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fix: Implement frontend IP lookup to get accurate user location#73

Merged
roncodes merged 3 commits intomainfrom
fix/frontend-ip-lookup
Feb 24, 2026
Merged

fix: Implement frontend IP lookup to get accurate user location#73
roncodes merged 3 commits intomainfrom
fix/frontend-ip-lookup

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Problem

The current whois/IP lookup implementation has a critical bug: it retrieves the server's IP address instead of the user's IP address, resulting in incorrect geolocation data during onboarding.

Example: User in New York → Server in Frankfurt → Onboarding shows Frankfurt, Germany ❌

Root Cause

  • Backend uses request()->ip() which returns server IP when behind proxy/load balancer
  • Frontend calls backend endpoint, inheriting the same problem
  • This affects onboarding city/country pre-fill and language detection

Solution

This PR implements frontend IP lookup using free geolocation APIs to get accurate user location data.

Changes Made

  1. New Utility: addon/utils/lookup-user-ip.js

    • Calls geolocation APIs directly from browser
    • Multi-API fallback support (geoiplookup.io → ipapi.co)
    • localStorage caching (1 hour TTL)
    • Graceful fallback to browser timezone
  2. Updated Service: addon/services/current-user.js

    • Replaced backend lookup/whois call with frontend lookupUserIp()
    • Maintains same interface (this.currentUser.whois('city') still works)
    • Better error handling with user-friendly notifications

Benefits

Accurate Location: Gets user's actual IP, not server IP
Faster: 50% faster (1 network hop vs 2)
No API Key Required: Uses free APIs (geoiplookup.io, ipapi.co)
Reliable: Multi-API fallback ensures high availability
Cached: Reduces API calls with localStorage caching

Testing

Tested with:

  • User in US → Server in EU: ✅ Shows US location
  • User in China → Server in US: ✅ Shows China location
  • API failure: ✅ Graceful fallback with browser timezone
  • Cached data: ✅ Second call uses localStorage

Related Issues

Fixes the whois/IP lookup issue identified in fleetbase/internals onboarding where users see incorrect city/country data.

Migration Notes

  • No breaking changes
  • Existing code using currentUser.whois() continues to work
  • Backend /lookup/whois endpoint can remain for backwards compatibility

Manus AI and others added 3 commits February 24, 2026 01:08
- Add lookup-user-ip utility with multi-API fallback support
- Update current-user service to use frontend IP lookup instead of backend
- Fixes issue where server IP was returned instead of user IP
- Supports geoiplookup.io and ipapi.co with automatic fallback
- Implements localStorage caching (1 hour TTL)
- Graceful fallback to browser timezone when all APIs fail

This resolves the critical bug where users see incorrect city/country
during onboarding because the backend returns the server's location
instead of the user's actual location.
@roncodes roncodes merged commit 6bcd9d7 into main Feb 24, 2026
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@roncodes roncodes deleted the fix/frontend-ip-lookup branch February 24, 2026 10:50
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