Complement maintenance mode with admin mode

solarsimon · September 16, 2024, 10:09am

It would be useful to have a mode where only admins can access the cloud and fully utilize it, while for all other users, Nextcloud remains in maintenance mode.

We would use this mode to check the functionality of Nextcloud after an update or error. This would help prevent user data in files or the database from being modified, which could be lost in case a rollback becomes necessary. It would also prevent discrepancies between server-side and client-side states after rollback.

What are the best practices for verifying functionality after an update?
How to handle post-update validation? Is there a recommended guideline or workflow for testing the system before releasing it back to regular users?

mritzmann · September 16, 2024, 10:26am

There is already a feature request on GitHub. The best way to express your wish is to leave a thumbs up there (not as a comment, but as a reaction).

github.com/nextcloud/server

"Administrator mode" requested as new feature, to address limitations in maintenance mode

opened 12:44AM - 24 Sep 23 UTC

brainchild0

enhancement 0. Needs triage

# Backgrond Maintenance mode is a fundamental feature of Nextcloud. When e…ngaged, the application is not available for normal use from the browser, nor other kinds of clients. Administrative tasks are accessible, but only from the command line, and only those that involve no database access. While maintenance mode surely aligns with important use cases, it imposes considerable limitations on available operations. Many administrative tasks easier to perform from a web application, or require database access, but are also best undertaken when regular client access is disabled. Regarding which operations an administrator may wish to allow while performing certain maintenance tasks, the distinctions between interaction by web versus console, and between access allowed to database versus not, are not necessarily the most relevant ones in practice. # Request Proposed is allowing the application to be placed in "administrator mode". In administrator mode, regular users (those lacking administrative privileges) are blocked from access through a web browser or other client applications. For administrators, operations are blocked if they are regular client requests, such as file transfers, or use of applications. However, administrators may perform administrative tasks of various kinds through either the web interface or command line, including tasks that access or even modify the database. They may change settings, add or remove applications or users, or access diagnostic features. Blocking regular use of files and applications is suitable for certain administrative tasks that require transactional integrity. # Notes The mode may be seen as broadly analogous to single-user mode on Unix-like systems.