User session management

User sessions in TYPO3 are represented as UserSession objects. The TYPO3 authentication service chain 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. Effectively encapsulating all calls to the SessionManager which is used for the session backend.

Public API of `UserSessionManager`

The UserSessionManager can be retrieved using its static factory method create():

EXT:some_extension/Classes/Controller/SomeController.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():

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: \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Session\UserSession

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: \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Session\UserSession

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: \TYPO3\CMS\Core\Session\UserSession

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`

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: <JWT(HS256, [identifier => <session-id>], <signature(encryption-key, cookie-domain)>)>

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: <JWT(HS256, [identifier => <session-id>], <signature(encryption-key, cookie-domain)>)>

param $cookieValue: submitted cookie value
param $scope: the scope
Return description: Session ID, null in case verification failed

Returns: non-empty-string|null

User session management

Public API of UserSessionManager

Public API of UserSession

Public API of `UserSessionManager`

Public API of `UserSession`