EXT:backend_user_section_login is an extension for TYPO3. It replaces the default 403 error page for Backend User Section pages (doktype 6) with a login prompt, so backend users can authenticate directly from the frontend.
TYPO3's "Backend User Section" page type (doktype 6) protects pages so they are only visible to logged-in backend users. This is useful for internal or staging content, but it creates a frustrating experience when sharing links:
- A colleague pastes a deep link into a Jira ticket, an email, or a chat message
- You click the link and get a 403 error page — no context, no way forward
- You have to open the TYPO3 backend separately, navigate to the page in the page tree, and click the preview link there just to see the content
This extension fixes that workflow.
When a visitor requests a page that is part of a Backend User Section and has no active backend session, this extension intercepts the request before TYPO3 returns a 403 error. Instead, it shows a login prompt that mirrors the TYPO3 backend login screen — same logo, highlight color, background image, footnote, and any custom stylesheets your installation uses.
Once the user logs into the backend (in a new tab), the page automatically reloads and renders normally — no manual navigation required.
- TYPO3 v13 LTS or v14
Install the extension via composer:
composer req b13/backend-user-section-login
No further setup is required. The extension works out of the box for all pages under a Backend User Section.
A PSR-15 middleware runs after TYPO3's backend user authentication but before the page access check that would normally throw a 403. It checks the rootline of the requested page for doktype 6. If found and no backend user session exists, it returns a login prompt instead of passing the request to TYPO3's page rendering (which would deny access).
The login prompt links to the TYPO3 backend (/typo3/). After the user logs in there,
the original page reloads via a visibilitychange listener and renders normally, because
the backend session cookie (be_typo_user) is now present and recognized by TYPO3's
existing BackendUserAuthenticator middleware.
The login prompt picks up all backend login customizations from the backend extension
configuration: loginLogo, loginLogoAlt, loginHighlightColor, loginBackgroundImage,
and loginFootnote. It also loads the backend CSS (backend.css, webfonts.css) and any
custom stylesheets registered via $GLOBALS['TYPO3_CONF_VARS']['BE']['stylesheets'] — even
those set in ext_tables.php, which is not normally loaded during frontend requests.
No custom authentication is implemented — the extension relies entirely on TYPO3's built-in backend login, including MFA, rate limiting, and session handling.
EXT:backend_user_section_login was created by David Steeb in 2026 for b13, Stuttgart.
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