Authentication System

Overview

Cognit Backend implements a comprehensive authentication system using JWT (JSON Web Tokens), bcrypt password hashing, and email-based verification. The system handles user registration, login, email confirmation, and password reset flows.

Authentication Flow

User Registration

Create Account Endpoint

src/controllers/AuthController.ts

static createAccount = async (req: Request, res: Response) => {
    const {email, password } = req.body

    const userExists = await User.findOne({ where: {email}})
    if(userExists) {
        const error = new Error("There is a problem creating user")
        res.status(409).json({error: error.message})
        return
    }

    try {
        const user = new User(req.body)
        user.password = await hashPassword(password)
        user.token = generateToken()

        await user.save()

        await AuthEmail.sendConfirmationEmail({
             username: user.username,
             email: user.email,
             token: user.token,
        })
        res.status(201).json("User created successfully")
    } catch (error) {
        res.status(500).json({error: "Error creating user"})
    }
}

Password Hashing

src/utils/auth.ts

import bcrypt from 'bcrypt'

export const hashPassword = async (password: string) => {
    const salt = await bcrypt.genSalt(10)
    return await bcrypt.hash(password, salt)
}

export const checkPassword = async (password: string, hash: string) => {
    return await bcrypt.compare(password, hash)
}

Passwords are hashed using bcrypt with 10 salt rounds before being stored in the database.

Token Generation

src/utils/genToken.ts

export const generateToken = () => 
    Math.floor(100000 + Math.random() * 900000).toString()

Generates a random 6-digit numeric token for email verification and password reset.

Input Validation

src/routes/authRouter.ts

router.post('/create-account', 
    body('username')
    .notEmpty().withMessage('Username can not be empty'),
    body('password')
    .isLength({min: 8}).withMessage('Password min length has to be 8 characters'),
    body('email')
    .isEmail().withMessage('Email not valid'),
    handleInputErrors,
    AuthController.createAccount
)

Validation Rules:

Username: Cannot be empty
Password: Minimum 8 characters
Email: Must be valid email format

Email Confirmation Flow

Sending Confirmation Email

src/emails/AuthEmail.ts

static sendConfirmationEmail = async (user: EmailType) => {
    const email = await transport.sendMail({
        from: "Cognit <admin@cognit.website>",
        to: user.email,
        subject: "Cognit - Confirmar compte",
        html: `
            <div style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif; background-color: #f4f4f4; padding: 20px;">
                <h1 style="color: #086375;">Hola ${user.username}!</h1>
                <p>T'has registrat a <strong>COGNIT</strong>, només queda que confirmis el teu registre.</p>
                <div style="text-align: center;">
                    <a href="${process.env.FRONTEND_URL}/confirm-account" 
                       style="background-color: #086375; color: #AFFC41; padding: 10px 20px;">
                        Confirma el teu compte
                    </a>
                </div>
                <p style="font-size: 20px; color: #086375; font-weight: bold;">
                    ${user.token}
                </p>
            </div>
        `
    })
}

Confirming Account

src/controllers/AuthController.ts

static confirmAccount = async (req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) => {
    const { token } = req.body

    try {
        const user = await User.findOne({ where: { token }})
        if (!user) {
            const error = new Error("Token not valid")
            res.status(401).json({ error: error.message })
            return
        }
        
        user.confirmed = true
        await user.save()

        const userData = { id: user.id, email: user.email, points: user.points}
        res.json({ message: "Account confirmed", user: userData })
    } catch (error) {
        next(error)
    }
}

Users must confirm their email before they can log in. The confirmed field is checked during login.

