🔒 Authentication System with Express, MongoDB, and Bcrypt

A modern, secure user authentication system built with Node.js, Express, MongoDB Atlas, and Bcrypt for secure password hashing. Features a beautiful, responsive UI and allows users to register, log in, and share secrets anonymously.

🌐 Live Demo

🚀 Production URL: https://register-authentication-2.onrender.com

🚀 Technologies Used

• Node.js - JavaScript runtime environment for backend development
• Express - Web framework for creating the server
• MongoDB Atlas - Cloud NoSQL database to store user data
• Mongoose - ODM library for MongoDB data modeling
• Bcrypt - Library for secure password hashing
• EJS - Template engine for rendering dynamic pages
• Express-Session - Session management for user authentication
• Dotenv - Environment variable management
• Bootstrap - Frontend framework for responsive design
• FontAwesome - Icons library

📂 Project Structure

📦 register-authentication
├── 📂 views/                 # EJS templates
│   ├── 📂 partials/          # Header and footer components
│   ├── 📄 home.ejs          # Landing page
│   ├── 📄 login.ejs         # Login page
│   ├── 📄 register.ejs      # Registration page
│   ├── 📄 secrets.ejs       # Protected secrets page
│   └── 📄 submit.ejs        # Submit secrets page
├── 📂 public/               # Static files
│   └── 📂 css/
│       └── 📄 styles.css    # Custom styles
├── 📜 app.js               # Main server code
├── 📜 package.json         # Project dependencies
├── 📜 .env                 # Environment variables (not tracked)
├── 📜 .gitignore          # Git ignore rules
└── 📜 README.md           # Project documentation

🔧 Setup and Installation

1️⃣ Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/abreuclariana/register-authentication
cd register-authentication

2️⃣ Install dependencies:

npm install

3️⃣ Configure environment variables:

Create a .env file in the root directory:

# Database Configuration
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/userDB

# Session Configuration
SESSION_SECRET=your-super-secret-session-key-change-this-in-production

# Server Configuration
PORT=4000
NODE_ENV=development

4️⃣ Start MongoDB locally:

# Create data directory
mkdir C:\data\db

# Start MongoDB
mongod --dbpath C:\data\db

5️⃣ Run the server:

npm start
# or
node app.js

The server will be running at http://localhost:4000 🚀

🌐 Production Deployment

MongoDB Atlas Setup:

1. Create MongoDB Atlas account: https://cloud.mongodb.com/
2. Create cluster: Choose M0 Sandbox (free tier)
3. Configure database access: Create user with password
4. Configure network access: Allow access from anywhere (0.0.0.0/0)
5. Get connection string: Copy the MongoDB Atlas connection string

Render Deployment:

1. Connect GitHub repository to Render
2. Add environment variables:

   MONGODB_URI=mongodb+srv://username:password@cluster0.xxxxx.mongodb.net/userDB?retryWrites=true&w=majority
   SESSION_SECRET=your-production-secret-key
   NODE_ENV=production
   

3. Deploy: Render will automatically build and deploy

🛠 Features

✅ Authentication Features:

• User Registration with email validation
• Secure Login with password verification
• Session Management with express-session
• Password Hashing with bcrypt (10 salt rounds)
• Protected Routes with authentication middleware

✅ User Interface:

• Responsive Design with Bootstrap
• Modern UI with gradients and animations
• Error Handling with user-friendly messages
• Success Notifications for user actions
• Mobile-First approach

✅ Database Features:

• MongoDB Atlas cloud database
• User Collection for storing credentials
• Secrets Collection for anonymous secrets
• Data Validation with Mongoose schemas

✅ Security Features:

• Password Hashing with bcrypt
• Session Security with secret keys
• Environment Variables for sensitive data
• Input Validation and sanitization

📌 Project Routes

Method	Route	Description	Authentication
GET	/	Home page with register/login	❌ Public
GET	/login	Login page	❌ Public
GET	/register	Registration page	❌ Public
POST	/register	User registration	❌ Public
POST	/login	User authentication	❌ Public
GET	/secrets	Protected secrets page	✅ Required
GET	/submit	Submit secrets page	✅ Required
POST	/submit	Submit new secret	✅ Required
POST	/logout	User logout	✅ Required

🎨 UI/UX Features

Design Elements:

• Glass Morphism effects on home page
• Gradient Backgrounds for modern look
• Floating Animations for interactive elements
• Responsive Cards with shadows and borders
• Icon Integration with FontAwesome
• Color-coded buttons and alerts

User Experience:

• Intuitive Navigation between pages
• Clear Error Messages in Portuguese/English
• Success Feedback for user actions
• Loading States and transitions
• Mobile Optimization for all devices

🔒 Security Considerations

• Environment Variables: Sensitive data stored in .env
• Password Hashing: Bcrypt with 10 salt rounds
• Session Management: Secure session configuration
• Input Validation: Server-side validation
• HTTPS: Production deployment with SSL
• Database Security: MongoDB Atlas with authentication

🚀 Performance Features

• Efficient Database Queries with Mongoose
• Session Optimization with proper configuration
• Static File Serving with Express
• Error Handling with proper HTTP status codes
• Responsive Design for all screen sizes

📱 Browser Support

• Chrome 90+
• Firefox 88+
• Safari 14+
• Edge 90+

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
5. Open a Pull Request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

👨‍💻 Developer

Developed with ❤️ by Clariana Abreu

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📞 Support

If you have any questions or need help with the project, feel free to:

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Contact the developer via GitHub profile
• Check the live demo at https://register-authentication-2.onrender.com

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🎉 This README.md provides comprehensive documentation for the authentication system, including setup instructions, deployment guide, and feature overview!