Backend Documentation

Overview

This backend is built with Node.js, Express.js, and MongoDB Atlas to handle user authentication, role-based access control (RBAC), and user management functionalities. It includes features like secure password hashing, JWT-based authentication, and role-based permissions for users, moderators, and admins.

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Hosted Link

You can access the live project at: https://vrv-security-two.vercel.app/login.

Admin Credentials
To log in as an admin and explore all available features, use the following credentials:

• Email: admin@vrv.com
• Password: Admin@123

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Table of Contents

1. Technology Stack
2. Features
3. Roles and Permissions
4. Controllers
5. Middlewares
6. Security Features
7. Usage and API Endpoints
8. Setup Instructions
9. Future Enhancements

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Technology Stack

• Node.js: Server-side runtime environment.
• Express.js: Web framework for building RESTful APIs.
• MongoDB Atlas: Cloud-based database for managing user data.
• bcrypt.js: Library for hashing passwords.
• jsonwebtoken (JWT): For secure user authentication.

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Features

1. JWT Authentication:

   • Generates a secure access_token upon successful login.
   • Token contains the user's _id and role.
   • Token expiry times are adjustable via token-expiry.constant.js:
     • User: 24 hours.
     • Admin/Moderator: 1 hour.

2. Password Security:

   • Uses bcrypt.js to hash passwords before storing them in the database.

3. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC):

   • User: Can view their profile.
   • Moderator: Can view all registered users but cannot make changes.
   • Admin: Can view, delete, and now update the roles of users.
     • The admin can change roles between User and Moderator using the route:
       PATCH /user/profile-role/:userId.
     • The maximum number of moderators is configurable in moderator.constant.js (default: 5).
     • Note: The project allows only one admin through the interface, while multiple users and moderators are allowed.

4. User Registration and Login:

   • Users can sign up and log in via forms on the website.
   • Passwords and emails are validated for security.
   • Checks for duplicate emails during signup.

5. Automatic Admin Creation:

   • If no admin exists, one is created automatically using credentials from ENV variables:

     ADMIN_USERNAME = {username}  
     ADMIN_EMAIL = {email}  
     ADMIN_PASSWORD = {password}  
     

   • Logs success or failure in the server logs during startup.

6. CORS Configuration:

   • Proper CORS options are implemented to enhance security.

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Roles and Permissions

Role	Permissions
User	View their profile.
Moderator	View all registered users (read-only access).
Admin	View, delete users, and update user roles.

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Controllers

1. Auth Controller

• Endpoints:
  • POST /auth/signup:
    • Registers a new user.
    • Validates email and password format.
    • Ensures password matches confirmPassword.
    • Hashes the password using bcrypt.
    • Checks for duplicate emails in the database.
  • POST /auth/login:
    • Authenticates user credentials.
    • Generates a JWT token containing _id and role.

2. User Controller

• Endpoints:
  • GET /user/profile:
    • Fetches the logged-in user's profile.
    • Accessible only to User role.
  • GET /user/all-profile:
    • Fetches all registered users.
    • Accessible to Moderator and Admin roles.
  • PATCH /user/profile-role/:userId:
    • Updates the role of a user.
    • Role can be toggled between User and Moderator.
    • Admin-only access.
  • DELETE /user/profile/:userId:
    • Deletes a user by ID.
    • Accessible only to Admin role.

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Middlewares

1. Token Middleware:

   • Verifies JWT tokens for:
     • Validity.
     • Expiration.
     • Correct signature.
   • Adds the decoded token data (_id and role) to the request object (req.user).

2. Authorize Middleware:

   • Ensures the user has the appropriate role for the requested route.
   • Rejects access with a 403 Forbidden response if the user lacks the required permissions.

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Usage and API Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description	Authorization
/auth/signup	POST	Registers a new user with email and password.	Public
/auth/login	POST	Logs in a user and returns a JWT token.	Public
/user/profile	GET	Retrieves the logged-in user's profile.	User
/user/all-profile	GET	Fetches all users.	Moderator, Admin
/user/profile-role/:id	PATCH	Updates a user's role (User ↔ Moderator).	Admin
/user/profile/:id	DELETE	Deletes a user's profile by their ID.	Admin

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Security Features

1. Password Hashing:
   • Ensures passwords are securely stored using bcrypt with a salt factor.
2. JWT Authentication:
   • Access tokens are generated and verified using a secret key.
   • Tokens are short-lived to minimize risk.
3. CORS Options:
   • Configured to restrict access to trusted origins.
4. Input Validation:
   • Ensures emails follow standard patterns.
   • Confirms passwords match before storing.
5. Automatic Admin Creation:
   • Logs errors if admin creation fails, while ensuring server continuity.

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Setup Instructions

To run the project locally, ensure you have Node.js and MongoDB installed. Follow these steps:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/DeepakS-Github/VRV-Security-Backend-Intern-Assignment
   cd VRV-Security-Backend-Intern-Assignment  

2. Frontend Setup:

   • Navigate to the project client folder.
   • Create a .env file in the root directory of the client folder.
   • Add the following environment variables to the client .env file:

     VITE_SERVER_URL = "https://vrv-security-server.onrender.com"  # Use the hosted backend URL
     # For local development, use the local server URL:
     # VITE_SERVER_URL = "http://localhost:{PORT}"  # Replace {PORT} with the port number defined in your server's `.env` file
     

   • To run the Frontend:

     npm run dev  

3. Backend Setup:

   • Navigate to the server folder.
   • Create a .env file in the root directory of the server folder.
   • Add the following environment variables to the client .env file:

     MONGO_DB_URL = {mongodb url}  
     JWT_SECRET = {jwt secret}  
     PORT = {port}  
     ADMIN_USERNAME = {custom_admin_username}  
     ADMIN_EMAIL = {custom_admin_email}  
     ADMIN_PASSWORD = {custom_admin_password}   
     

   • To run the Backend:

     node index  

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Future Enhancements

1. Add password reset functionality.
2. Implement account deactivation instead of permanent deletion.
3. Add activity logging for admin actions (e.g., deleting users).
4. Use refresh tokens for improved authentication management.
5. Implement rate-limiting to prevent brute-force attacks.

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