🚀 Why Centralized Authentication Matters
Imagine you have multiple applications:
Each serves a unique purpose — maybe different brands, products, or client portals — but all belong to the same ecosystem.
If each one handles login separately, you’ll quickly face:
Inconsistent login flows
Scattered user databases
Painful logout/sync issues
Duplicate session management
A Centralized Authentication Service (CAS) solves this by managing login, logout, and token issuance from one place — similar to how Google or GitHub handle sign-ins for their entire suite.
🧩 Architecture Overview
Here’s the high-level architecture:
🔐 Best Practices
Use SameSite=None; Secure for cross-domain cookies over HTTPS.
Always store JWT secrets safely — use AWS Secrets Manager or Vault.
Set short-lived JWTs and rotate refresh tokens periodically.
Enable CORS properly for controlled origins.
Consider adding OAuth2 / OpenID Connect later for third-party logins.
🌍 Example Use Cases
Multi-brand platforms (like Times Internet, Automattic, or Shopify partners)
Microfrontend-based portals
SaaS products with different subdomain experiences (e.g., admin, user, client dashboards)
⚡ Wrapping Up
By introducing a centralized authentication layer, you’re not just simplifying login —
you’re enabling a unified, scalable identity system that works across all your applications.
This architecture scales beautifully as your product suite grows — and sets a strong foundation for future SSO, OAuth2, or identity federation integrations.
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