FIELD:Back-End Development& Authentication
PROJECT:BasicAuth
YEAR:2024
TOOLS:React, Express, MongoDB, JWT
BasicAuth

BasicAuth

BasicAuth

overview.

BasicAuth is a full-stack authentication system I built to gain hands-on experience with secure user management and session handling. Rather than using pre-built solutions, I chose to implement core authentication features from scratch to understand the underlying security principles and best practices in modern web applications.

process.

I approached the development systematically, focusing first on security fundamentals: • Implementing secure password hashing using bcrypt with proper salt rounds • Setting up JWT-based session management with refresh token rotation • Configuring secure HTTP-only cookies with appropriate flags • Creating middleware for role-based access control The frontend was built with React and TypeScript, emphasizing clean component architecture and proper state management for auth flows. I implemented comprehensive form validation, clear error handling, and intuitive user feedback for authentication states.

result.

The completed system successfully implements core authentication features while maintaining security best practices: • Secure user registration and login flows • Password reset functionality with email verification • Role-based access control for protected routes • Automatic token refresh handling • Session timeout management • Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) protection All components are thoroughly documented and include proper error handling, making the system both secure and maintainable.

challenge.

The most significant challenge was implementing secure token refresh logic. The initial implementation was vulnerable to race conditions during concurrent refreshes, potentially leading to invalid session states. I solved this by implementing a token rotation system with proper invalidation checks and implementing a mutex-like mechanism for refresh operations. This required careful consideration of edge cases and proper error handling to maintain session security.

reflection.

Building BasicAuth from scratch gave me deep insights into authentication security and user session management. I learned the importance of considering security at every level of the application stack and gained practical experience with common authentication vulnerabilities and their mitigations. The project also taught me valuable lessons about API design and state management in full-stack applications. These learnings have directly influenced how I approach security considerations in my subsequent projects.

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