Recovery: Deleted user data cannot be recovered through the interface
  • Backup Strategy: Implement regular backups of the entire users/ directory
  • Export Before Deletion: Manually backup important user data before deletion

Security Considerations

Admin Privileges

  • Only grant admin access to trusted users
  • Regularly review who has admin privileges
  • Consider using separate admin accounts for different purposes

Data Isolation

  • Users cannot access other users' data
  • Each user has completely separate storage
  • File paths are isolated per user

Audit Trail

  • User creation and deletion are logged
  • Cleanup statistics are recorded
  • Failed operations are logged with details

API Integration

The user management functionality is also available through the system's internal APIs:

  • UserManager.create_user(): Create new users programmatically
  • UserManager.delete_user(): Delete users with full cleanup
  • UserManager.get_user_deletion_preview(): Preview deletion impact
  • UserManager.list_users(): Get all users in the system

For detailed API documentation, see the API Reference.