# Fix authentication issues and improve developer experience ## Summary This MR fixes critical authentication issues that prevented login on localhost and improves the developer experience with consolidated rebuild scripts and a working help modal keyboard shortcut. ## Problems Fixed ### 1. Authentication Issues - **UntrustedHost Error**: NextAuth v5 was rejecting localhost requests with "UntrustedHost: Host must be trusted" error - **Cookie Prefix Errors**: Cookies were being set with `__Host-` and `__Secure-` prefixes on HTTP (localhost), causing browser rejection - **MissingCSRF Error**: CSRF token cookies were not being set correctly due to cookie configuration issues ### 2. Help Modal Keyboard Shortcut - **Shift+? not working**: The help modal keyboard shortcut was not detecting the question mark key correctly ### 3. Developer Experience - **Multiple rebuild scripts**: Had several overlapping rebuild scripts that were confusing - **Unused code**: Removed unused `useSecureCookies` variable and misleading comments ## Changes Made ### Authentication Fixes (`lib/auth.ts`) - Set `trustHost: true` to fix UntrustedHost error (required for NextAuth v5) - Added explicit cookie configuration for HTTP (localhost) to prevent prefix errors: - Cookies use `secure: false` for HTTP - Cookie names without prefixes for HTTP - Let Auth.js defaults handle HTTPS (with prefixes and Secure flag) - Removed unused `useSecureCookies` variable - Simplified debug logging ### Help Modal Fix (`components/HelpModal.tsx`) - Fixed keyboard shortcut detection to properly handle Shift+? (Shift+/) - Updated help text to show correct shortcut (Shift+? instead of Ctrl+?) ### Developer Scripts - **Consolidated rebuild scripts**: Merged `CLEAN_REBUILD.sh`, `FIX_AND_RESTART.sh`, and `start-server.sh` into single `rebuild.sh` - **Added REBUILD.md**: Documentation for rebuild process - Removed redundant script files ### Code Cleanup - Removed unused `useSecureCookies` variable from `lib/auth.ts` - Removed misleading comment from `app/api/auth/[...nextauth]/route.ts` - Cleaned up verbose debug logging ## Technical Details ### Cookie Configuration The fix works by explicitly configuring cookies for HTTP environments: - **HTTP (localhost)**: Cookies without prefixes, `secure: false` - **HTTPS (production)**: Let Auth.js defaults handle (prefixes + Secure flag) This prevents NextAuth v5 from auto-detecting HTTPS from proxy headers and incorrectly adding cookie prefixes. ### Keyboard Shortcut The question mark key requires Shift+/ on most keyboards. The fix now properly detects: - `event.shiftKey && event.key === "/"` - `event.key === "?"` (fallback) - `event.code === "Slash" && event.shiftKey` (additional fallback) ## Testing - ✅ Login works on localhost (http://localhost:3000) - ✅ No cookie prefix errors in browser console - ✅ No UntrustedHost errors in server logs - ✅ Help modal opens/closes with Shift+? - ✅ Rebuild script works in both dev and prod modes ## Files Changed ### Modified - `lib/auth.ts` - Authentication configuration fixes - `components/HelpModal.tsx` - Keyboard shortcut fix - `app/api/auth/[...nextauth]/route.ts` - Removed misleading comment ### Added - `rebuild.sh` - Consolidated rebuild script - `REBUILD.md` - Rebuild documentation ## Migration Notes No database migrations or environment variable changes required. The fix works with existing configuration. ## Related Issues Fixes authentication issues preventing local development and testing. Reviewed-on: #5
MirrorMatch
A photo guessing game where users upload photos and other users guess who is in the picture to earn points. Built with Next.js, PostgreSQL, and NextAuth.
📚 Important: Read Documentation First
Before making code changes, please read:
.cursor/rules/mirrormatch.mdc- Project rules and guidelinesARCHITECTURE.md- System design and data flowsCONTRIBUTING.md- Coding conventions and workflowSECURITY.md- Security practices- This README - Setup and usage
Keep documentation updated: When you modify code that changes behavior or architecture, update the relevant documentation files to keep them in sync.
