feat(core): Custom session timeout and refresh configuration

packages/cli/src/Interfaces.ts

@@ -667,6 +667,7 @@ export interface ILicensePostResponse extends ILicenseReadResponse {
 
 export interface JwtToken {
 	token: string;
+	/** The amount of seconds after which the JWT will expire. **/
 	expiresIn: number;
 }
 

packages/cli/src/auth/jwt.ts

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import type { Response } from 'express';
 import { createHash } from 'crypto';
-import { AUTH_COOKIE_NAME, RESPONSE_ERROR_MESSAGES } from '@/constants';
+import { AUTH_COOKIE_NAME, RESPONSE_ERROR_MESSAGES, Time } from '@/constants';
 import type { JwtPayload, JwtToken } from '@/Interfaces';
 import type { User } from '@db/entities/User';
 import config from '@/config';
@@ -14,7 +14,9 @@ import { ApplicationError } from 'n8n-workflow';
 
 export function issueJWT(user: User): JwtToken {
 	const { id, email, password } = user;
-	const expiresIn = 7 * 86400000; // 7 days
+	const expiresInHours = config.getEnv('userManagement.jwtSessionDurationHours');
+	const expiresInSeconds = expiresInHours * Time.hours.toSeconds;
+
 	const isWithinUsersLimit = Container.get(License).isWithinUsersLimit();
 
 	const payload: JwtPayload = {
@@ -37,12 +39,12 @@ export function issueJWT(user: User): JwtToken {
 	}
 
 	const signedToken = Container.get(JwtService).sign(payload, {
-		expiresIn: expiresIn / 1000 /* in seconds */,
+		expiresIn: expiresInSeconds,
 	});
 
 	return {
 		token: signedToken,
-		expiresIn,
+		expiresIn: expiresInSeconds,
 	};
 }
 
@@ -86,7 +88,7 @@ export async function resolveJwt(token: string): Promise<User> {
 export async function issueCookie(res: Response, user: User): Promise<void> {
 	const userData = issueJWT(user);
 	res.cookie(AUTH_COOKIE_NAME, userData.token, {
-		maxAge: userData.expiresIn,
+		maxAge: userData.expiresIn * Time.seconds.toMilliseconds,
 		httpOnly: true,
 		sameSite: 'lax',
 	});

packages/cli/src/config/index.ts

@@ -62,9 +62,18 @@ if (!inE2ETests && !inTest) {
 	});
 }
 
+// Validate Configuration
 config.validate({
 	allowed: 'strict',
 });
+const userManagement = config.get('userManagement');
+if (userManagement.jwtRefreshTimeoutHours >= userManagement.jwtSessionDurationHours) {
+	console.warn(
+		'N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_REFRESH_TIMEOUT_HOURS needs to smaller than N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_DURATION_HOURS. Setting N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_REFRESH_TIMEOUT_HOURS to 0 for now.',
+	);
+
+	config.set('userManagement.jwtRefreshTimeoutHours', 0);
+}
 
 setGlobalState({
 	defaultTimezone: config.getEnv('generic.timezone'),

packages/cli/src/config/schema.ts

@@ -762,11 +762,17 @@ export const schema = {
 			default: '',
 			env: 'N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_SECRET',
 		},
-		jwtDuration: {
-			doc: 'Set a specific JWT secret (optional - n8n can generate one)', // Generated @ start.ts
+		jwtSessionDurationHours: {
+			doc: 'Set a specific expiration date for the JWTs in hours.',
 			format: Number,
 			default: 168,
-			env: 'N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_DURATION',
+			env: 'N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_DURATION_HOURS',
+		},
+		jwtRefreshTimeoutHours: {
+			doc: 'How long before the JWT expires to automatically refresh it. 0 means 25% of N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_DURATION_HOURS. -1 means it will never refresh, which forces users to login again after the defined period in N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_DURATION_HOURS.',
+			format: Number,
+			default: 0,
+			env: 'N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_REFRESH_TIMEOUT_HOURS',
 		},
 		isInstanceOwnerSetUp: {
 			// n8n loads this setting from DB on startup

packages/cli/src/constants.ts

@@ -103,6 +103,7 @@ export const UM_FIX_INSTRUCTION =
 
 /**
  * Units of time in milliseconds
+ * @deprecated Please use constants.Time instead.
  */
 export const TIME = {
 	SECOND: 1000,
@@ -111,6 +112,28 @@ export const TIME = {
 	DAY: 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000,
 } as const;
 
