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Puffer
Puffer

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# 🔐 Login Backend with Express, AWS Lambda and Dynamo DB

#serverless #security #node #aws

A robust, scalable backend API for authentication and user management built with Node.js and Express. Features secure login/signup, role-based access control, and seamless integration with AWS DynamoDB, Stripe, and Brevo.

✨ Features

  • 🔐 Authentication System - Secure user registration and login with JWT tokens
  • 👥 Role-Based Access Control - Four-tier role system (User, Agent, Master, Super Admin)
  • 🔒 Password Security - Bcrypt password hashing for secure password storage
  • 📊 DynamoDB Integration - NoSQL database operations with AWS DynamoDB
  • 💳 Payment Processing - Stripe integration for payment handling
  • 📧 Email Services - Brevo integration for email communications
  • 🚀 Serverless Ready - Can be deployed as AWS Lambda function
  • 🛡️ Security Middleware - JWT authentication and authorization middleware
  • 📝 Input Validation - Request validation for signup and login endpoints
  • 🏗️ MVC Architecture - Clean separation of concerns with Models, Views, and Controllers

🛠️ Tech Stack

  • Runtime: Node.js
  • Framework: Express.js
  • Database: AWS DynamoDB
  • Authentication: JWT (JSON Web Tokens)
  • Password Hashing: bcryptjs
  • Payment: Stripe
  • Email: Brevo (formerly Sendinblue)
  • Deployment: Serverless (AWS Lambda compatible)

📋 Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

  • Node.js (v14 or higher)
  • npm or yarn
  • AWS Account (for DynamoDB)
  • Stripe Account (for payment processing)
  • Brevo Account (for email services)

🚀 Installation

  1. Clone the repository 
   git clone https://github.com/puffer-git/login-dynamo-db.git
   cd login-dynamo-db
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  1. Install dependencies 
   npm install
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  1. Set up environment variables

Create a .env file in the root directory with the following variables:

   # Server Configuration
   ENVIRONMENT=development
   PORT=4000

   # JWT Configuration
   JWT_SECRET=your-super-secret-jwt-key-change-this-in-production
   JWT_EXPIRES_IN=7d

   # AWS DynamoDB Configuration
   AWSREGION=us-east-1
   AWSENDPOINT=https://dynamodb.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
   AWSACCESSKEYID=your-aws-access-key-id
   AWSSECRETKEY=your-aws-secret-access-key

   # Stripe Configuration (optional)
   STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=your-stripe-secret-key

   # Brevo Configuration (optional)
   BREVO_API_KEY=your-brevo-api-key
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  1. Set up DynamoDB tables

Create a DynamoDB table named users with:

  • Partition Key: id (String)
  • Enable point-in-time recovery (recommended for production)

🏃 Running the Application

Development Mode 

npm run dev
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The server will start on http://localhost:4000 with auto-reload enabled.

Production Mode 

npm start
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Serverless Deployment

When ENVIRONMENT=production, the application exports a serverless handler for AWS Lambda deployment.

📚 API Documentation

Base URL

  • Development: http://localhost:4000
  • Production: Your deployed endpoint

Authentication Endpoints

Register a New User 

POST /auth/signup
Content-Type: application/json

{
  "player_name": "johndoe",
  "email": "john@example.com",
  "password": "securePassword123",
  "name": "John Doe" // optional
}
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Response (201 Created)

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "User created successfully",
  "data": {
    "token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
  }
}
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Error Responses

  • 409 Conflict - Player name or email already exists
  • 400 Bad Request - Validation error
  • 500 Internal Server Error - Server error

Login 

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

{
  "identifier": "johndoe", // Can be email or player_name
  "password": "securePassword123"
}
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Response (200 OK)

{
  "success": true,
  "message": "Login successful",
  "data": {
    "user": {
      "role": "user",
      "player_name": "johndoe",
      "email": "john@example.com",
      "name": "John Doe"
    },
    "token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9..."
  }
}
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Error Responses

  • 401 Unauthorized - Invalid credentials
  • 400 Bad Request - Validation error
  • 500 Internal Server Error - Server error

Authentication Header

For protected routes, include the JWT token in the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer <your-jwt-token>
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🏗️ Project Structure 

login-dynamo-db/
├── app/
│   ├── constants/
│   │   ├── roles.js          # Role definitions and hierarchy
│   │   └── tables.js         # DynamoDB table configurations
│   ├── controllers/
│   │   └── auth/
│   │       ├── login/
│   │       │   ├── login.js
│   │       │   └── loginValidation.js
│   │       └── signup/
│   │           ├── signup.js
│   │           └── signupValidation.js
│   ├── db/
│   │   ├── dynamoClient.js   # DynamoDB client configuration
│   │   └── index.js          # Database exports
│   ├── middleware/
│   │   └── auth.js           # Authentication & authorization middleware
│   ├── models/
│   │   ├── BaseModel.js      # Base model for DynamoDB operations
│   │   └── UserModel.js      # User model with business logic
│   ├── routes/
│   │   ├── auth.js           # Authentication routes
│   │   └── index.js          # Route aggregator
│   ├── utils/
│   │   └── userUtils.js      # User utility functions
│   └── index.js              # Express app configuration
├── index.js                   # Application entry point
├── package.json
└── README.md
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🔐 Role System

The application supports a four-tier role hierarchy:

  1. USER - Basic user role (default)
  2. AGENT - Agent-level permissions
  3. MASTER - Master-level permissions
  4. SUPER_ADMIN - Highest level of access

Roles are checked using middleware:

  • authenticate - Verifies JWT token
  • authorize(roles) - Checks if user has specific role(s)
  • requireMinimumRole(role) - Checks if user has minimum role level

🧪 Development

Code Style

  • Follow existing code patterns
  • Use meaningful variable and function names
  • Add JSDoc comments for functions
  • Keep functions focused and single-purpose

Adding New Features

  1. Create feature branch: git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
  2. Follow MVC architecture:
    • Models in app/models/
    • Controllers in app/controllers/
    • Routes in app/routes/
    • Middleware in app/middleware/
  3. Add validation for user inputs
  4. Write clear error messages
  5. Test your changes thoroughly
  6. Submit a pull request

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please follow these steps:

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)
  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')
  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)
  5. Open a Pull Request

Contribution Guidelines

  • Write clear, readable code
  • Add comments for complex logic
  • Follow the existing code structure
  • Test your changes before submitting
  • Update documentation if needed

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

📧 Contact

Developer: Puffer

🙏 Acknowledgments

📄 License

MIT License - feel free to use this project for your own purposes!

⭐ If you find this project helpful, please consider giving it a star!

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