# From \_t cookie how to get the current user id?
**URL:** https://meta.discourse.org/t/from--t-cookie-how-to-get-the-current-user-id/70220
**Category:** Development
**Created:** [September 17, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/from--t-cookie-how-to-get-the-current-user-id/70220 "2017-09-17T13:54:20Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@vikaskedia](https://meta.discourse.org/u/vikaskedia)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2017, 1:54pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/from--t-cookie-how-to-get-the-current-user-id/70220/1 "2017-09-17T13:54:20Z")
I am trying to develop an app using the same DB as discourse.
Discourse is run from:
[www.example.com/forums/](http://www.example.com/forums/)
The app is run from:
[www.example.com/app/](http://www.example.com/app/)
Inside /app/ app on server side I have access to \_t token.
**From the \_t token how do I get the user id by querying the Postgres DB.**
I know I can use SSO but that requires making a request to the client side. So I want to keep things simple and get the logged in user’s identity by just querying the postgres DB directly from inside the app running at [www.example.com/app/](http://www.example.com/app/)
In postgres table user\_auth\_tokens the field auth\_tokens has the value “Gzfb6AV4VkGvumpIm54u6hxdBuU”
In the cookie \_t the value is 35d802b49d5565441aedf58410064505
**From “35d802b49d5565441aedf58410064505” how do I derive “Gzfb6AV4VkGvumpIm54u6hxdBuU” ?**
## I have the following hypothesis:
1. In the DB table user\_auth\_tokens the field auth\_tokens is storing the hashed value of the cookie \_t.
2. The hashing is being done by [discourse/app/models/user\_auth\_token.rb at c68999e1283ea7f9bc50fe6e8df3c4ddc05b7df0 · discourse/discourse · GitHub](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/c68999e1283ea7f9bc50fe6e8df3c4ddc05b7df0/app/models/user_auth_token.rb#L111)
> Digest::SHA1.base64digest(“#{token}#{GlobalSetting.safe\_secret\_key\_base}”)
1. To get the value of GlobalSetting.safe\_secret\_key\_base from redis I will get the value of SECRET\_TOKEN
> 127.0.0.1:6379\> get SECRET\_TOKEN
> “eadc1240dfa7cccc5801e82f1b302913a91604a0d97dcc1fb7b44d8275037904fa517710d29059e53251f5bf46ebbe16d0686226a6bc5032bbafcc987a2bd30b”
ref: [discourse/app/models/global\_setting.rb at a1ee61ec25d8de128faf46d765d1aeda9d880654 · discourse/discourse · GitHub](https://github.com/discourse/discourse/blob/a1ee61ec25d8de128faf46d765d1aeda9d880654/app/models/global_setting.rb#L23)
Are my hypothesis correct?
When I do sha1 for
> 35d802b49d5565441aedf58410064505eadc1240dfa7cccc5801e82f1b302913a91604a0d97dcc1fb7b44d8275037904fa517710d29059e53251f5bf46ebbe16d0686226a6bc5032bbafcc987a2bd30b
I get
> 1b37dbe805785641afba6a489b9e2eea1c5d06e5
And base64digest for 1b37dbe805785641afba6a489b9e2eea1c5d06e5 is: MWIzN2RiZTgwNTc4NTY0MWFmYmE2YTQ4OWI5ZTJlZWExYzVkMDZlNQ==
**Why is it not matching the value stored in the table user\_auth\_tokens the field auth\_tokens?**
---
### Author:  [@riking](https://meta.discourse.org/u/riking)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/from--t-cookie-how-to-get-the-current-user-id/70220/2 "2017-09-17T17:51:16Z")
Putting aside the part where this is a Bad Idea™ because eventually Discourse will update and this will break…
Are you sure you did that last step correctly? [https://play.golang.org/p/6bWfZ8uDX5](https://play.golang.org/p/6bWfZ8uDX5)
---
### Author:  [@vikaskedia](https://meta.discourse.org/u/vikaskedia)
#### Post date: [September 17, 2017, 7:33pm UTC](https://meta.discourse.org/t/from--t-cookie-how-to-get-the-current-user-id/70220/3 "2017-09-17T19:33:30Z")
> [@riking](#):
>
> Are you sure you did that last step correctly?
Thank you. it works!!