--- title: "User session management" manual: "TYPO3 Explained" version: "main" permalink: "https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:session-management@main" source: "ApiOverview/Authentication/Sessions/UserSessionManagement.rst" rendered: "2026-09-21T11:24:09+00:00" --- # User session management {#session-management} User sessions in TYPO3 are represented as `UserSession` objects. The [TYPO3 authentication service chain](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:authentication@main) creates or updates user sessions when authenticating users. The `UserSession` object contains all information regarding a user's session, for website visitors with session data (e.g. basket for anonymous / not-logged-in users), for frontend users as well as authenticated backend users. These are for example, the session id, the session data, if a session was updated, if the session is anonymous, or if it is marked as permanent and so on. The `UserSession` object can be used to change and retrieve information in an object-oriented way. For creating `UserSession` objects the `UserSessionManager` must be used since this manager acts as the main factory for user sessions and therefore handles all necessary tasks like fetching, evaluating and persisting them. It effectively encapsulates all calls to the `SessionManager` which is used for the [session backend](https://docs.typo3.org/permalink/t3coreapi:session-storage@main). ## Public API of `UserSessionManager` {#session-management-public-api-usersessionmanager} The `UserSessionManager` can be retrieved using its static factory method `create()`: **EXT:some_extension/Classes/Controller/SomeController.php** ```php use TYPO3\CMS\Core\Session\UserSessionManager; $loginType = 'BE'; // or 'FE' for frontend $userSessionManager = UserSessionManager::create($loginType); ``` You can then use the `UserSessionManager` to work with user sessions. A couple of public methods are available: - **class UserSessionManager** - *Fully qualified name:* `\TYPO3\CMS\Core\Session\UserSessionManager` The purpose of the UserSessionManager is to create new user session objects (acting as a factory), depending on the need / request, and to fetch sessions from the session backend, effectively encapsulating all calls to the `SessionManager`. The UserSessionManager can be retrieved using its static factory method create(): ```php use TYPO3\CMS\Core\Session\UserSessionManager; $loginType = 'BE'; // or 'FE' for frontend $userSessionManager = UserSessionManager::create($loginType); ``` - **createFromRequestOrAnonymous(\\Psr\\Http\\Message\\ServerRequestInterface $request, string $cookieName)** Creates and returns a session from the given request. If the given `$cookieName` can not be obtained from the request an anonymous session will be returned. - *param $request:* the request - *param $cookieName:* Name of the cookie that might contain the session - *Return description:* An existing session if one is stored in the cookie, an anonymous session otherwise *Returns:* `UserSession` - **createAnonymousSession()** Creates and returns an anonymous session object (which is not persisted) *Returns:* `TYPO3CMSCoreSessionUserSession` - **hasExpired(\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Session\\UserSession $session)** Checks whether a session has expired. This is also the case if `sessionLifetime` is `0` - *param $session:* the session *Returns:* `bool` - **willExpire(\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Session\\UserSession $session, int $gracePeriod)** Checks whether a given user session will expire within the given grace period - *param $session:* the session - *param $gracePeriod:* in seconds *Returns:* `bool` - **fixateAnonymousSession(\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Session\\UserSession $session, bool $isPermanent = false)** Persists an anonymous session without a user logged-in, in order to store session data between requests - *param $session:* The user session to fixate - *param $isPermanent:* If `true`, the session will get the `ses_permanent` flag, default: false - *Return description:* A new session object with an updated `ses_tstamp` (allowing to keep the session alive) *Returns:* `UserSession` - **elevateToFixatedUserSession(\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Session\\UserSession $session, int $userId, bool $isPermanent = false)** Removes existing entries, creates and returns a new user session object. See `regenerateSession()` below. - *param $session:* The user session to recreate - *param $userId:* The user id the session belongs to - *param $isPermanent:* If `true`, the session will get the `ses_permanent` flag, default: false - *Return description:* The newly created user session object *Returns:* `UserSession` - **regenerateSession(string $sessionId, array $existingSessionRecord = \[\], bool $anonymous = false)** Regenerates the given session. This method should be used whenever a user proceeds to a higher authorization level, for example when an anonymous session is now authenticated. - *param $sessionId:* The session id - *param $existingSessionRecord:* If given, this session record will be used instead of fetching again, default: \[\] - *param $anonymous:* If true session will be regenerated as anonymous session, default: false *Returns:* `TYPO3CMSCoreSessionUserSession` - **updateSessionTimestamp(\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Session\\UserSession $session)** Updates the session timestamp for the given user session if the session is marked as "needs update" (which means the current timestamp is greater than "last updated + a specified grace-time"). - *param $session:* the session - *Return description:* A modified user session with a last updated value if needed *Returns:* `UserSession` - **isSessionPersisted(\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Session\\UserSession $session)** Checks whether a given session is already persisted - *param $session:* the session *Returns:* `bool` - **removeSession(\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Session\\UserSession $session)** Removes a given session from the session backend - *param $session:* the session - **updateSession(\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Session\\UserSession $session)** Updates the session data + timestamp in the session backend - *param $session:* the session *Returns:* `TYPO3CMSCoreSessionUserSession` - **collectGarbage(int $garbageCollectionProbability = 1)** Calls the session backends `collectGarbage()` method - *param $garbageCollectionProbability:* the garbageCollectionProbability, default: 1 - **create(string $loginType, ?int $sessionLifetime = NULL, ?\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Session\\SessionManager $sessionManager = NULL, ?\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Authentication\\IpLocker $ipLocker = NULL)** Creates a `UserSessionManager` instance for the given login type. Has several optional arguments used for testing purposes to inject dummy objects if needed. Ideally, this factory encapsulates all `TYPO3_CONF_VARS` options, so the actual object does not need to consider any global state. - *param $loginType:* the loginType - *param $sessionLifetime:* the sessionLifetime, default: NULL - *param $sessionManager:* the sessionManager, default: NULL - *param $ipLocker:* the ipLocker, default: NULL *Returns:* `static` - **setLogger(\\Psr\\Log\\LoggerInterface $logger)** Sets a logger. - *param $logger:* the logger ## Public API of `UserSession` {#session-management-public-api-usersession} The session object created or retrieved by the `UserSessionManager` provides the following API methods: - **class UserSession** - *Fully qualified name:* `\TYPO3\CMS\Core\Session\UserSession` Represents all information about a user's session. A user session can be bound to a frontend / backend user, or an anonymous session based on session data stored in the session backend. If a session is anonymous, it can be fixated by storing the session in the backend, but only if there is data in the session. if a session is user-bound, it is automatically fixated. The `$isNew` flag is meant to show that this user session object was not fetched from the session backend, but initialized in the first place by the current request. The `$data` argument stores arbitrary data valid for the user's session. A permanent session is not issued by a session-based cookie but a time-based cookie. The session might be persisted in the user's browser. - **getIdentifier()** - *Return description:* The session ID. This is the `ses_id` respectively the `AbstractUserAuthentication->id` *Returns:* `string` - **getUserId()** - *Return description:* The user ID the session belongs to. Can also return `0` or `NULL` Which indicates an anonymous session. This is the `ses_userid`. *Returns:* `?int` - **getLastUpdated()** - *Return description:* The timestamp of the last session data update. This is the `ses_tstamp`. *Returns:* `int` - **set(string $key, ?mixed $value)** Sets or updates session data value for a given `$key`. It is also internally used if calling `AbstractUserAuthentication->setSessionData()` - *param $key:* The key whose value should be updated - *param $value:* The value or `NULL` to unset the key - **hasData()** Checks whether the session has data assigned *Returns:* `bool` - **get(string $key)** Returns the session data for the given `$key` or `NULL` if the key does not exist. It is internally used if calling `AbstractUserAuthentication->getSessionData()` - *param $key:* the key - **getData()** - *Return description:* The whole data array. *Returns:* `array` - **overrideData(array $data)** Overrides the whole data array. Can also be used to unset the array. This also sets the `$wasUpdated` pointer to `true` - *param $data:* the data - **dataWasUpdated()** Checks whether the session data has been updated *Returns:* `bool` - **isAnonymous()** Checks if the user session is an anonymous one. This means, the session does not belong to a logged-in user *Returns:* `bool` - **getIpLock()** - *Return description:* The `ipLock` state of the session *Returns:* `string` - **isNew()** Checks whether the session is marked as new *Returns:* `bool` - **isPermanent()** Checks whether the session was marked as permanent *Returns:* `bool` - **needsUpdate()** Checks whether the session has to be updated *Returns:* `bool` - **getJwt(?\\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Http\\CookieScope $scope = NULL)** Gets session ID wrapped in JWT to be used for emitting a new cookie. `Cookie: ], )>` - *param $scope:* the scope, default: NULL - *Return description:* The session ID wrapped in JWT to be used for emitting a new cookie *Returns:* `string` - **createFromRecord(string $id, array $record, bool $markAsNew = false)** Creates a new user session based on the provided session record - *param $id:* the session identifier - *param $record:* the record - *param $markAsNew:* the markAsNew, default: false *Returns:* `self` - **createNonFixated(string $identifier)** Creates a non fixated user session. This means the session does not belong to a logged-in user - *param $identifier:* the identifier *Returns:* `self` - **resolveIdentifierFromJwt(string $cookieValue, \\TYPO3\\CMS\\Core\\Http\\CookieScope $scope)** Verifies and resolves the session ID from a submitted cookie value: `Cookie: ], )>` - *param $cookieValue:* submitted cookie value - *param $scope:* the scope - *Return description:* Session ID, null in case verification failed *Returns:* `non-empty-string|null`