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Admin and User Site Separation

Overview​

Gojang follows a strict architectural separation between:

  • User Site: Public-facing pages at / routes
  • Admin Panel: Staff-only management interface at /admin routes

Directory Structure​

gojang/
├── admin/                      # Admin panel (isolated)
│   ├── handler.go             # Generic CRUD handlers
│   ├── models.go               # Model registration
│   ├── registry.go             # Reflection-based operations
│   ├── admin_renderer.go       # Admin-specific renderer
│   ├── admin_routes.go         # Admin route definitions
│   └── views/                  # Admin templates
│       ├── admin_base.html
│       ├── admin_main.html
│       ├── model_index.html
│       ├── model_list.partial.html
│       ├── model_form.partial.html
│       └── model_delete.partial.html
│
├── http/
│   ├── handlers/               # User site handlers (isolated)
│   │   ├── auth.go
│   │   ├── pages.go
│   │   ├── posts.go
│   │   └── users.go
│   └── routes/                 # User site routes
│       ├── pages.go
│       ├── posts.go
│       └── users.go
└── views/
    ├── renderers/
    │   └── renderer.go         # User site renderer
    └── templates/              # User site templates
        ├── base.html
        ├── home.html
        ├── posts/
        └── users/

Key Principles​

1. Separate Renderers​

User Site Renderer (renderers.Renderer):

  • Located in gojang/views/renderers/renderer.go
  • Uses base.html as layout
  • Handles user-facing templates only

Admin Renderer (admin.AdminRenderer):

  • Located in gojang/admin/admin_renderer.go
  • Uses admin_base.html as layout
  • Handles admin templates only

2. Separate Route Namespaces​

User Routes (mounted at root):

r.Get("/", pageHandler.Home)
r.Get("/posts", postHandler.Index)
r.Get("/dashboard", pageHandler.Dashboard)

Admin Routes (mounted under /admin with staff-only middleware):

r.Route("/admin", func(r chi.Router) {
    r.Use(middleware.RequireStaff)
    r.Get("/", adminHandler.Dashboard)
    r.Get("/{model}", adminHandler.Index)
    r.Post("/{model}", adminHandler.Create)
    // ... generic CRUD for all models
})

3. No Cross-References​

Don't mix admin templates or path-based checks inside user handlers. Keep user handlers focused on the public experience and admin handled by the generic panel.

4. Generic Admin Panel​

The admin panel uses reflection-based CRUD that works for all models. To add a model to admin, register it in admin/models.go and the admin UI provides CRUD automatically.

Migration from Mixed Architectures​

When migrating from a project that mixed admin and user concerns, remove admin-specific code from user handlers, delete admin templates from user renderer, and rely on the generic admin package.

Benefits of Separation​

  • Simplicity
  • Maintainability
  • Security
  • Easier testing

Verification​

  • Check user handlers do not reference admin_*.html or perform path-based admin detection
  • Check admin package is isolated (routes, renderer, templates)
  • Test both sites independently