--- title: Upgrade from v3.x to verdaccio 4.x with LDAP and Docker author: Dimitri Kopriwa authorURL: https://twitter.com/DimitriKopriwa authorImageURL: https://avatars1.githubusercontent.com/u/1866564?s=460&v=4 authorTwitter: DimitriKopriwa --- I am Dimitri and I am a user and contributor of Verdaccio. Today, I will explain how I migrated my private dockerized Verdaccio registry from `v3.x` to `v4.x`. I will also configure [`verdaccio-ldap`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/verdaccio-ldap) to authenticate my users against LDAP. [Working demo here](https://github.com/verdaccio/verdaccio/tree/5.x/docker-examples/ldap-verdaccio-v4) First of all, I wante to congratulate everyone who tested, contributed to Verdaccio v4 . V4 include bunch of improvment, optimization, starting with the Web UI made completely redesigned with ReactJS and MaterialUI. Not only that security has been improved with the introduction of the optional `JWT`, but `v4` also bring a new feature to `unpublish` packages. Let's upgrade it! ## Prerequisite {#prerequisite} - Read [verdaccio documentation](https://verdaccio.org/docs/en/installation). - Read [verdaccio-ldap documentation](https://www.npmjs.com/package/verdaccio-ldap). - A backup of your v3 `storage` directory (just in case). - A running LDAP database (such as OpenLDAP). - [Docker installed](https://docs.docker.com/v17.09/engine/installation/). ## Goal {#goal} - Update Verdaccio from `v3.x` to `v4.x.` - Configure LDAP. - Configure JWT. ([Read more](https://medium.com/verdaccio/diving-into-jwt-support-for-verdaccio-4-88df2cf23ddc)) ## Dockerfile {#dockerfile} This is my tree structure: ``` ├── conf │   └── config.yaml └── Dockerfile ``` First thing I had to do was to update my `Dockerfile`, this is what I have done: ```Dockerfile FROM verdaccio/verdaccio:4.3 USER root RUN npm i && npm i verdaccio-ldap COPY conf /verdaccio/conf RUN chown -R $VERDACCIO_USER_UID /verdaccio USER verdaccio ``` - `v3.x` is now using by default `verdaccio` user for security reason. This is why need to switch to `root` user to use `npm`. - We install `verdaccio-ldap` but you can install any plugin. _(Only if you don't want the `verdaccio-htaccess` builtin solution to be your user database)_ - Later, you **MUST** solve the `storage` directory **permissions** and **ownership**. ## Configuration {#configuration} This is my `config.yaml`: ```yaml storage: /verdaccio/storage max_body_size: 100mb web: enable: true title: My private NPM registry gravatar: true sort_packages: asc security: legacy: false api: jwt: sign: expiresIn: 30d notBefore: 0 web: sign: expiresIn: 7d notBefore: 1 auth: ldap: type: ldap client_options: url: 'ldap://ldap.verdaccio.private.rocks' # Only required if you need auth to bind adminDn: 'cn=readonly,dc=verdaccio.private,dc=rocks' adminPassword: '********' # Search base for users searchBase: 'dc=verdaccio.private,dc=rocks' searchFilter: '(&(uid={{username}})(memberOf=cn=npm_users,ou=npm,ou=groups,ou=developers,dc=verdaccio.private,dc=rocks))' # # If you are using groups, this is also needed groupDnProperty: 'cn' groupSearchBase: 'ou=npm,ou=groups,ou=developers,dc=verdaccio.private,dc=rocks' # If you have memberOf support on your ldap searchAttributes: ['*', 'memberOf'] # Else, if you don't (use one or the other): # groupSearchFilter: '(memberUid={{dn}})' # # Optional, default false. # If true, then up to 100 credentials at a time will be cached for 5 minutes. cache: false # Optional reconnect: true # a list of other known repositories we can talk to uplinks: npmjs: url: https://registry.npmjs.org/ packages: '@scope-*/*': # scoped packages access: npm_access publish: npm_publisher unpublish: npm_publisher '@scope/*': # scoped packages access: npm_access publish: npm_publisher unpublish: npm_publisher '@*/*': # scoped packages access: $all publish: $authenticated proxy: npmjs '**': # allow all users (including non-authenticated users) to read and # publish all packages # # you can specify usernames/groupnames (depending on your auth plugin) # and three keywords: "$all", "$anonymous", "$authenticated" access: $all # allow all known users to publish packages # (anyone can register by default, remember?) publish: $authenticated # if package is not available locally, proxy requests to 'npmjs' registry proxy: npmjs # log settings logs: - { type: stdout, format: pretty, level: trace } # - {type: file, path: verdaccio.log, level: info} listen: - 0.0.0.0:4873 ``` Available options are explained in details in [Configuration File documentation](https://verdaccio.org/docs/en/configuration). I will describe the most important here. ### LDAP {#ldap} We use [`verdacio-ldap`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/verdaccio-ldap) plugin to authenticate with LDAP. **`searchFilter`** I use the `memberOf` overlay, and this LDAP query will allow to connect only users present in a defined LDAP group. If you are not using the `memberOf` overlay, you can allow all users to login as follow: ```yaml searchFilter: '(&(uid={{username}}))' ``` **`groupSearchBase`** I use an organization unit to store all my group for verdaccio-ldap security. ```yaml groupSearchBase: 'ou=npm,ou=groups,ou=developers,dc=verdaccio.private,dc=rocks' ``` ### Security {#security} **`packages`** You SHOULD use scope for all your privates packages, in this scenario, we use LDAP groups for `access`, `publish` and `unpublish`. Note that we do not use `proxy: npmjs` because they only exist on our private registry. I recommend you to create scope for all of your private packages, and reserve the group on npmjs registry so no one will be able to publish publicly in it in the futur. ```yaml '@scope-*/*': access: npm_access publish: npm_publisher unpublish: npm_publisher '@scope/*': # scoped packages access: npm_access publish: npm_publisher unpublish: npm_publisher ``` They are some public package on npmjs registry which are scoped, this will proxy all the request to npmjs registry. I recommend not to change this, otherwise you might get issue to download them. ```yaml '@*/*': # scoped packages access: $all publish: $authenticated proxy: npmjs ``` For all other packages, to prevent anyone to use our registry, we just allow `$authenticated` to publish. We also use `proxy: npmjs` so we also serve all the public package on npmjs registry. We allow `$all` to download from our registry, because it is public, but if you want to preserve your bandwidth or just forbid unknown user to authenticate, just use `$authenticated` as well. ```yaml '**': access: $all publish: $authenticated proxy: npmjs ``` **`security`** You should (and I recommend it) use `JWT` security, otherwise your LDAP server will received an authentication request for each request. If you don't mind, you can keep `legacy: true`. If you do use the JWT authentication, then **all your users** will have to re-authenticate with `npm adduser`. ```yaml security: legacy: false api: jwt: sign: expiresIn: 30d notBefore: 0 web: sign: expiresIn: 7d notBefore: 0 ``` - `expiresIn`: You will have to reauthenticate after `30 days`, and `7 days` on the web UI. - `notBefore`: Just set it to `0`, it is the time to wait before the JWT starts it's validity. ## Build the image {#build-the-image} Use [`docker build`](https://docs.docker.com/engine/reference/commandline/build/) to build the new image. - `-t` will give the name `verdaccio-3-ldap` to the new image - `.` means that the Dockerfile is in the current working directory. ```bash $ docker build -t verdaccio-3-ldap . Sending build context to Docker daemon 14.34kB Step 1/7 : FROM verdaccio/verdaccio:4.3 4.3: Pulling from verdaccio/verdaccio e7c96db7181b: Already exists 50958466d97a: Already exists 56174ae7ed1d: Already exists 284842a36c0d: Already exists 38829697cf41: Pull complete 67d4be407dc1: Pull complete 75921a7a709e: Pull complete 27621c093247: Pull complete b5dd63eea3d5: Pull complete 3d5fd2ab9d4d: Pull complete Digest: sha256:2a79d82601596f1889f2fe99d397c8900bf473c6682624cc0c37288896617e99 Status: Downloaded newer image for verdaccio/verdaccio:4.3 ---> 03eefd251eef # etc... Step 7/7 : USER verdaccio ---> Running in 2426b01499b8 Removing intermediate container 2426b01499b8 ---> 5e36f29f5374 Successfully built 5e36f29f5374 Successfully tagged verdaccio-3-ldap:latest ``` Your image is ready, you can push it to your private docker registry, or on Docker Hub if you can host private images. Do not publish it publicly unless you remove all your LDAP credentials in the configuration. To do so, remove the `config.yaml` within the `Dockerfile`: ```diff FROM verdaccio/verdaccio:4.3 USER root RUN npm i && npm i verdaccio-ldap - COPY conf /verdaccio/conf RUN chown -R $VERDACCIO_USER_UID /verdaccio USER verdaccio ``` And mount the configuration on startup with a volume: ```bash docker run -v $(pwd)/config.yaml:/verdaccio/conf/config.yaml verdaccio-3-ldap ``` ## Run the service {#run-the-service} You will have to mount the `storage` volume when using `Docker`, to do that, just use `-v` with `docker run` command: ```bash docker run -v /srv/verdaccio/storage:/verdaccio/storage verdaccio-3-ldap ``` Remember, you have made a backup of your storage directory, now let's fix `permissions` and `ownership` to finish verdaccio migration. Because within the docker container, the user is `verdaccio`, you can't run `chown` and `chmod` commands. Just do it directly from your host as `root`: ```bash cd /srv/verdaccio/ # the location depend of your installation chmod -R 777 storage VERDACCIO_USER_UID=10001 # unless you have changed it chown -R $VERDACCIO_USER_UID storage ``` ## Test the service {#test-the-service} First, fill appropriate LDAP group for all your LDAP users that should have access to the private npm registry. > We call `$IP` the IP address of the server. If you serve it over `https` behind a reverse proxy or directly, then fix all the