Authentication and authorization are critical aspects of building secure web applications. Here’s an overview of authentication and authorization in Node.js:
Authentication:
Authentication is the process of verifying the identity of a user, ensuring that the user is who they claim to be. In a Node.js application, you can implement authentication using various strategies. Common authentication strategies include:
Username and Password:
- Use a library like
bcryptto securely hash and store passwords. - Validate user credentials during the login process.
- Use a library like
JSON Web Tokens (JWT):
- Generate a token upon successful authentication.
- Include the token in subsequent requests for authentication.
Authorization:
Authorization determines what actions a user is allowed to perform within your application. After authentication, you can enforce authorization using various techniques:
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC):
- Assign roles to users (e.g., admin, user, guest).
- Define permissions based on roles.
2. Middleware for Authorization:
- Use middleware to check if a user has the necessary permissions for a specific route.
3. OAuth and OAuth2:
- Delegate authentication and authorization to external providers.
- Popular for third-party authentication (e.g., Google, Facebook).