Features
- User Management: Admin can create users with email/password authentication
- Photo Upload: Users can upload photos with answer names
- Guessing Game: Users guess who is in photos to earn points
- Email Notifications: Users receive emails when new photos are uploaded
- Leaderboard: Track user points and rankings
- Profile Management: Users can view their points and change passwords
Tech Stack
- Framework: Next.js 16 (App Router)
- Language: TypeScript
- Database: PostgreSQL
- ORM: Prisma
- Authentication: NextAuth.js (Credentials Provider)
- Styling: Tailwind CSS
- Email: Nodemailer (Ethereal in dev, SMTP in production)
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ and npm
- PostgreSQL database (local or remote)
- For production: SMTP email server credentials
Installation
-
Clone the repository (if applicable) or navigate to the project directory:
cd mirrormatch -
Install dependencies:
npm install -
Set up environment variables: Create a
.envfile in the root directory with the following variables:# Database DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/mirrormatch?schema=public" # NextAuth NEXTAUTH_URL="http://localhost:3000" NEXTAUTH_SECRET="your-secret-key-here-generate-with-openssl-rand-base64-32" # Email Configuration (for production) SMTP_HOST="smtp.example.com" SMTP_PORT="587" SMTP_USER="your-email@example.com" SMTP_PASSWORD="your-email-password" SMTP_FROM="MirrorMatch <noreply@mirrormatch.com>"Generate NEXTAUTH_SECRET:
openssl rand -base64 32Note: In development, emails will use Ethereal (test emails) or console logging. No SMTP config is needed for dev mode.
-
Set up the database:
# Generate Prisma Client npm run db:generate # Run migrations npm run db:migrate # Or push schema directly (for development) npm run db:push -
Seed the database (creates default admin user):
npm run db:seedThis creates an admin user with:
- Email:
admin@mirrormatch.com - Password:
admin123 - ⚠️ Important: Change this password after first login!
- Email:
Basic Usage
Workflow Overview
-
Admin creates users:
- Admin logs in and navigates to
/admin - Creates new users with email, password, and role
- Users receive temporary passwords
- Admin logs in and navigates to
-
Users log in:
- Users navigate to
/login - Enter email and password
- Access the main application
- Users navigate to
-
Users upload photos:
- Navigate to
/upload - Enter photo URL and answer name (the correct name to guess)
- Photo is saved and emails are sent to all other users
- Navigate to
-
Users guess photos:
- View photos on
/photospage - Click a photo to view details
- Submit guesses for who is in the photo
- Earn points for correct guesses (case-insensitive matching)
- View photos on
-
Leaderboard:
- View rankings on
/leaderboardpage - See all users sorted by points
- Track your own position
- View rankings on
Key Features
- Admin Panel: Create and manage users, reset passwords
- Photo Upload: Upload photos with answer names
- Guessing System: Submit guesses and earn points
- Email Notifications: Get notified when new photos are uploaded
- Leaderboard: Track user rankings by points
- Profile Management: View points and change password
Running the Application
Development
npm run dev
Open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.
Production
npm run build
npm start
Deployment Notes
Important Configuration:
- Ensure
NODE_ENV=productionis set in production - Set
NEXTAUTH_URLto your production domain (e.g.,https://yourdomain.com) - Set
AUTH_TRUST_HOST=trueif using reverse proxy - Ensure
DATABASE_URLpoints to your production database - Files are stored in
public/uploads/directory - ensure this directory persists across deployments
File Uploads:
- Photos are uploaded to
public/uploads/directory - Files are served via
/api/uploads/[filename]API route - Ensure the uploads directory has proper write permissions
Upload Endpoints:
POST /api/photos/upload- Single photo upload (supports both file and URL uploads)POST /api/photos/upload-multiple- Multiple photo uploads in batch (used by upload page)- Files are stored on the filesystem (not in database)
Monitoring Activity:
- User activity is logged to console/systemd logs
- Watch logs in real-time:
sudo journalctl -u app-backend -f | grep -E "\[ACTIVITY\]|\[PHOTO_UPLOAD\]|\[GUESS_SUBMIT\]" - Activity logs include: page visits, photo uploads, guess submissions
- Note: For local development, use
./watch-activity.shscript (if systemd/journalctl is not available, check application logs directly)
Database Commands
npm run db:generate- Generate Prisma Clientnpm run db:migrate- Run database migrationsnpm run db:push- Push schema changes to database (dev only)npm run db:studio- Open Prisma Studio (database GUI)npm run db:seed- Seed database with initial admin user
Querying the Database
Get all photo answers:
psql "postgresql://user:password@host:5432/database" -c "SELECT \"answerName\" FROM \"Photo\" ORDER BY \"createdAt\" DESC;"