src/controllers/AuthController.ts

static login = async (req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) => {
    const { email, password } = req.body

    try {
        const user = await User.findOne({ where: {email}})
        if(!user) {
            const error = new Error("User not found")
            res.status(404).json({error: error.message})
            return
        }
        if(!user.confirmed) {
            const error = new Error("Account not confirmed")
            res.status(403).json({error: error.message})
            return
        }

        const isPasswordCorrect = await checkPassword(password, user.password)
        if (!isPasswordCorrect) {
            const error = new Error("Invalid credentials")
            res.status(401).json({error: error.message})
            return
        }

        const userData = { id: user.id, email: user.email, points: user.points}
        res.json({ message: "User authenticated", user: userData })
    } catch (error) {
        res.status(500).json({ error: "User not authenticated" })
    }
}

Login Validation Steps:

Check if user exists by email
Verify account is confirmed (confirmed: true)
Compare password with stored hash using bcrypt
Return user data if successful

JWT Token Authentication

Generating JWT Tokens

src/utils/jwt.ts

import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken'

export const generateJWT = (id: string) : string => {
    const token = jwt.sign({id}, process.env.JWT_SECRET, {
        expiresIn: '30d'
    })
    return token
}

Token Configuration:

Payload: User ID
Secret: process.env.JWT_SECRET
Expiration: 30 days

Authentication Middleware

src/middleware/auth.ts

import type { Request, Response, NextFunction } from 'express'
import jwt from 'jsonwebtoken'
import User from '../models/User'

declare global {
    namespace Express {
        interface Request {
            user?: User
        }
    }
}

export const authenticate = async (req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) => {
    const bearer = req.headers.authorization

    if (!bearer) {
        const error = new Error("Not authorized")
        res.status(401).json({ error: error.message })
        return
    }

    const [text, token] = bearer.split(' ')
    if (!token) {
        const error = new Error("Token not valid")
        res.status(401).json({ error: error.message })
        return
    }

    try {
        const decoded = jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET)
        if (typeof decoded === 'object' && decoded.id) {
            req.user = await User.findByPk(decoded.id, {
                attributes: ['id', 'name', 'email']
            })
            next()
        }
    } catch (error) {
        res.status(500).json({ error: "token not valid" })
    }
}

Using Protected Routes

src/routes/authRouter.ts

router.get("/user",
    authenticate,  // Middleware ensures valid JWT
    AuthController.getUserAuthenticated
)

router.post("/check-password",
    authenticate,  // User must be authenticated
    body('password').notEmpty().withMessage("Current password can not be empty"),
    handleInputErrors,
    AuthController.checkPassword
)

The authenticate middleware attaches the user object to req.user, making it available in subsequent handlers.

Password Reset Flow

1. Request Password Reset

src/controllers/AuthController.ts

static forgotPassword = async (req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) => {
    const { email } = req.body

    const user = await User.findOne({ where: {email}})
    if(!user) {
        const error = new Error("User not found")
        res.status(404).json({error: error.message})
        return
    }
    user.token = generateToken()
    user.save()

    await AuthEmail.sendPasswordResetToken({
        username: user.username,
        email: user.email,
        token: user.token
    })

    res.json("Check your email for instructions")
}

2. Validate Reset Token

src/controllers/AuthController.ts

static validatetoken = async (req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) => {
    const { token } = req.body

    const tokenExists = await User.findOne({ where: {token}})
    if(!tokenExists) {
        const error = new Error("Token not valid")
        res.status(404).json({ error: error.message})
        return
    }

   res.json('Token valid, assign new password')
}

3. Reset Password with Token

src/controllers/AuthController.ts

static resetPasswordWithToken = async (req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) => {
    const { token } = req.params
    const { password } = req.body

    const user = await User.findOne({ where: {token}})
    if(!user) {
        const error = new Error("Token not valid")
        res.status(404).json({ error: error.message})
        return
    }

    // Assign new password
    user.password = await hashPassword(password)
    user.token = null
    await user.save()

    res.json("Password reset successfull")
}

Password Reset Email

src/emails/AuthEmail.ts

static sendPasswordResetToken = async (user: EmailType) => {
    const email = await transport.sendMail({
        from: "Cognit <admin@cognit.website>",
        to: user.email,
        subject: "Cognit - Reestableix contrasenya",
        html: `
            <h1>Hola ${user.username}!</h1>
            <p>Has sol·licitat reestablir la contrasenya.</p>
            <a href=${process.env.FRONTEND_URL}/auth/new-password>
                reestableir contrassenya
            </a>
            <p>Codi de reestabliment: ${user.token}</p>
        `
    })
}

After a successful password reset, the token is set to null to prevent reuse.

