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Overview

The User model represents an authenticated user in the NetBird Selfservice application. It extends Laravel’s Authenticatable class and provides user management, authentication, and profile functionality.

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Database Table

Table Name: users The users table stores user account information, authentication credentials, and profile data.

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Properties

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Fillable Attributes

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name
string
required
The full name of the user.
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email
string
required
The user’s email address (used for authentication and identification).
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password
string
The user’s hashed password. Automatically hashed when set. Hidden from serialization.
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google_id
string
The user’s Google OAuth ID for Google authentication.
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avatar
string
URL or path to the user’s avatar image.

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Hidden Attributes

The following attributes are automatically hidden from JSON serialization:
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password
string
The hashed password (never exposed in API responses)
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remember_token
string
Laravel’s remember token for persistent authentication

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Timestamps

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email_verified_at
datetime
Timestamp when the user’s email was verified. Cast to datetime.
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created_at
datetime
Timestamp when the user account was created
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updated_at
datetime
Timestamp when the user account was last updated

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Casts

The model automatically casts the following attributes: 
'email_verified_at' => 'datetime',
'password' => 'hashed'
The password cast automatically hashes passwords using bcrypt when set, ensuring secure password storage.

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Traits

The User model uses the following Laravel traits:
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HasFactory
trait
Enables model factory support for testing and seeding
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Notifiable
trait
Enables notification sending capabilities (email, SMS, etc.)

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Methods

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initials()

Generates user initials from the user’s name. 
public function initials(): string
Returns: string - The user’s initials (up to 2 characters) Example: 
$user = User::find(1);
$user->name = 'John Doe';
echo $user->initials(); // Output: "JD"

$user->name = 'Jane Mary Smith';
echo $user->initials(); // Output: "JM" (takes first 2 words)

$user->name = 'Alice';
echo $user->initials(); // Output: "A"
Implementation Details:
  • Splits the name by spaces
  • Takes the first 2 words
  • Extracts the first character of each word
  • Returns the uppercase initials

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Usage Examples

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Creating a User

// Standard user creation
$user = User::create([
    'name' => 'John Doe',
    'email' => 'john@example.com',
    'password' => 'secret123', // Automatically hashed
]);

// User with Google OAuth
$user = User::create([
    'name' => 'Jane Smith',
    'email' => 'jane@gmail.com',
    'google_id' => 'google_oauth_id_123',
    'avatar' => 'https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/...',
]);

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Using the Factory

// Create a single user for testing
$user = User::factory()->create();

// Create multiple users
$users = User::factory()->count(10)->create();

// Create user with specific attributes
$admin = User::factory()->create([
    'email' => 'admin@example.com',
    'name' => 'Admin User',
]);

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Authentication

// Authenticate a user
if (Auth::attempt(['email' => $email, 'password' => $password])) {
    $user = Auth::user();
    // User authenticated successfully
}

// Get authenticated user
$user = auth()->user();
$userId = auth()->id();

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Working with Initials

$user = auth()->user();

// Display user initials in avatar
echo "<div class='avatar'>{$user->initials()}</div>";

// Use in blade templates
@if($user->avatar)
    <img src="{{ $user->avatar }}" alt="{{ $user->name }}">
@else
    <div class="avatar-initials">{{ $user->initials() }}</div>
@endif

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Sending Notifications

use App\Notifications\ResourceApproved;

$user = User::find(1);

// Send notification using the Notifiable trait
$user->notify(new ResourceApproved($resource));

// Send via specific channel
$user->notifyNow(new ResourceApproved($resource));

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Querying Users

// Find by email
$user = User::where('email', 'john@example.com')->first();

// Find users with Google OAuth
$googleUsers = User::whereNotNull('google_id')->get();

// Find verified users
$verified = User::whereNotNull('email_verified_at')->get();

// Search by name
$users = User::where('name', 'like', '%John%')->get();

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Updating User Profile

$user = auth()->user();

// Update name and avatar
$user->update([
    'name' => 'John Smith',
    'avatar' => $avatarUrl,
]);

// Update password (automatically hashed)
$user->update([
    'password' => 'newPassword123',
]);

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Working with Relationships

// Get user's resources (requires Resource relationship)
// Note: Add this relationship to the User model if needed
// public function resources() {
//     return $this->hasMany(Resource::class);
// }

$user = User::with('resources')->find(1);
$resourceCount = $user->resources->count();

// Get user's pending requests
$pending = PendingResource::where('user_id', $user->id)
    ->where('status', 'pending')
    ->get();

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Security Considerations

Password Hashing: Passwords are automatically hashed using the hashed cast. Never store plain-text passwords.
Hidden Attributes: The password and remember_token fields are automatically excluded from JSON responses and array conversions.
When creating users via OAuth (Google), you may not need to set a password. Ensure your authentication logic handles both password-based and OAuth users.

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Model Location

Namespace: App\Models\User File: app/Models/User.php:11 Factory: Database\Factories\UserFactory
  • Resource - Users can own multiple resources
  • PendingResource - Users can create resource requests
// Create user
$user = User::create([
    'name' => 'Alice Johnson',
    'email' => 'alice@example.com',
    'password' => 'secure_password',
]);

// Display initials
echo $user->initials(); // "AJ"

// Create a resource request
$pending = PendingResource::create([
    'name' => 'Database Server',
    'address' => '10.0.1.100',
    'user_id' => $user->id,
    'requested_by' => $user->name,
    'requested_email' => $user->email,
    'status' => 'pending',
]);

// Send notification
$user->notify(new ResourceRequestSubmitted($pending));

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