Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Following up on our previous request regarding dynamic YAML backend support (sharding), we are building a decentralized, privacy-first platform where each tenant receives their own fully isolated instance ("shard").
While the YAML file-based backend (users_database.yml) is perfect for keeping the resource footprint minimal per shard, managing these users manually via CLI or text editors is entirely unfeasible for non-technical end-users. The designated "main user" (shard administrator) needs a secure, intuitive way to add family members, reset passwords, or manage basic app access without touching the underlying server infrastructure or configuration files directly.
Describe the solution you'd like
We propose the introduction of a lightweight, built-in Administrative Web-GUI specifically designed for the file-based backend.
Key requirements:
- Access Control: Only accessible by a user with a specific
admin role defined in the configuration.
- Core Capabilities: - Add, edit, and delete local users.
- Trigger password resets.
- Manage group assignments.
- Direct YAML Integration: The GUI should directly read from and write to the
users_database.yml, utilizing the hot-reloading capabilities to apply changes instantly without container restarts.
Describe alternatives you've considered
- Developing a custom, external Sidecar-Container: We considered building our own closed-source GUI container that mounts the YAML file. However, standardizing this within Authelia provides a much more robust, secure, and community-audited solution.
- Switching to a centralized IdP/LDAP: This contradicts our core architectural goal of absolute decentralization, data sovereignty, and minimal resource usage per edge instance.
Additional context
A native UI for file-based user management would dramatically lower the barrier to entry for self-hosters, edge-computing deployments, and sovereign cloud initiatives. It transforms Authelia from a strictly enterprise/infrastructure tool into a highly accessible identity provider for Personal Clouds and small-scale, decentralized deployments.
Is your feature request related to a problem? Please describe.
Following up on our previous request regarding dynamic YAML backend support (sharding), we are building a decentralized, privacy-first platform where each tenant receives their own fully isolated instance ("shard").
While the YAML file-based backend (
users_database.yml) is perfect for keeping the resource footprint minimal per shard, managing these users manually via CLI or text editors is entirely unfeasible for non-technical end-users. The designated "main user" (shard administrator) needs a secure, intuitive way to add family members, reset passwords, or manage basic app access without touching the underlying server infrastructure or configuration files directly.Describe the solution you'd like
We propose the introduction of a lightweight, built-in Administrative Web-GUI specifically designed for the file-based backend.
Key requirements:
adminrole defined in the configuration.users_database.yml, utilizing the hot-reloading capabilities to apply changes instantly without container restarts.Describe alternatives you've considered
Additional context
A native UI for file-based user management would dramatically lower the barrier to entry for self-hosters, edge-computing deployments, and sovereign cloud initiatives. It transforms Authelia from a strictly enterprise/infrastructure tool into a highly accessible identity provider for Personal Clouds and small-scale, decentralized deployments.