monacousa-portal/PASSWORD_RESET_FIX_SUMMARY.md

111 lines
3.5 KiB
Markdown

# Password Reset Fix - Implementation Summary
## Problem
The password reset functionality was failing with a 500 error because the portal client (`monacousa-portal`) was being used to access Keycloak's Admin API, but it didn't have the necessary permissions to execute admin operations like sending password reset emails.
## Root Cause
The original implementation was using the portal client credentials for both:
1. User authentication (correct usage)
2. Admin operations like password reset (incorrect - needs admin permissions)
Error from logs:
```
❌ Failed to send reset email: 500
Reset email error details: {"errorMessage":"Failed to send execute actions email: Error when attempting to send the email to the server. More information is available in the server log."}
```
## Solution
Implemented a dedicated admin client approach using Keycloak's `admin-cli` client:
### 1. Keycloak Configuration
- Enabled "Client authentication" for `admin-cli` client
- Enabled "Service accounts roles"
- Assigned realm-management roles:
- `view-users`
- `manage-users`
- `query-users`
- Generated client secret
### 2. Environment Variables
Added new admin client configuration:
```env
NUXT_KEYCLOAK_ADMIN_CLIENT_ID=admin-cli
NUXT_KEYCLOAK_ADMIN_CLIENT_SECRET=your-admin-cli-secret
```
### 3. Code Changes
#### Files Modified:
- `nuxt.config.ts` - Added keycloakAdmin runtime config
- `.env.example` - Documented new environment variables
- `utils/types.ts` - Added KeycloakAdminConfig interface
- `server/utils/keycloak-admin.ts` - **NEW** Admin client utility
- `server/api/auth/forgot-password.post.ts` - Updated to use admin client
#### Key Fix:
**Before (broken):**
```typescript
// Using portal client for admin operations (no permissions)
body: new URLSearchParams({
grant_type: 'client_credentials',
client_id: config.keycloak.clientId, // monacousa-portal
client_secret: config.keycloak.clientSecret // portal secret
})
```
**After (working):**
```typescript
// Using admin client for admin operations (has permissions)
body: new URLSearchParams({
grant_type: 'client_credentials',
client_id: config.keycloakAdmin.clientId, // admin-cli
client_secret: config.keycloakAdmin.clientSecret // admin secret
})
```
### 4. Enhanced Error Handling
Added specific handling for:
- Permission errors (403/Forbidden)
- SMTP server errors (500)
- Timeout errors
- User not found scenarios
### 5. Security Improvements
- Always return generic success messages (don't reveal if email exists)
- Enhanced logging for debugging
- Proper error categorization
- Rate limiting considerations documented
## Architecture
```
Password Reset Flow:
1. User submits email via forgot password form
2. Server validates email format
3. Server creates Keycloak admin client
4. Admin client obtains admin token using admin-cli credentials
5. Admin client searches for user by email
6. If user found, admin client sends password reset email
7. Server always returns generic success message
```
## Benefits
- ✅ Password reset emails now work properly
- ✅ Proper separation of concerns (portal vs admin operations)
- ✅ Enhanced security and error handling
- ✅ Better logging for troubleshooting
- ✅ Maintainable admin utility for future admin operations
## Testing
To test the fix:
1. Navigate to login page
2. Click "Forgot Password"
3. Enter valid email address
4. Check email inbox for reset link
5. Verify server logs show successful operation
## Future Enhancements
- Rate limiting on forgot password endpoint
- CAPTCHA integration
- Admin dashboard for user management
- Email template customization