Rate Limiting

All authentication routes are protected with rate limiting to prevent brute force attacks:

src/config/limiter.ts

import { rateLimit } from 'express-rate-limit'

export const limiter = rateLimit({
    windowMs: 60 * 1000,  // 1 minute window
    limit: 5,              // Max 5 requests per window
    message: {"error": "Max limit requests"}
})

src/routes/authRouter.ts

const router = Router()
router.use(limiter)  // Applied to all auth routes

Rate Limit: 5 requests per minute per IP address on all /api/auth endpoints.

Security Best Practices

Password Security

Minimum 8 characters enforced
Hashed with bcrypt (10 salt rounds)
Never returned in API responses
Reset tokens expire after use

Token Security

JWT tokens expire after 30 days
Stored securely with JWT_SECRET environment variable
6-digit verification tokens are random and single-use
Tokens cleared after password reset

Email Verification

Users cannot log in until email is confirmed
Confirmation tokens sent via secure email
Status tracked in confirmed boolean field

Rate Limiting

5 requests per minute per IP
Prevents brute force attacks
Applied to all authentication endpoints

Authentication Routes Summary

Endpoint	Method	Rate Limited	Auth Required	Description
`/api/auth/create-account`	POST	Yes	No	Register new user
`/api/auth/confirm-account`	POST	Yes	No	Confirm email with token
`/api/auth/login`	POST	Yes	No	User login
`/api/auth/forgot-password`	POST	Yes	No	Request password reset
`/api/auth/validate-token`	POST	Yes	No	Validate reset token
`/api/auth/reset-password/:token`	POST	Yes	No	Reset password
`/api/auth/user`	GET	Yes	Yes	Get authenticated user
`/api/auth/check-password`	POST	Yes	Yes	Verify current password
`/api/auth/users/points`	PATCH	Yes	No	Update user points

Environment Variables

Required environment variables for authentication:

JWT_SECRET=your-secret-key-here
FRONTEND_URL=https://cognit.website
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...

See the Configuration guide for complete setup.

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

Overview

Authentication Flow

User Registration

Create Account Endpoint

Input Validation

Email Confirmation Flow

Sending Confirmation Email

Confirming Account

JWT Token Authentication

Generating JWT Tokens

Authentication Middleware

Using Protected Routes

Password Reset Flow

1. Request Password Reset

2. Validate Reset Token

3. Reset Password with Token

Password Reset Email

Rate Limiting

Security Best Practices

Authentication Routes Summary

Environment Variables

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Concepts

Guides

​Overview

​Authentication Flow

​User Registration

​Create Account Endpoint

​Input Validation

​Email Confirmation Flow

​Sending Confirmation Email

​Confirming Account

​Login Process

​Login Endpoint

​JWT Token Authentication

​Generating JWT Tokens

​Authentication Middleware

​Using Protected Routes

​Password Reset Flow

​1. Request Password Reset

​2. Validate Reset Token

​3. Reset Password with Token

​Password Reset Email

​Rate Limiting

​Security Best Practices

​Authentication Routes Summary

​Environment Variables

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

Authentication Flow

User Registration

Create Account Endpoint

Input Validation

Email Confirmation Flow

Sending Confirmation Email

Confirming Account

Login Process

Login Endpoint

JWT Token Authentication

Generating JWT Tokens

Authentication Middleware

Using Protected Routes

Password Reset Flow

1. Request Password Reset

2. Validate Reset Token

3. Reset Password with Token

Password Reset Email

Rate Limiting

Security Best Practices

Authentication Routes Summary

Environment Variables