Use this skill when implementing user authentication in ColdBox with CBAuth, creating user services with retrieveUserById/retrieveUserByUsername, hashing passwords with BCrypt, managing login/logout sessions, implementing remember me functionality, or setting up the CBAuth module configuration.

Authentication Patterns in ColdBox

Name: coldbox-security-authentication
Author: ColdBox

Overview

CBAuth provides user authentication for ColdBox applications with session management, password hashing (BCrypt), remember me functionality, and user session storage.

Language Mode Reference

Examples use BoxLang (.bx) syntax by default. Adapt for your target language:

Concept	BoxLang (`.bx`)	CFML (`.cfc`)
Class declaration	`class [extends="..."] {`	`component [extends="..."] {`
DI annotation	`@inject` above `property name="svc";`	`property name="svc" inject="svc";`
View templates	`.bxm` suffix	`.cfm` / `.cfml` suffix
Tag prefix	`<bx:if>`, `<bx:output>`, `<bx:set>`	`<cfif>`, `<cfoutput>`, `<cfset>`

CFML Compat Mode: With BoxLang + CFML Compat module, .bx and .cfc files coexist freely. BoxLang-native classes use class {} (.bx files); CFML-compat classes use component {} (.cfc files).

Installation

box install cbauth
box install bcrypt

Configuration

// config/ColdBox.cfc
moduleSettings = {
    cbauth: {
        userServiceClass: "UserService@models",
        userModel: "User@models",
        rememberMe: {
            enabled: true,
            cookieName: "remember_me",
            days: 30
        }
    }
}

User Service (Required by CBAuth)

/**
 * models/UserService.cfc
 * Must implement three CBAuth-required methods
 */
class singleton {

    property name="bcrypt" inject="@BCrypt"

    // Required: Retrieve user by ID
    function retrieveUserById( required id ) {
        return queryExecute(
            "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = :id",
            { id: arguments.id }
        ).reduce( ( acc, row ) => row )
    }

    // Required: Retrieve user by username/email
    function retrieveUserByUsername( required username ) {
        return queryExecute(
            "SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = :email",
            { email: arguments.username }
        ).reduce( ( acc, row ) => row )
    }

    // Required: Validate credentials
    function isValidCredentials( required username, required password ) {
        try {
            var user = retrieveUserByUsername( arguments.username )
            return bcrypt.checkPassword( arguments.password, user.password )
        } catch ( any e ) {
            return false
        }
    }

    function create( required data ) {
        var hashedPwd = bcrypt.hashPassword( arguments.data.password )

        var qry = queryExecute(
            "INSERT INTO users (name, email, password) VALUES (:name, :email, :pwd)",
            {
                name:  arguments.data.name,
                email: arguments.data.email,
                pwd:   hashedPwd
            }
        )

        return retrieveUserById( qry.generatedKey )
    }
}

CFML (.cfc):

/**
 * models/UserService.cfc
 * Must implement three CBAuth-required methods
 */
component {

    property name="bcrypt" inject="@BCrypt"

    // Required: Retrieve user by ID
    function retrieveUserById( required id ) {
        return queryExecute(
            "SELECT * FROM users WHERE id = :id",
            { id: arguments.id }
        ).reduce( ( acc, row ) => row )
    }

    // Required: Retrieve user by username/email
    function retrieveUserByUsername( required username ) {
        return queryExecute(
            "SELECT * FROM users WHERE email = :email",
            { email: arguments.username }
        ).reduce( ( acc, row ) => row )
    }

    // Required: Validate credentials
    function isValidCredentials( required username, required password ) {
        try {
            var user = retrieveUserByUsername( arguments.username )
            return bcrypt.checkPassword( arguments.password, user.password )
        } catch ( any e ) {
            return false
        }
    }

    function create( required data ) {
        var hashedPwd = bcrypt.hashPassword( arguments.data.password )

        var qry = queryExecute(
            "INSERT INTO users (name, email, password) VALUES (:name, :email, :pwd)",
            {
                name:  arguments.data.name,
                email: arguments.data.email,
                pwd:   hashedPwd
            }
        )

        return retrieveUserById( qry.generatedKey )
    }
}

Login Handler

/**
 * handlers/Auth.cfc
 */
class extends="coldbox.system.EventHandler" {

    property name="auth" inject="authenticationService@cbauth"

    // GET /login
    function login( event, rc, prc ) {
        if ( auth.isLoggedIn() ) {
            relocate( "main.index" )
        }
        event.setView( "auth/login" )
    }

    // POST /login
    function doLogin( event, rc, prc ) {
        event.paramValue( "email",       "" )
        event.paramValue( "password",    "" )
        event.paramValue( "rememberMe",  false )

        try {
            auth.authenticate( rc.email, rc.password )

            if ( rc.rememberMe ) {
                auth.setRememberMe( 30 )
            }

            flash.put( "success", "Welcome back!" )
            relocate( "main.index" )

