# Steps to Implement Impersonation in Laravel

The impersonation in [Laravel](https://www.bytescrum.com/laravel-web-development/) is similar to playing dress-up but for [website](https://www.bytescrum.com/about-us/) administrators or support workers. Assume you are the administrator of a website, and people report problems or want assistance. Impersonation allows you to "<mark>dress up</mark>" or become that user for a short time to view precisely what they're seeing on the page. It's like putting yourself in their shoes to comprehend what they're going through.

### **Example:**

Imagine you're an admin, pretending to be a website administrator with special powers to see and control issues behind the scenes. Users report problems or need assistance, and you can temporarily "<mark>put on</mark>" the user's clothes to access their account and provide help. After investigating, you can remove the user's clothes and return to being the website admin. An impersonation is a powerful tool, but only for support or administrative purposes, and only trusted admins should have access to it.

Impersonation enhances website administrators' support and understanding of user issues, but comes with responsibility and must be used wisely.

### The Steps to Implement Impersonation Manually in [Laravel](https://infyom.com/blog/how-to-implement-laravel-impersonate)

### **Step 1: Setup Your Database**

Begin by including an [<mark>is_impersonating</mark>](https://tenancyforlaravel.com/docs/v3/features/user-impersonation/) column in the user's database. This column will keep track of whether a user is being [impersonated](https://morioh.com/a/8fc6c701b5d9/impersonating-users-in-laravel-and-example-of-tdd-using-phpunit) at the moment. You may add these columns through the creation of a new migration:

```bash
php artisan make:migration add_impersonating_column_to_users_table --table=users
```

<mark>add_impersonating_column_to_users_table</mark> php artisan make: <mark>migration --table=users</mark>

```php
public function up()
{
    Schema::table('users', function (Blueprint $table) {
        $table->boolean('is_impersonating')->default(false);
    });
}
```

To apply the changes to the database, run the migration:

```bash
php artisan migrate
```

### **Step 2. Create** [**Impersonate**](https://laravel-news.com/laravel-impersonate) **Middleware:**

Create a new middleware to handle the impersonation process next. To create a new middleware, which uses the next command:

```bash
php artisan make:middleware ImpersonateMiddleware
```

Update the handle() function in the produced [ImpersonateMiddleware](https://stackoverflow.com/questions/53513808/is-it-possible-to-do-user-impersonation-in-laravel-using-api-tokens) file (<mark>app/Http/Middleware/ImpersonateMiddleware.php</mark>) to incorporate the impersonation logic:

```php
namespace App\Http\Middleware;

use Closure;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Auth;

class ImpersonateMiddleware
{
    public function handle($request, Closure $next)
    {
        if (Auth::user() && Auth::user()->is_impersonating) {
     
            Auth::onceUsingId(session('original_user_id'));
        }

        return $next($request);
    }
}
```

### **Step 3: Install and activate the Impersonate Middleware:**

In the <mark>app/Http/Kernel.php</mark> file, add the [ImpersonateMiddleware](https://community.serversideup.net/t/impersonating-users/208) to the middleware stack. The middleware may be applied globally or to individual routes or groups.

```php
protected $middlewareGroups = [
    'web' => [
   .
        \App\Http\Middleware\ImpersonateMiddleware::class,
    ],
];
```

### Step 4: Design an Impersonate Controller

Create a new controller to manage the impersonation process's start and stop:

```php
php artisan make:controller ImpersonateController
```

Add the following methods to the produced ImpersonateController <mark>(app/Http/Controllers/ImpersonateController.php)</mark> to start and terminate impersonation:

```php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Auth;

class ImpersonateController extends Controller
{
    public function impersonate(Request $request, $user_id)
    {
        $user = User::find($user_id);

        if ($user) {
           
            session()->put('original_user_id', Auth::id());

       
            Auth::user()->update(['is_impersonating' => true]);

            // Log in as the user to impersonate
            Auth::login($user);

            return redirect('/')->with('success', 'You are now impersonating ' . $user->name);
        }

        return redirect()->back()->with('error', 'User not found');
    }

    public function stopImpersonating()
    {

        Auth::user()->update(['is_impersonating' => false]);

       
        Auth::onceUsingId(session('original_user_id'));

        session()->forget('original_user_id');

        return redirect('/')->with('success', 'You have stopped impersonating');
    }
}
```

### **Step 5: Establish Routes**

In the <mark>routes/web.php </mark> file, add the following routes for beginning and halting impersonation:

```php
use App\Http\Controllers\ImpersonateController;

Route::get('impersonate/{user_id}', [ImpersonateController::class, 'impersonate']);
Route::get('stop-impersonating', [ImpersonateController::class, 'stopImpersonating']);
```

### **Step 6: Make use of the Impersonate Links**

These routes may now be used to generate links or buttons in your views or admin interface. When an administrator hits the imitate link or button for a particular user, they begin imitating that user. They can click the "**<mark>Stop Impersonating</mark>**" link to quit [impersonating](https://laracasts.com/discuss/channels/general-discussion/impersonating-users).

<details data-node-type="hn-details-summary"><summary>Summary</summary><div data-type="detailsContent"><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://laracasts.com/discuss/channels/laravel/impersonate-user-issue" style="pointer-events: none">Impersonation</a> in<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://mauricius.dev/easily-impersonate-any-user-in-a-laravel-application/" style="pointer-events: none"> Laravel</a> allows administrators to temporarily become other users to understand their experiences and troubleshoot issues. To set up impersonation, add an "<mark>is_impersonating</mark>" column to the "<mark>users</mark>" table, create a special "<mark>ImpersonateMiddleware</mark>" to handle impersonation logic, register it, create an <mark>"ImpersonateController</mark>" to start and stop impersonation, define routes for starting and stopping impersonation, and use impersonation links to add links or buttons in the admin interface. Impersonation is a powerful feature, only available to trusted administrators, and should be used responsibly and securely to ensure user data privacy and security.</div></details>