This guide will walk you through implementing multi-level authentication in your Node.js and Express application, using:
The authentication levels covered include:
Basic Authentication involves prompting users to enter their credentials (username and password) for authentication.
- Define routes for login and registration.
- Implement route handlers to handle login and registration requests.
- Verify
user credentialsagainst a database. - Upon successful authentication, issue a
tokenor set asessionto maintain user authentication.
Hashing and Session Authentication involves securely storing user passwords using bcrypt.js and maintaining user sessions using Express session middleware.
- Install
bcryptjs.jsand Express session middleware. - Configure session middleware and secret.
- Hash user passwords before storing them in the database.
- Use session middleware to maintain user sessions across requests.
- Protect routes by verifying
sessionauthentication.
Google OAuth2 Authentication allows users to authenticate using their Google account, providing a seamless and secure login experience.
- Set up Google Developer Console and obtain
OAuth client credentials. - Install required dependencies:
passport,passport-google-oauth20,dotenv. - Configure environment variables for Google OAuth credentials.
- Implement
Passport.jsGoogle OAuth2 strategy. - Define routes for Google authentication.
- Protect routes using
Passport'sauthentication middleware.
OAuth 2.0 is an authorization framework that standardizes third-party access to HTTP services securely, allowing applications to act on behalf of users.
- Client: Requests access to resources.
- Resource Owner: User granting or denying access to their data.
- Resource Server: Stores protected user data.
- Authorization Server: Authenticates the resource owner and issues access tokens.
- 1. User wants to access resources.
- 2. App requests authorization.
- 3. User inputs credentials.
- 4. App sends credentials with
OAuth keysto Authorization Server. - 5. Authorization Server returns
Access token. - 6. App sends
tokento Resource Server. - 7. Resource Server serves resource to the app.
- 8. App confirms accessibility to the user.
OAuth offers various flows:
- Authorization Code Flow: For server-side apps, exchanges code for
token. - Implicit Flow: Deprecated, returns
tokendirectly but lacks security. - Resource Owner Password Credentials Flow: Uses
user's credentialsdirectly. - Client Credentials Flow: For server-to-server authentication.
- Refresh Token Flow: Obtains
new tokenwhen the old one expires. - Device Code Flow: Facilitates authorization on devices with limited input.
- Extension Flow: Customizable for specific needs.
- Third-Party Access: Users grant apps limited access without credentials.
- Single Sign-On (SSO): Enables users to log in once for multiple services.
- Mobile Applications: Allows secure access to services on mobile devices.
Encryption involves encoding data to make it unintelligible to unauthorized users. In the context of web development, encrypting sensitive information before storing it in the database adds an extra layer of security. Tools like OpenSSL or libraries such as bcrypt.js can be used for encryption in JavaScript applications.
Hashing transforms sensitive data into a fixed-size string of characters, making it challenging for attackers to reverse-engineer the original data. Salting involves adding random data (salt)🧂 to the input before hashing, further enhancing security. The bcrypt library in Node.js simplifies the process of hashing and salting passwords securely.
Sessions and cookies are commonly used to persist user login sessions across multiple requests. Sessions store user-specific data on the server, while cookies store data on the client-side. Implementing session management ensures that users remain authenticated throughout their browsing session, enhancing user experience and security.
Passport.js is a popular authentication middleware for Node.js applications, offering a wide range of authentication strategies, including local authentication, OAuth, and more. Integrating Passport.js simplifies the authentication process and provides robust security features out of the box.
Sensitive information such as API keys, database credentials, and cryptographic keys should never be hard-coded in the application code. Instead, they should be stored as environment variables and accessed programmatically. This practice minimizes the risk of exposing sensitive information and enhances application security.
OAuth 2.0 is an industry-standard protocol for authorization, allowing users to grant third-party applications limited access to their resources without sharing their credentials. Integrating OAuth 2.0 with popular identity providers such as Google and Facebook enables seamless and secure user authentication in JavaScript applications.
For detailed implementation instructions and code examples, please refer to the sample code provided in this repository.
npm install express bcryptjs passport passport-local passport-google-oauth20 express-session dotenv- Clone this repository.
- Configure your environment variables in a
.envfile. - Run the application using
npm start. - Access the application in your browser.
Level 1 - Basic authentication - Registration users with email and password (password stored unencrypted in db) -
Level 3 Authentication - using OAuth (Open Authorisation, third party) to authenticate users, without storing their credentials -
Feel free to explore my repositories and see my projects. I'm always open to collaboration and welcome feedback to improve and grow as a developer. Let's code something amazing together! 🚀😊👩💻💻
Copyright © Shani Bider, 2024
This project is licensed under the MIT License.