> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.elentra.org/technical/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.elentra.org/technical/developers/troubleshooting/logging-in.md).

# Logging In

## Login Checklist

{% hint style="info" %}
If you have recently upgraded to v2 of the elentra-developer environment, verify that your database hostname in `www-root/core/config/config.inc.php` is set to `mariadb.`
{% endhint %}

You can see the login page but receive a message stating that "An internal server error has occurred" or "The application credentials are incorrect for this system" every time you enter your login credentials.

![Usually this indicates a problem authenticating with the API ](/files/-M93w8YBLZAKI9PLGfsC)

![Elentra was able to connect to the database, but the application username or password are not correct](/files/-M93wBkrDGpYOQ7LSnqD)

{% hint style="info" %}
With v2 of the elentra-developer Docker environment you can now access phpMyAdmin from `http://localhost:3000` on your development machine.
{% endhint %}

### Can you login via API directly?

The login form utilizes the API to authenticate users. Using a tool like Postman to test logging in directly via API is a very good way to get clarity where the error actually is. Moreover, the API will provide a better response regarding what the actual issue is. 

* Open Postman, and create a `POST` request to `http://elentra-1x-me.localhost/api/v2/auth/login` while passing the following data in the `Body` \
  \
  `{` \
      `"username": "admin",` \
      `"password": "apple123",` \
      `"auth_username": "[Your AUTH Username]",` \
      `"auth_password": "[Your AUTH Password]",` \
      `"auth_method": "local",` \
      `"auth_app_id": 1` \
  `}`
* You should see helpful response identifying what the logging in issue is. If the response you receive isn't helpful, then please proceed with the checklist below.

### Database

* Database schema is created?
* Database user exists?
* Database user password is correct?
* Database user has permissions to the schema? (try with full permissions, to make sure that permissions aren’t the issue, restrict afterwards)
* Can you connect to the database with the MySQL command line (or a database GUI like phpMyAdmin) and view the tables of the database?
* Is the character encoding/collation correct for the database and the DEFAULT\_CHARSET in `settings.inc.php`? Mixing Latin1 and UTF8 can lead to problems. This may require adding debug statements or stepping through the login process, and checking variables/error messages.

### Application

Verify the following in `www-root/core/config/config.inc.php`:

* There is a row in `[auth_schema].registered_apps` where:
  1. `script_id` matches \[“auth\_username” in the config file]?
  2. `script_password` matches MD5(\[auth\_password]) in the config file?
* The `AUTH_APP_ID` defined in settings.inc.php is the same as `[auth_schema].registered_apps.id`? (Try putting `Log::info($app_auth_credentials);` after that variable is defined in the API’s `AuthController.php postLogin()` method to be sure.)

### API

* Is the API set up correctly (for a development environment, there may be a symbolic link in `www-root/core/library/vendor/elentrapackages`)? [Make sure that the link is pointing to a valid API directory](/technical/developers/troubleshooting/composer.md#symlinking-the-api).
* Is the API accessible? You should be able to go to `[website url]/api/v2` and see the message “Welcome to the Elentra API. Please see our documentation for assistance.”. You can also use [Postman](https://docs.elentra.org/api/developers/quickstart-guide/postman) to work directly with the API; that will often show additional information that may be helpful.
* Is there a `.htaccess` file in your `www-root` folder?
* If using different Elentra applications (i.e. Admissions, ME, CPD), is the API the correct version for the application version you are running? CPD may require a different API version from ME.

### User

* Is there a row in `[auth_schema].user_data` where:
  1. `username` matches the username in the login form?
  2. `password` matches the SHA1(login form password + salt from row)?
  3. `organisation_id` exists in `[auth_schema].organisations`?
  4. the `app_id` in `[auth_schema].organisations` matches the `app_id` in in `[auth_schema].registered_apps`?
* Is there a row in `[auth_schema].user_access` where:
  1. `user_id` matches the id field in `[auth_schema].user_data`?
  2. `app_id` matches the id in `[auth_schema].registered_apps`?
  3. `organisation_id` matches the id in `[auth_schema].user_data`?
  4. `account_active` is true?
  5. `access_starts` is before now?
  6. `access_expires` is after now (or 0)?
  7. `locked_out_until` is NULL?

### Organisation

* Is the “organisation\_id” set to the correct value in `settings.inc.php`?
* Do the “AUTH\_APP\_ID” and “AUTH\_APP\_IDS\_STRING” variables in `settings.inc.php` match the ID of a row in the `[auth_schema].registered_apps` table?
* Are there entries in in `[auth_schema].user_preferences` for the “organisation\_switcher” module that are pointing to the wrong `organisation_id`? These rows can safely be removed because they will be regenerated as needed (they determine which Organisation is the default for that user when logging in).
* In the in `[auth_schema].organisations` table, is the template for this organisation set to a `www-root/templates`directory that does not exist (e.g. if the DB has come from a live site that has a customized set of templates, and your development site doesn't have them)?

### Logs

Be sure to check the following logs if you cannot see any errors or warnings being printed to the screen.

* `www-root/core/storage/logs/api.log`
* `www-root/core/storage/logs/error_log`
* Apache logs (typically `/var/log/httpd/error_log or /var/log/httpd/ssl_error_log`)

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you are developing using a Docker container, ensure that you are checking the logs from inside the container, not the host operating system!
{% endhint %}

### Other Debugging Tips

* Enable Laravel debug messages (only for use in development) by running the following command from the root of your `elentra-1x-me` project.

  ```
  echo "APP_DEBUG=true" > www-root/core/library/vendor/elentrapackages/elentra-1x-api/.env
  ```