---
type: guide
title: Admin Shell & User Management
description: How an authenticated admin navigates the post-login shell and reaches the admin user-management area.
tags: [guide, admin, shell, navigation, tester]
timestamp: 2026-07-21T15:05:00Z
---

# When this view is available

The admin shell is the post-login UI for users with `role === 'admin'`.
It is gated by:

| Layer            | File                                                                                       | Check                              |
|------------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------|
| Client route     | `frontend/src/app/app.routes.ts`                                                          | `/admin` uses `adminGuard`.        |
| Client nav link  | `frontend/src/app/features/home/home.component.ts`                                         | Renders only when `showAdminNav()` is true. |
| Client predicate | `frontend/src/app/features/home/home.shell.ts` (`shouldShowAdminNav`)                      | `isAuthenticated && role === 'admin'`. |
| Server route     | `backend/src/modules/admin/admin.controller.ts` (mounted under `@UseGuards(AdminGuard)` + `@Roles('admin')`) | Requires admin JWT. |

A non-admin (or unauthenticated) request to `/admin` is intercepted by
the client guard *before* any HTTP call is made, so the page never
renders.

# How to access (tester steps)

1. Ensure the instance is initialized (`/api/v1/bootstrap` returns
   `initialized: true`). If not, follow [First-Run Bootstrap](/guides/bootstrap.md).
2. Sign in as a user with `role === 'admin'` via `/login`.
3. The browser lands on `/` and renders the **Home shell** with a
   header containing the page title and a sign-in status line.
4. Click the **Admin** nav link (`data-testid="nav-admin"`) in the
   shell header, or navigate directly to `/admin`.
5. The admin area renders inside the shell:
   - **Heading:** "Admin area"
   - **Loading state:** `Loading users...` (`data-testid="admin-loading"`)
     while the GET is in flight.
   - **User list:** an unordered list (`data-testid="admin-user-list"`)
     showing one `<li>` per user with the username in bold and the role
     in parentheses, e.g. `root (admin)`.
   - **Error state:** a red message (`data-testid="admin-error"`) when
     the request fails (e.g. backend down or auth expired).

# Expected behavior

| User role            | Visiting `/admin`                                       |
|----------------------|---------------------------------------------------------|
| Unauthenticated      | Redirected to `/login` by `adminGuard`.                 |
| Authenticated player | Redirected to `/` by `adminGuard`.                      |
| Authenticated admin  | Page renders, fetches `GET /api/v1/admin/users`, lists users. |

* When `BootstrapService.initialized()` is still `false` the guard
  redirects to `/bootstrap` instead of `/login`, so the first admin
  flow is honored.
* The Admin nav link is hidden for non-admin users — there is no
  visible UI affordance to reach `/admin` without the role.
* The list endpoint uses the existing `authInterceptor` + `csrfInterceptor`,
  so no extra plumbing is required.

# Visual elements

| Element              | Selector                          | Purpose                                      |
|----------------------|-----------------------------------|----------------------------------------------|
| Shell header         | `.shell-header`                   | Page title + signed-in identity.             |
| Admin nav link       | `[data-testid="nav-admin"]`       | RouterLink to `/admin`; shown to admins only. |
| Shell body           | `.shell-body`                     | Holds `<router-outlet>` for child routes.    |
| Admin heading        | `h2` inside `.admin-area`         | "Admin area".                                |
| Loading message      | `[data-testid="admin-loading"]`   | "Loading users...".                          |
| Error message        | `[data-testid="admin-error"]`     | Red text; renders `error().error.message` or fallback. |
| User list            | `[data-testid="admin-user-list"]` | Renders one `<li>` per `AdminUser`.          |

# Architecture map

| Step | Where                                              | What happens                                                          |
|------|----------------------------------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------------------|
| 1    | `frontend/src/app/app.routes.ts`                   | `/` is a parent route with `authGuard`; `/admin` child uses `adminGuard` + lazy-loads `AdminUsersComponent`. |
| 2    | `frontend/src/app/core/guards/admin.guard.ts`     | `adminGuard` calls `decideAdminGuard(...)` with bootstrap + auth state. |
| 3    | `frontend/src/app/core/guards/admin.guard.decision.ts` | Pure function returning `{kind: 'allow'}` or `{kind: 'redirect', path}`. |
| 4    | `frontend/src/app/features/home/home.component.ts` | Shell template renders header, conditional nav (`*ngIf="showAdminNav()"`), and `<router-outlet>`. |
| 5    | `frontend/src/app/features/home/home.shell.ts`     | `shouldShowAdminNav({isAuthenticated, role})` predicate (exported and unit-tested). |
| 6    | `frontend/src/app/features/admin/admin-users.component.ts` | On init, calls `AdminService.listUsers()` and populates signals (`loading`, `error`, `users`). |
| 7    | `frontend/src/app/core/services/admin.service.ts` | `GET /api/v1/admin/users` (credentials included); typed as `AdminUser[]`. |
| 8    | `backend/src/modules/admin/admin.controller.ts`   | `AdminController.list` returns `AdminService.listUsers({limit, cursor, role})`. |

# Notes

* The shell deliberately keeps `HomeComponent` as a thin layout owner —
  child routes (currently just `/admin`) render into its
  `<router-outlet>`. New admin sub-pages can be added as additional
  children without changing the shell.
* The guard decision function (`decideAdminGuard`) is a pure module so
  it is straightforward to unit-test without Angular DI. See
  `tests/frontend/admin-shell.spec.ts` and `tests/frontend/admin-navigation.spec.ts`.

# See also

- [First-Run Bootstrap](/guides/bootstrap.md)
- [Frontend Structure](/architecture/frontend-structure.md)
- [REST API Overview](/api/rest-overview.md)
- [Admin Endpoints](/api/admin.md)