Laravel Possession - User Impersonation Package

A simple user impersonation package for Laravel with Sanctum compatibility.

Features

• Secure user impersonation system
• Global possess() and unpossess() methods
• Comprehensive exception handling
• Session-based impersonation
• Sanctum compatibility
• Simple administration controls
• Visual impersonation indicator
• Easy to integrate

It wasn't tested with all Laravel versions, only with Laravel 11 and 12.

Installation

1. Install via Composer:

composer require verseles/possession

2. Publish the configuration file (optional):

php artisan vendor:publish --tag=possession-config

3. Add the trait to your User model:

use Verseles\Possession\Traits\ImpersonatesUsers;

class User extends Authenticatable
{
    use ImpersonatesUsers;
    
    // Add your possession logic
    public function canPossess()
    {
        return $this->is_admin; // Your admin check logic
    }
    
    public function canBePossessed()
    {
        return !$this->is_admin; // Example restriction
    }
}

Usage

Global Methods

Use the facade for direct impersonation control:

use Verseles\Possession\Facades\Possession;

// Possess a user (accepts ID, email, or User model instance)
try {
    Possession::possess($targetUser);
} catch (\Verseles\Possession\Exceptions\ImpersonationException $e) {
    // Handle exception
    return redirect()->back()->withErrors(['impersonation' => $e->getMessage()]);
}

// Stop possessing
try {
    Possession::unpossess();
} catch (\Verseles\Possession\Exceptions\ImpersonationException $e) {
    // Handle exception
    return redirect()->back()->withErrors(['impersonation' => $e->getMessage()]);
}

Web Routes Example

// routes/web.php
use Verseles\Possession\Facades\Possession;

Route::middleware(['web', 'auth:'.config('possession.admin_guard')])->group(function () {
    Route::post('/possession/impersonate/{user}', function ($user) {
        try {
            Possession::possess($user);
            return redirect()->route('dashboard');
        } catch (\Verseles\Possession\Exceptions\ImpersonationException $e) {
            return back()->withErrors(['impersonation' => $e->getMessage()]);
        }
    });
    
    Route::post('/possession/leave', function () {
        try {
            Possession::unpossess();
            return redirect()->route('admin.dashboard');
        } catch (\Verseles\Possession\Exceptions\ImpersonationException $e) {
            return back()->withErrors(['impersonation' => $e->getMessage()]);
        }
    });
});

Blade Templates

Start Impersonation:

@if(auth()->check() && auth()->user()->canImpersonate())
<form action="{{ route('possession.impersonate', $user->id) }}" method="POST">
    @csrf
    <button type="submit">Impersonate User</button>
</form>
@endif

Stop Impersonation:

@include('possession::impersonating')

Error Handling

The package throws specific exceptions you can catch:

use Verseles\Possession\Exceptions\ImpersonationException;

try {
    Possession::possess($user);
} catch (ImpersonationException $e) {
    // Handle specific error types:
    if ($e->getCode() === 403) {
        // Authorization error
    }
    
    // General error handling
    return back()->withErrors(['impersonation' => $e->getMessage()]);
}

Available exceptions:

• UnauthorizedPossessException
• UnauthorizedUnpossessException
• TargetCannotBePossessedException
• SelfPossessionException
• NoImpersonationActiveException
• AlreadyImpersonatingException
• AdminNotFoundException — original admin not found during unpossess (e.g., deleted)

Configuration

Edit config/possession.php after publishing:

return [
    'user_model' => App\Models\User::class,
    'admin_guard' => 'web',
    'session_keys' => [
        'original_user' => 'possession.original_user_id',
    ],
];

Security Considerations

• Always protect impersonation routes with middleware
• Use separate guards for admin and regular users
• Regularly review your canPossess() and canBePossessed() logic
• Never expose impersonation controls to non-administrative users

License

The MIT License (MIT)