Get answers with uploader info:
psql "postgresql://user:password@host:5432/database" -c "SELECT p.\"answerName\", p.url, u.name as uploader, p.\"createdAt\" FROM \"Photo\" p JOIN \"User\" u ON p.\"uploaderId\" = u.id ORDER BY p.\"createdAt\" DESC;"
Creating the First Admin User
The seed script automatically creates an admin user. If you need to create one manually:
- Run the seed script:
npm run db:seed - Or use Prisma Studio:
npm run db:studioand create a user withrole: "ADMIN"
Project Structure
mirrormatch/
├── app/ # Next.js App Router pages
│ ├── api/ # API routes
│ │ ├── admin/ # Admin API routes
│ │ ├── auth/ # NextAuth routes
│ │ ├── photos/ # Photo-related API routes
│ │ └── profile/ # Profile API routes
│ ├── admin/ # Admin panel page
│ ├── leaderboard/ # Leaderboard page
│ ├── login/ # Login page
│ ├── photos/ # Photos listing and detail pages
│ ├── profile/ # User profile page
│ └── upload/ # Photo upload page
├── components/ # React components
├── lib/ # Utility libraries
│ ├── auth.ts # NextAuth configuration
│ ├── email.ts # Email sending utilities
│ ├── prisma.ts # Prisma client instance
│ └── utils.ts # Helper functions
├── prisma/ # Prisma schema and migrations
│ ├── schema.prisma # Database schema
│ └── seed.ts # Database seed script
└── types/ # TypeScript type definitions
Features Overview
Authentication
- Email/password login via NextAuth
- Protected routes with middleware
- Role-based access control (ADMIN/USER)
Admin Panel (/admin)
- View all users
- Create new users
- Reset user passwords
- View user points and roles
Photo Upload (/upload)
- Upload photos via file upload or URL
- Files are stored in
public/uploads/directory - Files are served via
/api/uploads/[filename]API route - Set answer name for guessing
- Automatically sends email notifications to all other users
- Duplicate file detection (SHA256 hash)
Photo Guessing (/photos/[id])
- View photo and uploader info
- Submit guesses
- Get instant feedback (correct/wrong)
- Earn points for correct guesses
- Case-insensitive matching
Leaderboard (/leaderboard)
- View all users ranked by points
- See your own ranking highlighted
Profile (/profile)
- View your points and account info
- Change password (requires current password)
Email Configuration
Development
In development mode, the app uses:
- Ethereal Email (if available) - provides test email accounts with preview URLs
- Console transport (fallback) - logs emails to console
Check the console for email preview URLs when using Ethereal.
Production
Set up SMTP credentials in .env:
SMTP_HOST- Your SMTP server hostnameSMTP_PORT- SMTP port (usually 587 for TLS, 465 for SSL)SMTP_USER- SMTP usernameSMTP_PASSWORD- SMTP passwordSMTP_FROM- From address for emails
Security Notes
- Passwords are hashed using bcrypt
- NextAuth handles session management
- Middleware protects routes
- Admin routes are restricted to ADMIN role
- SQL injection protection via Prisma
Troubleshooting
Database Connection Issues
- Verify
DATABASE_URLis correct - Ensure PostgreSQL is running
- Check database exists and user has permissions
Email Not Sending
- In dev: Check console for Ethereal preview URLs
- In production: Verify SMTP credentials
- Check email service logs
Authentication Issues
- Verify
NEXTAUTH_SECRETis set - Check
NEXTAUTH_URLmatches your app URL - Set
AUTH_TRUST_HOST=trueif using reverse proxy - Clear browser cookies if needed
- Check middleware logs:
sudo journalctl -u app-backend | grep "Middleware"
Photo Upload Issues
- Verify
public/uploads/directory exists and has write permissions - Check file upload logs:
sudo journalctl -u app-backend | grep "UPLOAD" - Ensure files are being saved: check
public/uploads/directory - Files are served via
/api/uploads/[filename]- verify API route is accessible
Build Issues
- If build fails with
DATABASE_URL not set, this is expected - Prisma initialization is lazy - Ensure all environment variables are set in production
- Check for TypeScript errors:
npm run type-check
Documentation
This project maintains comprehensive documentation:
- README.md (this file) - Setup, installation, and basic usage
- ARCHITECTURE.md - System architecture, data models, and application flows
- CONTRIBUTING.md - Coding conventions and development workflow
- SECURITY.md - Security practices and vulnerability reporting
- .cursor/rules/mirrormatch.mdc - Project rules for AI tools and developers
For Developers and AI Tools:
⚠️ Important: Before making code changes, read .cursor/rules/mirrormatch.mdc, ARCHITECTURE.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, SECURITY.md, and this README. Keep them updated when behavior or architecture changes.
- Always read the relevant documentation before making changes
- Update documentation when behavior or architecture changes
- Keep all documentation files in sync with code changes
- Follow the guidelines in each document
License
MIT