+/**
+ * Convert time from any unit to any other unit
+ *
+ * Please amend conversions as necessary.
+ * Eventually this will superseed `TIME` above
+ */
+export const Time = {
+	seconds: {
+		toMilliseconds: 1000,
+	},
+	minutes: {
+		toMilliseconds: 60 * 1000,
+	},
+	hours: {
+		toMilliseconds: 60 * 60 * 1000,
+		toSeconds: 60 * 60,
+	},
+	days: {
+		toSeconds: 24 * 60 * 60,
+	},
+};
+
 export const MIN_PASSWORD_CHAR_LENGTH = 8;
 
 export const MAX_PASSWORD_CHAR_LENGTH = 64;

packages/cli/src/middlewares/auth.ts

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import { issueCookie, resolveJwtContent } from '@/auth/jwt';
 import { canSkipAuth } from '@/decorators/registerController';
 import { Logger } from '@/Logger';
 import { JwtService } from '@/services/jwt.service';
+import config from '@/config';
 
 const jwtFromRequest = (req: Request) => {
 	// eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-unsafe-member-access
@@ -41,17 +42,29 @@ const userManagementJwtAuth = (): RequestHandler => {
 /**
  * middleware to refresh cookie before it expires
  */
-const refreshExpiringCookie: RequestHandler = async (req: AuthenticatedRequest, res, next) => {
+export const refreshExpiringCookie = (async (req: AuthenticatedRequest, res, next) => {
+	const jwtRefreshTimeoutHours = config.get('userManagement.jwtRefreshTimeoutHours');
+
+	let jwtRefreshTimeoutMilliSeconds: number;
+
+	if (jwtRefreshTimeoutHours === 0) {
+		const jwtSessionDurationHours = config.get('userManagement.jwtSessionDurationHours');
+
+		jwtRefreshTimeoutMilliSeconds = Math.floor(jwtSessionDurationHours * 0.25 * 60 * 60 * 1000);
+	} else {
+		jwtRefreshTimeoutMilliSeconds = Math.floor(jwtRefreshTimeoutHours * 60 * 60 * 1000);
+	}
+
 	const cookieAuth = jwtFromRequest(req);
-	if (cookieAuth && req.user) {
+
+	if (cookieAuth && req.user && jwtRefreshTimeoutHours !== -1) {
 		const cookieContents = jwt.decode(cookieAuth) as JwtPayload & { exp: number };
-		if (cookieContents.exp * 1000 - Date.now() < 259200000) {
-			// if cookie expires in < 3 days, renew it.
+		if (cookieContents.exp * 1000 - Date.now() < jwtRefreshTimeoutMilliSeconds) {
 			await issueCookie(res, req.user);
 		}
 	}
 	next();
-};
+}) satisfies RequestHandler;
 
 const passportMiddleware = passport.authenticate('jwt', { session: false }) as RequestHandler;
 

packages/cli/test/unit/auth/jwt.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,61 @@
+import { Container } from 'typedi';
+import { mock } from 'jest-mock-extended';
+
+import config from '@/config';
+import { JwtService } from '@/services/jwt.service';
+import { License } from '@/License';
+import { Time } from '@/constants';
+import { issueJWT } from '@/auth/jwt';
+
+import { mockInstance } from '../../shared/mocking';
+
+import type { User } from '@db/entities/User';
+
+mockInstance(License);
+
+describe('jwt.issueJWT', () => {
+	const jwtService = Container.get(JwtService);
+
+	describe('when not setting userManagement.jwtSessionDuration', () => {
+		it('should default to expire in 7 days', () => {
+			const defaultInSeconds = 7 * Time.days.toSeconds;
+			const mockUser = mock<User>({ password: 'passwordHash' });
+			const { token, expiresIn } = issueJWT(mockUser);
+
+			expect(expiresIn).toBe(defaultInSeconds);
+			const decodedToken = jwtService.verify(token);
+			if (decodedToken.exp === undefined || decodedToken.iat === undefined) {
+				fail('Expected exp and iat to be defined');
+			}
+
+			expect(decodedToken.exp - decodedToken.iat).toBe(defaultInSeconds);
+		});
+	});
+
+	describe('when setting userManagement.jwtSessionDuration', () => {
+		const oldDuration = config.get('userManagement.jwtSessionDurationHours');
+		const testDurationHours = 1;
+		const testDurationSeconds = testDurationHours * Time.hours.toSeconds;
+
+		beforeEach(() => {
+			mockInstance(License);
+			config.set('userManagement.jwtSessionDurationHours', testDurationHours);
+		});
+
+		afterEach(() => {
+			config.set('userManagement.jwtSessionDuration', oldDuration);
+		});
+
+		it('should apply it to tokens', () => {
+			const mockUser = mock<User>({ password: 'passwordHash' });
+			const { token, expiresIn } = issueJWT(mockUser);
+
+			expect(expiresIn).toBe(testDurationSeconds);
+			const decodedToken = jwtService.verify(token);
+			if (decodedToken.exp === undefined || decodedToken.iat === undefined) {
+				fail('Expected exp and iat to be defined on decodedToken');
+			}
+			expect(decodedToken.exp - decodedToken.iat).toBe(testDurationSeconds);
+		});
+	});
+});

packages/cli/test/unit/config/index.test.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+describe('userManagement.jwtRefreshTimeoutHours', () => {
+	it("resets jwtRefreshTimeoutHours to 0 if it's greater than or equal to jwtSessionDurationHours", async () => {
+		process.env.N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_DURATION_HOURS = '1';
+		process.env.N8N_USER_MANAGEMENT_JWT_REFRESH_TIMEOUT_HOURS = '1';
+		const { default: config } = await import('@/config');
+
+		expect(config.getEnv('userManagement.jwtRefreshTimeoutHours')).toBe(0);
+	});
+});