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Resetting Your Nginx Proxy Manager Password via the Database

If you’ve lost access to your Nginx Proxy Manager admin account and cannot reset the password through the usual interface, you can directly update the password in the database. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you regain access.

Step 1: Access the SQLite Database

Nginx Proxy Manager stores its user and authentication data in a SQLite database. To begin:

  1. Open a terminal and locate the SQLite database file. By default, it’s in the /data directory.
  2. Access the database using the SQLite CLI:
sqlite3 /data/database.sqlite

Step 2: Locate the User ID

  1. Check the user table to identify the admin account and note the id of the admin account you want to reset. This will be used in the next steps.
SELECT * FROM user WHERE roles LIKE '%admin%';

Step 3: Inspect the auth Table

Passwords in Nginx Proxy Manager are stored in the auth table under the secret column. First, inspect the table to understand its structure:

PRAGMA table_info(auth);

Key columns:

  • user_id: Links the authentication entry to the user.
  • secret: Likely stores the hashed password.

Query the auth table for the specific user:

SELECT * FROM auth WHERE user_id=<user_id>;

Replace <user_id> with the id you retrieved earlier.

Step 4: Generate a New Password Hash

Passwords in Nginx Proxy Manager are hashed using bcrypt. You’ll need to generate a new hash for the replacement password:

  1. Use Python to create the bcrypt hash: Replace newpassword with your desired password.
  2. Copy the output, which will look something like:$2b$10$examplehashedpassword...
python3 -c "import bcrypt; print(bcrypt.hashpw(b'newpassword', bcrypt.gensalt()).decode())"

Step 5: Update the Password

Update the auth table with the new password hash:

UPDATE auth SET secret='$2b$10$examplehashedpassword...' WHERE user_id=<user_id>;

Replace:

  • $2b$10$examplehashedpassword... with the hash you generated.
  • <user_id> with the user’s ID.

Verify the update:

SELECT * FROM auth WHERE user_id=<user_id>;

Step 6: Restart Nginx Proxy Manager

After updating the database, restart the Docker container to apply the changes:

docker restart <container_name>

Replace <container_name> with the name of your Nginx Proxy Manager container.

Step 7: Log In with the New Password

You should now be able to log in to your Nginx Proxy Manager admin account using the new password you set.

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