        } catch ( InvalidCredentials e ) {
            flash.put( "error", "Invalid email or password" )
            relocate( "auth.login" )
        }
    }

    // POST /logout
    function doLogout( event, rc, prc ) {
        auth.logout()
        flash.put( "info", "You have been logged out" )
        relocate( "auth.login" )
    }

    // GET /register
    function register( event, rc, prc ) {
        event.setView( "auth/register" )
    }

    // POST /register
    function doRegister( event, rc, prc ) {
        event.paramValue( "name",     "" )
        event.paramValue( "email",    "" )
        event.paramValue( "password", "" )

        userService.create( {
            name:     rc.name,
            email:    rc.email,
            password: rc.password
        } )

        // Auto-login after registration
        auth.authenticate( rc.email, rc.password )

        relocate( "main.index" )
    }
}

CFML (.cfc):

/**
 * handlers/Auth.cfc
 */
component extends="coldbox.system.EventHandler" {

    property name="auth" inject="authenticationService@cbauth"

    // GET /login
    function login( event, rc, prc ) {
        if ( auth.isLoggedIn() ) {
            relocate( "main.index" )
        }
        event.setView( "auth/login" )
    }

    // POST /login
    function doLogin( event, rc, prc ) {
        event.paramValue( "email",       "" )
        event.paramValue( "password",    "" )
        event.paramValue( "rememberMe",  false )

        try {
            auth.authenticate( rc.email, rc.password )

            if ( rc.rememberMe ) {
                auth.setRememberMe( 30 )
            }

            flash.put( "success", "Welcome back!" )
            relocate( "main.index" )

        } catch ( InvalidCredentials e ) {
            flash.put( "error", "Invalid email or password" )
            relocate( "auth.login" )
        }
    }

    // POST /logout
    function doLogout( event, rc, prc ) {
        auth.logout()
        flash.put( "info", "You have been logged out" )
        relocate( "auth.login" )
    }

    // GET /register
    function register( event, rc, prc ) {
        event.setView( "auth/register" )
    }

    // POST /register
    function doRegister( event, rc, prc ) {
        event.paramValue( "name",     "" )
        event.paramValue( "email",    "" )
        event.paramValue( "password", "" )

        userService.create( {
            name:     rc.name,
            email:    rc.email,
            password: rc.password
        } )

        // Auto-login after registration
        auth.authenticate( rc.email, rc.password )

        relocate( "main.index" )
    }
}

Protecting Routes (CBSecurity)

// config/ColdBox.cfc — protect routes requiring auth
moduleSettings = {
    cbsecurity: {
        firewall: {
            enabled: true,
            defaultAction: "redirect",
            defaultRedirect: "/login"
        },
        rules: [
            // Public routes
            {
                whitelist: "auth\\..*,main\\.index",
                match: "event"
            },
            // Protected dashboard
            {
                secureList: "^dashboard\\.",
                match: "event",
                action: "redirect",
                redirect: "/login"
            }
        ]
    }
}

Accessing the Logged-In User

class extends="coldbox.system.EventHandler" {

    property name="auth" inject="authenticationService@cbauth"

    function dashboard( event, rc, prc ) {
        // Check authentication
        if ( !auth.isLoggedIn() ) {
            relocate( "auth.login" )
        }

        // Get current user
        prc.user = auth.getUser()

        event.setView( "dashboard/index" )
    }
}

CFML (.cfc):

component extends="coldbox.system.EventHandler" {

    property name="auth" inject="authenticationService@cbauth"

    function dashboard( event, rc, prc ) {
        // Check authentication
        if ( !auth.isLoggedIn() ) {
            relocate( "auth.login" )
        }

        // Get current user
        prc.user = auth.getUser()

        event.setView( "dashboard/index" )
    }
}

Remember Me View Integration

<!-- views/auth/login.cfm -->
<form action="#event.buildLink( 'auth.doLogin' )#" method="post">
    #csrf()#
    <input type="email" name="email" required />
    <input type="password" name="password" required />
    <label>
        <input type="checkbox" name="rememberMe" value="true" /> Remember me
    </label>
    <button type="submit">Login</button>
</form>

CBAuth Methods Quick Reference

Method	Description
`auth.authenticate( username, password )`	Validate and log in user
`auth.isLoggedIn()`	Check if user is authenticated
`auth.getUser()`	Get the current authenticated user
`auth.logout()`	Log out current user
`auth.setRememberMe( days )`	Enable remember me cookie
`auth.getUserId()`	Get authenticated user's ID