How to Login to LuCI with a Non-Root User

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Introduction

LuCI, the web interface for OpenWrt, is primarily designed to be accessed by the root user.
Logging in as a non-root user in LuCI requires significant modifications and is not straightforward.
To hide the root user on the LuCI login page, you can modify the [dispatcher.uc](prompt://ask_markdown?question=dispatcher.uc) file and change the default user.
Even if a non-root user is allowed to log in, they typically gain full root rights through the UI.
There are no built-in options in LuCI to add or define a non-root user with limited access.

Default Username: The default username for LuCI is 'root'.
Default Password: The password is the same as the one used to access the web Admin Panel.
Access URL: Navigate to [192.168.8.1/cgi-bin/luci](prompt://ask_markdown?question=192.168.8.1/cgi-bin/luci) to reach the LuCI login page.

File Modification: Changes need to be made in files like dispatcher.uc and [sysauth.js](prompt://ask_markdown?question=sysauth.js).
JavaScript Rendering: Much of LuCI has moved to client-side JavaScript rendering.
Ucode Conversion: Server-side components are being converted to ucode.
Example Code: Modify dispatcher.uc to change duser: 'root' to duser: ''.

Full Root Rights: Non-root users gain full root rights through the UI.
No Built-in Support: LuCI does not have built-in support for non-root user access.
white screen issue: Logging in with a non-root user often results in a blank screen.
Serious Hacking Required: Significant modifications are needed to support non-root users.

Modify dispatcher.uc: Change duser: 'root' to duser: ''.
Update sysauth.js: Change type='password' to type='text'.
Add to Startup: Use sed commands to automate these changes on boot.
Check for Changes: Ensure changes are needed before applying them to avoid unnecessary writes.

browser cache: Issues logging in can sometimes be resolved by clearing the browser cache.
password length bug: Some routers have a bug where only the first 32 characters of a password are saved.
Blank Screen: Non-root users often encounter a blank screen upon login.
community solutions: Various community members have shared scripts and patches to address these issues.