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JWT Authentication with Express & PostgreSQL API

This JWT Authentication API built with Express and PostgreSQL is a robust solution for building secure user authentication and authorization systems. It supports essential CRUD operations for managing user posts, JWT-based security, and a powerful backend powered by Sequelize ORM. This project is ideal for developers looking to integrate secure user authentication with PostgreSQL in their applications.

Features

• JWT Authentication: Secure user login and registration with password hashing and JWT tokens.
• Role-Based Access Control: Control access to resources based on roles, enhancing security for protected routes.
• CRUD API: Perform Create, Read, Update, Delete operations for posts with full authentication and authorization.
• PostgreSQL Integration: Seamless integration with PostgreSQL using Sequelize ORM for data management.
• Express Middleware: Use authentication middleware to protect routes requiring authentication.

Why Use This API?

This project helps you quickly implement user authentication using JWT tokens, providing:

• Scalable authentication for both small and large applications.
• Secure access to protected endpoints.
• A seamless and easy-to-extend architecture using PostgreSQL.

Ideal for:

• Web applications needing a secure API.
• Full-stack projects where backend authentication is crucial.
• Developers looking for a practical implementation of JWT authentication.

Installation and Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14 or higher) — Ensure you have Node.js installed on your system.
• PostgreSQL (v12 or higher) — Make sure you have PostgreSQL installed locally or remotely.
• Git (for cloning the repository) — You'll need Git to clone this repository to your local machine.

Steps to Set Up the Project

1. Clone the Repository

   git clone https://github.com/davhsi/JWT-Auth-Express-Postgres-API.git
   cd JWT-Auth-Express-Postgres-API

2. Install Dependencies

   npm install

3. Set Up Environment Variables
   Create a .env file in the project root directory with the following content:

   DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:root@localhost:5432/postgres
   JWT_SECRET=topsecretkey123
   

   • DATABASE_URL: The PostgreSQL connection string, typically in the format postgres://username:password@localhost:5432/database.
   • JWT_SECRET: A strong secret key for JWT token signing.

4. Run the Application Start the application with:

   npm start

   The server will now be running on http://localhost:5000.

5. Using Nodemon (optional)
   To automatically restart the server on file changes, use nodemon:

   nodemon server.js

API Documentation

Authentication

Register a User

• Endpoint: POST /api/auth/register
• Request Body:

  {
    "username": "yourusername",
    "password": "yourpassword"
  }

• Response: Success message or error details.

Login a User

• Endpoint: POST /api/auth/login
• Request Body:

  {
    "username": "yourusername",
    "password": "yourpassword"
  }

• Response:

  {
    "token": "JWT_TOKEN"
  }

Post Management

Create a Post

• Endpoint: POST /api/posts/
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer JWT_TOKEN
• Request Body:

  {
    "title": "Post Title",
    "description": "Post Description"
  }

• Response:

  {
    "id": 1,
    "title": "Post Title",
    "description": "Post Description",
    "author": 1,
    "updatedAt": "2024-11-14T08:57:03.722Z",
    "createdAt": "2024-11-14T08:57:03.722Z"
  }

Get All Posts

• Endpoint: GET /api/posts/
• Response:

  [
    {
      "id": 1,
      "title": "Post Title",
      "description": "Post Description",
      "author": 1
    },
    ...
  ]

Get a Single Post

• Endpoint: GET /api/posts/:id
• Response: Details of a specific post.

Update a Post

• Endpoint: PUT /api/posts/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer JWT_TOKEN
• Request Body:

  {
    "title": "Updated Title",
    "description": "Updated Description"
  }

• Response: Updated post details.

Delete a Post

• Endpoint: DELETE /api/posts/:id
• Headers: Authorization: Bearer JWT_TOKEN
• Response: Success message.

Folder Structure

• controllers: Business logic for each endpoint
• models: Sequelize models for User and Post
• routes: Routing files for auth and posts
• middleware: Authentication middleware for protected routes

Database Integration

This project connects to a PostgreSQL database using Sequelize ORM. The database configuration is provided through the DATABASE_URL environment variable, which must be set in the .env file.

• Ensure that PostgreSQL is running and the database is accessible.
• This API is scalable, and you can easily integrate it with other parts of your application.

Conclusion

With this JWT Authentication API, you get a secure, robust foundation for building applications that require authentication and authorization. It's ready to be extended with additional features such as role management, admin functionality, or even OAuth integration.

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Tags

• JWT Authentication
• Express API
• PostgreSQL API
• Sequelize ORM
• Full-stack Authentication
• Secure API
• RESTful API