A Node.js/Express + React authentication system that provides secure user signup, login, and logout functionality with JWT-based authentication and MongoDB persistence. This full-stack project includes both backend and frontend, and is suitable as a boilerplate for building secure, modern authentication workflows.

• User Signup: Registration via email, password, and name. Passwords are hashed using bcrypt. Account verification handled via tokens.
• Login & Logout: Secure endpoints with JWT token-based authentication. Session managed via HTTP-only cookies.
• MongoDB Integration: All user data is stored in MongoDB via Mongoose.
• JWT Token Management: Tokens are issued and stored securely for each session.
• Account Verification: Handles verification tokens for account activation and password resets.
• Password Reset: Secure password reset flow, including email notifications.
• Frontend: Built with React, Zustand for state management, Vite, and TailwindCSS for UI.
• API Security: CORS, cookie parsing, and environment-based config.

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Frontend: React, Zustand, Vite, TailwindCSS
• Database: MongoDB (Mongoose)
• Authentication: JWT, bcrypt
• Email: Nodemailer/Mailtrap for transactional emails
• Env Management: dotenv

• Node.js (v18+ recommended)
• MongoDB instance (local or cloud)
• npm

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/gauravk-io/authSystem.git
   cd authSystem/backend

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Configure Environment Variables
   Create a .env file in the backend directory with the following keys:

   MONGO_URI=your_mongodb_connection_string
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret
   NODE_ENV=development
   PORT=5000
   

4. Start the backend server

   npm start

   The backend will run on http://localhost:5000/ by default.

5. Start the frontend

   cd ../frontend
   npm install
   npm run dev

   The frontend will run on http://localhost:5173/ by default.

All endpoints are prefixed with /api/auth.

backend/
├── controllers/
│   └── auth.controller.js
├── db/
│   └── connectDB.js
├── models/
│   └── user.model.js
├── routes/
│   └── auth.route.js
├── utils/
│   └── generateTokenAndSetCookie.js
├── mailtrap/
│   └── emailTemplates.js
└── index.js

frontend/
├── src/
│   ├── App.jsx
│   ├── store/
│   │   └── authStore.js
│   ├── components/
│   │   └── PasswordStrengthMeter.jsx
│   └── index.css
├── index.html
├── vite.config.js
└── eslint.config.js

• Passwords are hashed with bcrypt before storage.
• JWT tokens are stored as HTTP-only cookies.
• Includes password reset and account verification via email.
• CORS is configured for secure cross-origin requests.
• Environment variables manage secrets and configuration.