following command to use the right protocol. This is all the test I have done while configurating verdaccio, before going to production: ### plugin {#plugin} - `[x]` it should work with `verdaccio-htaccess` when `verdaccio-ldap` is **not** installed. - `[x]` it should work with `verdaccio-htaccess` when `auth.ldap` is disabled and `verdaccio-ldap` is installed. - `[x]` it should work with one `verdaccio-ldap`. - `[x]` it should work with `verdaccio-htaccess` and fallback to `verdaccio-ldap` through **web**. - `[x]` it should work with `verdaccio-htaccess` and fallback to `verdaccio-ldap` through **npm**. _Either use `verdaccio-htaccess` or `verdaccio-ldap`, it is useless to use both, even if the web work with the two, the `npm --add-user` command will fail._ ### `npm` {#npm} - `[x]` `npm --adduser` should work with different users. - `[x]` `npm --adduser` should fail with wrong user/password. - `[x]` it should auth with JWT and the `verdaccio-ldap` plugin. - `[x]` it should auth with legacy and the `verdaccio-ldap` plugin. - `[x]` `npm i` in CI that download from the registry **should spam** the LDAP with authentication requests with legaxy. - `[x]` `npm i` in CI that download from the registry should not spam the LDAP with authentication requests with JWT. ### Web {#web} The new design with material-UI is super nice btw. - `[x]` it should authenticate with different users. - `[x]` it should fail to authenticate with different users and wrong password. - `[x]` it should show packages to users with `access` permissions. - `[x]` it should hide packages to users without `access` permissions. ### Packages permissions {#packages-permissions} - `[x]` `access` should work with a user with perms. - `[x]` `access` should fail with a user without perms.. - `[x]` `access` should work with a user in ldap group with perms. - `[x]` `access` should fail with a user not in ldap group with perms. - `[x]` `publish` should work with a user with perms. - `[x]` `publish` should work with a user in ldap group with perms. - `[x]` `publish` should fail with a user not in ldap group without perms. - `[x]` `unpublish` should work with a user with perms. - `[x]` `unpublish` should fail with a user without perms. - `[x]` `unpublish` should work with a ldap group with perms. - `[x]` `unpublish` should fail with a user not in ldap group with perms. ### Web {#web-1} - Test the web interface, generally `http://$IP:4873` if you are not using a reverse proxy. After login, you won't be able to see private scopped package if you don't have the `access` group. ### npm {#npm-1} Because we use the JWT, you must re-authenticate, this is how we do: ```bash npm adduser --registry http://$IP --always-auth ``` If you want to use it just for a specific scope: ```bash npm set @scope:registry http://$IP ``` If you want to use it as your default proxy for npm: ```bash npm set registry http://$IP ``` ## Conclusion and thanks {#conclusion-and-thanks} Docker, LDAP are a great way to authenticate users from your organization. In this article, you have learned how to setup verdaccion with LDAP and Docker. I have to thank the teams and community behind verdaccio projects, specially [Juan Picado](https://twitter.com/jotadeveloper), [Daniel Refde](https://twitter.com/DanielRufde) and [Sergio Hg](https://github.com/sergiohgz) for their help on the GitHub issues and the discord [chat](http://chat.verdaccio.org/). Also, but not less important, I want to thank all the people that makes Verdaccio possible, contributing, donating, documenting, and more. I hope it is well explained and you people of verdaccio are able to reproduce a configuration that fit with your LDAP. To me it took a while to figure out the different errors I had and the most annoying things was those manual step to fix the permissions and access. If you have any question, please check at the FAQ below, or feel free to reply to this blog post. > If you 😍 Verdaccio as I do, helps them to grow by donating to the project via [OpenCollective](https://opencollective.com/verdaccio). Thanks for reading and long life to Verdaccio ! ## FAQ {#faq} - Can we use two authentication plugin together such as `verdaccio-htaccess`? No you can't, but pull request are welcome. - Does my registry users need to re-authenticate? If you use `JWT` for authentication, which I recommend, they will all have to re-authenticate. - I have `404` or `401` errors with good credentials. This is due to wrong permissions or ownership in `storage` directory, dont forget to `chmod -R 777 /verdaccio/storage` and `chown -R $VERDACCIO_USER_UID /verdaccio`. - When should I use `--always-auth` when running `--add-user`? If you keep having `403` issues when retrieving packages from the registry, and permissions and ownership have been fixed, we have found that adding `--always-auth` will solve the issue. In my case, I have found that `--always-auth` was required in my production environment.