JSON Web Token (JWT) Authentication in Express

Description

JSON Web Token (JWT) is a secure and stateless authentication method that allows users to authenticate using a signed token instead of traditional session-based authentication. This document provides a detailed overview of how JWT authentication works in an Express.js application.

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How JWT Authentication Works

1. User Login: The client sends a login request with valid credentials (username and password).
2. Token Generation: If authentication is successful, the server generates a JWT token, signs it with a secret key, and returns it to the client.
3. Token Storage: The client stores the token in html-cookie
4. Sending Requests: For each protected request, the client includes the JWT in the Authorization header.
5. Token Verification: The server verifies the token using the secret key and grants access if it's valid.
6. Accessing Protected Routes: The user can now access restricted endpoints until the token expires.

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Setting Up JWT Authentication in Express.js

• make sure you have node and npm installed

  git clone https://github.com/manoj-netizenn/jwt-auth

cd "project directory"

Install Required Packages

npm install

npm install express jsonwebtoken ejs mongoose cookie-parser bcrypt

• if any dependency goes missing run

npm i dependency-name -D

Mongoose Setup Guide

Installation

• install Mongoose in your project:

npm install mongoose

Basic Connection Setup

1. Import Mongoose

const mongoose = require('mongoose');

2. Connection String Format

The basic MongoDB connection string format is:

const url="mongodb://localhost:27017/your_database"
mongoose.connect("url").then().catch()
//replace this with your local database string or connection string from mongodb account

[+] Usage

node server.js

or

npm run server

project is now running on localhost:3000