🛡️ Auth Shield API

A robust and secure REST API for user authentication and authorization built with Node.js, Express, and MongoDB. This project provides a solid foundation for managing secure access using JSON Web Tokens (JWT).

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🚀 Features

• 🔐 JWT Authentication: Secure token generation and verification.
• 🛡️ Enhanced Security: Integrated with helmet for HTTP headers and cors for cross-origin resource sharing.
• 🧪 Data Validation: Strict input validation using Joi to ensure data integrity.
• 🔑 Password Hashing: User passwords are safely hashed using bcrypt.
• ⚙️ Global Error Handling: Centralized middleware for catching errors and handling 404 routes.
• 📁 Environment Configuration: Secure management of sensitive data via .env.

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🛠️ Installation

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/sebastianvasquezechavarria1234/auth-shield-api.git

2. Install dependencies:

   npm install

3. Configure environment variables:

   • Create a .env file in the root directory based on .env.example.
   • Add your MongoDB URI and a secure TOKEN_SECRET.

4. Start the server:

   npm run dev

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🔌 API Endpoints

🆔 User Routes

• POST /api/user/register - Register a new user.
• POST /api/user/login - Login and receive an access token.

🔒 Protected Routes

• GET /api/dashboard - Sample protected route (requires auth-token header).

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🔑 Environment Variables

The application requires the following variables in your .env file:

Variable	Description
MONGODB_URI	Your MongoDB Atlas connection string.
TOKEN_SECRET	A long, random string to sign your JWTs.
PORT	The port for the server (default: 3001).

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📦 Tech Stack

• Backend: Node.js, Express.js
• Database: MongoDB (Mongoose)
• Security: Jsonwebtoken, Bcrypt, Helmet, Cors
• Validation: Joi

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📝 License

This project is licensed under the ISC License.