"Configuration: session: option 'cookies' is required" despite being provided

[kitforbes]

Hi there,

I've just upgraded from v4.37 to v4.38.2 and I've encountered a problem after attempting to address the warnings in the container logs around configuration changes.

{
    "level": "warning",
    "msg": "Configuration: session: option 'domain' is deprecated in v4.38.0 and has been replaced by a multi-domain configuration: this has automatically been mapped for you but you will need to adjust your configuration to remove this message and receive the latest messages",
    "time": "2024-03-16T16:55:07Z"
}

I like to set my configuration as much as possible through environment variables, but had to move some to the config file due to the new cookies element. I've tried splitting the session object between the environment and the file, and also having it fully in the file, but both result in the error in the title.

The environment variables I set are:

AUTHELIA_SESSION_EXPIRATION: 1h
AUTHELIA_SESSION_INACTIVITY: 5m
AUTHELIA_SESSION_NAME: authelia_session
AUTHELIA_SESSION_REMEMBER_ME: 1M
AUTHELIA_SESSION_SAME_SITE: lax
AUTHELIA_SESSION_SECRET_FILE: /run/secrets/authelia_session_secret

With the following in the config file:

session:
  cookies:
  - domain: example.com
    authelia_url: https://login.example.com
    default_redirection_url: https://www.example.com

The errors in the logs with stack traces are below:

[{
    "level": "error",
    "msg": "Configuration: session: option 'cookies' is required",
    "stack": [
        {
            "File": "github.com/authelia/authelia/v4/internal/commands/context.go",
            "Line": 312,
            "Name": "(*CmdCtx).ConfigValidateLogRunE"
        },
        {
            "File": "github.com/authelia/authelia/v4/internal/commands/context.go",
            "Line": 183,
            "Name": "NewRootCmd.(*CmdCtx).ChainRunE.func1"
        },
        {
            "File": "github.com/spf13/[email protected]/command.go",
            "Line": 968,
            "Name": "(*Command).execute"
        },
        {
            "File": "github.com/spf13/[email protected]/command.go",
            "Line": 1115,
            "Name": "(*Command).ExecuteC"
        },
        {
            "File": "github.com/spf13/[email protected]/command.go",
            "Line": 1039,
            "Name": "(*Command).Execute"
        },
        {
            "File": "github.com/authelia/authelia/v4/cmd/authelia/main.go",
            "Line": 10,
            "Name": "main"
        },
        {
            "File": "runtime/internal/atomic/types.go",
            "Line": 194,
            "Name": "(*Uint32).Load"
        },
        {
            "File": "runtime/asm_amd64.s",
            "Line": 1695,
            "Name": "goexit"
        }
    ],
    "time": "2024-03-16T16:15:54Z"
},
{
    "level": "fatal",
    "msg": "Can't continue due to the errors loading the configuration",
    "stack": [
        {
            "File": "github.com/authelia/authelia/v4/internal/commands/context.go",
            "Line": 315,
            "Name": "(*CmdCtx).ConfigValidateLogRunE"
        },
        {
            "File": "github.com/authelia/authelia/v4/internal/commands/context.go",
            "Line": 183,
            "Name": "NewRootCmd.(*CmdCtx).ChainRunE.func1"
        },
        {
            "File": "github.com/spf13/[email protected]/command.go",
            "Line": 968,
            "Name": "(*Command).execute"
        },
        {
            "File": "github.com/spf13/[email protected]/command.go",
            "Line": 1115,
            "Name": "(*Command).ExecuteC"
        },
        {
            "File": "github.com/spf13/[email protected]/command.go",
            "Line": 1039,
            "Name": "(*Command).Execute"
        },
        {
            "File": "github.com/authelia/authelia/v4/cmd/authelia/main.go",
            "Line": 10,
            "Name": "main"
        },
        {
            "File": "runtime/internal/atomic/types.go",
            "Line": 194,
            "Name": "(*Uint32).Load"
        },
        {
            "File": "runtime/asm_amd64.s",
            "Line": 1695,
            "Name": "goexit"
        }
    ],
    "time": "2024-03-16T16:15:54Z"
}]

I'm happy to revert my changes and ignore the warnings for now. I looked through the new example configuration files and I can't see what I've done wrong here.

Thanks.

[glime-ai[bot]]

Please note this response was created using generative AI leveraging previously available information from the repository. This information may be helpful however it is our strong recommendation that you carefully consider the information before blindly applying it.

---

It appears that your configuration issue stems from the way Authelia handles the merging of environment variables and YAML configuration files, especially with the introduction of the cookies element in the session configuration in version 4.38.2.

Based on the information provided and the error logs, it seems that Authelia is not recognizing the cookies configuration when it's solely defined in the YAML file while other session settings are defined through environment variables. This could be due to how Authelia prioritizes or merges these configurations.

To address this issue, ensure that your entire session configuration, including the cookies element, is defined in one place, preferably in the configuration file, to avoid any conflicts or overriding issues. Since the cookies element is a new requirement and seems to have a complex structure that might not be fully supported through environment variables yet, defining it in the YAML configuration file alongside other session settings should ensure consistency.

Here's a revised configuration example that consolidates all session-related settings in the YAML file:

session:
  name: authelia_session
  secret: insecure_session_secret # Ensure this is securely managed
  expiration: 1h
  inactivity: 5m
  remember_me: 1M
  same_site: lax
  cookies:
    - domain: example.com
      authelia_url: https://login.example.com
      default_redirection_url: https://www.example.com

Please replace insecure_session_secret with the actual secret value or manage it securely as per your setup. If you were using AUTHELIA_SESSION_SECRET_FILE to load the secret from a file, ensure that the secret is directly included in the configuration file or securely managed through another method that Authelia supports.

Given the complexity of the configuration and the potential for specific nuances in how Authelia processes these settings, if this approach does not resolve your issue, I recommend reaching out to the Authelia support channels or reviewing the latest documentation and examples provided by Authelia for version 4.38.2 and beyond.

This comment was generated by Glime.

[james-d-elliott]

Can you show your full config and the full logs?

[kitforbes]

In preparing my reply, I discovered my error. Sorry for the false report!

Months ago I changed the way in which I was mounting the configuration file. Turns out, I forgot to change the --config <path> value to the new location, meaning the changes I was making weren't taking effect. User error as is often the case...

Thanks for the recent updates!

[james-d-elliott]

No problem!

[runningman84]

authelia_url does not work I think you have to use the subdomain setting which will autogenerate the authelia_url to subdomain.domain....