NodeBB Session Guard (Anti-Sharing Plugin)

This plugin is designed to prevent account sharing on NodeBB forums. It is particularly useful for forums with subscription or premium membership models, ensuring that a single account cannot be shared among multiple people in different locations.

🚀 Features

• Smart Session Management: Automatically terminates the old session when a user logs in from a different computer or location (different IP).
• Mobile Exemption: Mobile phones (iOS/Android) are exempt from this restriction. Users can log in from their phones without affecting their desktop sessions.
• Smart IP Protection: Allows multiple browsers or tabs on the same computer (or same IP address). This prevents users from being logged out when switching browsers or using school/library networks.
• Global Guard: Uses a global middleware to check every request (Page, API, Assets). Unauthorized sessions are terminated instantly.
• NodeBB v4.x Compatible: Fully compatible with NodeBB v4.6+ (works directly with the database, bypassing deprecated functions).
• Admin Exemption: Administrators are exempt from these restrictions.

🛠️ How It Works (Logic Table)

The system behaves differently based on the device type and IP address:

| Scenario | Device Type | IP Address | Result | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Logged in from Home PC | Desktop | 192.168.1.5 | ✅ Session Active. | | Then logged in from Phone | Mobile | (Any) | ✅ Session Active. (Both PC and Phone remain active). | | Opened a different browser on same PC | Desktop | 192.168.1.5 | ✅ Session Active. (Same IP = Allowed). | | Friend logged in from their house | Desktop | Different IP | ❌ Old Session KILLED. (Your home session is terminated). | | Logged in from Tablet | Tablet/iPad | (Any) | ⚠️ Tablets are treated as Desktops. If IP is different, old PC session is killed. |

📦 Installation

If this plugin is not published on npm, you can install it manually:

1. Upload the plugin folder to your node_modules directory:

   /path/to/nodebb/node_modules/nodebb-plugin-session-guard

2. Activate the plugin:

   ./nodebb activate nodebb-plugin-session-guard

3. Rebuild and restart NodeBB:

   ./nodebb build
   ./nodebb restart

⚙️ Requirements

• NodeBB: v3.0.0 or higher (Tested on v4.6.0+)
• Database: Redis or MongoDB (Compatible with both)

📝 License

MIT