🎓 Authentication & Authorization System — Learning Platform

A secure backend built with Node.js, Express, MongoDB, JWT, and bcrypt.

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📁 Project Structure

auth-system/
├── src/
│   ├── config/
│   │   └── db.js              # MongoDB connection
│   ├── controllers/
│   │   ├── authController.js  # Register & Login logic
│   │   └── userController.js  # User CRUD operations
│   ├── middleware/
│   │   └── auth.js            # JWT verify + Role guard
│   ├── models/
│   │   └── User.js            # Mongoose schema (auto-hashes password)
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── authRoutes.js      # /api/auth/*
│   │   └── userRoutes.js      # /api/users/*
│   └── server.js              # Entry point
├── .env
├── package.json
└── README.md

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⚙️ Setup Instructions

1. Prerequisites

• Node.js v18+
• MongoDB (local or MongoDB Atlas)

2. Install Dependencies

npm install

3. Configure Environment

Edit .env with your values:

PORT=5000
MONGO_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/learning_platform
JWT_SECRET=your_super_secret_key_here
JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7d

4. Run the Server

# Development (auto-restart)
npm run dev

# Production
npm start

Server starts at: http://localhost:5000

---

🔐 How It Works

Concept	Implementation
Password Hashing	bcryptjs with salt rounds = 12
Token	JWT signed with JWT_SECRET, expires in 7 days
Token Location	Authorization: Bearer <token> header
Role Guard	restrictTo('admin') middleware on protected routes

---

📡 API Endpoints

Auth Routes (Public)

Method	Endpoint	Description
POST	/api/auth/register	Register a new user
POST	/api/auth/login	Login and get JWT token

User Routes (Protected — requires Bearer token)

Method	Endpoint	Role	Description
GET	/api/users/me	Student / Admin	Get own profile
PUT	/api/users/me	Student / Admin	Update own profile
GET	/api/users	Admin only	Get all users
GET	/api/users/:id	Admin only	Get any user by ID
DELETE	/api/users/:id	Admin only	Delete any user

---

📨 Sample Requests & Responses

1. Register a Student

Request:

POST /api/auth/register
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Rahul Sharma",
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "password": "secret123",
  "role": "student"
}

Response (201):

{
  "message": "Registration successful.",
  "token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...",
  "user": {
    "id": "6639f3a1b8e6a20012345678",
    "name": "Rahul Sharma",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "role": "student"
  }
}

---

2. Login

Request:

POST /api/auth/login
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "email": "[email protected]",
  "password": "secret123"
}

Response (200):

{
  "message": "Login successful.",
  "token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9...",
  "user": {
    "id": "6639f3a1b8e6a20012345678",
    "name": "Rahul Sharma",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "role": "student"
  }
}

---

3. Get My Profile (Student or Admin)

Request:

GET /api/users/me
Authorization: Bearer <your_token>

Response (200):

{
  "user": {
    "_id": "6639f3a1b8e6a20012345678",
    "name": "Rahul Sharma",
    "email": "[email protected]",
    "role": "student",
    "bio": "",
    "createdAt": "2024-05-01T10:00:00.000Z"
  }
}

---

4. Update My Profile

Request:

PUT /api/users/me
Authorization: Bearer <your_token>
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "name": "Rahul S.",
  "bio": "I love learning!"
}

Response (200):

{
  "message": "Profile updated successfully.",
  "user": {
    "_id": "6639f3a1b8e6a20012345678",
    "name": "Rahul S.",
    "bio": "I love learning!",
    "role": "student"
  }
}

---

5. Admin: Get All Users

Request:

GET /api/users
Authorization: Bearer <admin_token>

Response (200):

{
  "count": 2,
  "users": [
    { "_id": "...", "name": "Rahul Sharma", "email": "[email protected]", "role": "student" },
    { "_id": "...", "name": "Admin User", "email": "[email protected]", "role": "admin" }
  ]
}

---

6. Admin: Delete a User

Request:

DELETE /api/users/6639f3a1b8e6a20012345678
Authorization: Bearer <admin_token>

Response (200):

{
  "message": "User \"Rahul Sharma\" deleted successfully."
}

---

7. Access Denied (403 Example)

A student trying to access admin routes:

Response (403):

{
  "message": "Access denied. Only [admin] can perform this action."
}

8. No Token (401 Example)

Response (401):

{
  "message": "Access denied. No token provided."
}

---

🧪 Testing with Postman / Thunder Client

1. Register a user → copy the token
2. In subsequent requests, add header: Authorization: Bearer <token>
3. Register an admin with "role": "admin" to test admin routes