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User Authentication Template

A complete web application template with user authentication features built with Express.js, PostgreSQL, and vanilla JavaScript. This template serves as a foundation for students to build upon in their web development projects.

Features

  • User registration and login system
  • Secure password hashing with bcrypt
  • Session management with express-session
  • Protected routes that require authentication
  • CSRF protection
  • Form validation with express-validator
  • Responsive UI with clean CSS (no frameworks)
  • MVC architecture pattern with EJS templating
  • PostgreSQL database integration
  • Profile image upload and storage

Project Structure

.
├── app.js                 # Application entry point
├── config/                # Configuration files
│   └── database.js        # PostgreSQL connection pool
├── controllers/           # Route controllers
│   ├── authController.js  # Authentication logic
│   └── userController.js  # User-related logic
├── middlewares/           # Custom middleware
│   ├── auth.js            # Authentication middleware
│   ├── error-handler.js   # Error handling middleware
│   ├── locals.js          # Template locals middleware
│   └── upload.js          # File upload middleware
├── models/                # Database operations
│   ├── User.js            # User data access functions
│   └── Image.js           # Profile image data access
├── public/                # Static assets
│   ├── css/
│   ├── js/
│   └── images/
├── routes/                # Express routes
│   ├── auth.js            # Authentication routes
│   ├── index.js           # Public routes
│   └── user.js            # Protected user routes
├── scripts/               # Utility scripts
│   └── init-db.js         # Database initialization
└── views/                 # EJS templates
    ├── partials/          # Reusable template parts (header, footer, etc.)
    ├── auth/              # Authentication templates
    └── user/              # User-related templates

Getting Started

Prerequisites

  • Node.js (v18 or higher)
  • PostgreSQL

Installation

  1. Fork and clone the repository:

    # Fork on GitHub first, then clone your fork
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/CSC317Project-F25.git
cd CSC317Project-F25

  2. Install dependencies:

    npm install

  3. Create a .env file in the root directory:

    cp .env.example .env

  4. Modify the .env file with your configuration:

    PORT=3000
NODE_ENV=development
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:your_password@localhost:5432/csc317_project
SESSION_SECRET=your_secure_secret_key

  5. Create the database and initialize tables:

    createdb csc317_project
npm run db:init

  6. Start the development server:

    npm run dev

  7. Open your browser and visit http://localhost:3000

Educational Components

This template includes detailed comments throughout the codebase to explain:

  • Authentication flow and best practices
  • Password hashing implementation
  • Session management
  • Middleware usage
  • Security considerations
  • Form validation
  • SQL queries and database interactions

Security Features

  • Passwords are hashed using bcrypt
  • CSRF protection for all forms
  • HTTP-only session cookies
  • Input validation and sanitization
  • Parameterized SQL queries (prevents SQL injection)
  • Secure session configuration
  • Protection against common web vulnerabilities

Development

Running in Development Mode

npm run dev

This will start the server with nodemon, which automatically restarts when files change.

Running in Production Mode

npm start

Deployment

For deployment to Render.com:

  1. Create a PostgreSQL database on Render
  2. Create a Web Service connected to your GitHub repository
  3. Set environment variables (DATABASE_URL, SESSION_SECRET, NODE_ENV)
  4. Initialize the database using Render Shell: npm run db:init

See SETUP.md for detailed deployment instructions.

Database Schema

Users Table

CREATE TABLE users (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  username VARCHAR(20) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
  email VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL UNIQUE,
  password VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL,
  has_profile_image BOOLEAN DEFAULT FALSE,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

Profile Images Table

CREATE TABLE profile_images (
  id SERIAL PRIMARY KEY,
  user_id INTEGER NOT NULL UNIQUE REFERENCES users(id) ON DELETE CASCADE,
  data BYTEA NOT NULL,
  content_type VARCHAR(50) NOT NULL,
  created_at TIMESTAMP DEFAULT CURRENT_TIMESTAMP
);

License

This project is available for educational purposes.

Acknowledgments

  • This template was created as a learning resource for web development students
  • Built with Express.js, PostgreSQL, and other open-source technologies