Simple Guide to Logging In with `login_do`

login_do is a lightweight Node.js middleware that simplifies the process of handling user authentication and sessions in Express applications. It's especially useful when building APIs or single-page applications (SPAs). Let's see how to set it up for your project step by step.

Prerequisites

Before getting started, ensure you have the following prerequisites:

Node.js: Make sure Node.js is installed on your machine. You can download it from https://nodejs.org/ and follow the instructions for your specific platform.
Express: Ensure you have Express set up in your project, as login_do is an Express middleware. If not, create a new Express app using the following command:
```
npm init -y
npm install express
```

Install login_do: Add it to your package.json and run npm install.

"dependencies": {
  "express": "^4.17.1",
  "login-do": "^1.0.2"
}

Setting up login_do

Now, let's configure login_do in your Express application:

Import and set up the middleware at the beginning of your file (e.g., app.js or index.js).

const express = require('express');
const session = require('express-session');
const LoginDo = require('login-do');

// Create Express app
const app = express();

// Configure middleware
app.use(session({ secret: 'your_secret', resave: false, saveUninitialized: true }));
app.use(LoginDo.middleware());

Create a login route (usually /login).

// Create login route
app.get('/login', (req, res) => {
  if (req.session.loggedin) {
    return res.redirect('/');
  }
  res.send('Please enter your username and password to sign in.');
});

Create a login handler function.

// Handle login request
app.post('/api/login', (req, res) => {
  LoginDo.authenticate('local', req.body, (err, user, info) => {
    if (err || !user) {
      return res.status(401).send({ auth: false, message: 'Incorrect username or password.' });
    }
    req.session.loggedin = true;
    req.session.user = user;
    res.send({ auth: true });
  });
});

Add a logout route to end the session.

// Create logout route
app.get('/logout', (req, res) => {
  req.session.destroy(() => {
    res.clearCookie('connect.sid');
    res.redirect('/');
  });
});

Start the server and test your login functionality.

// Start server
const PORT = process.env.PORT || 3001;
app.listen(PORT, () => console.log(`Server is running on port ${PORT}`));

Conclusion

With login_do, logging in to your Express application has never been simpler! You can now focus on building the core features of your web or API project while leaving authentication and session handling to this powerful middleware. For more information, visit the official documentation.

Published April, 2024

Simple Guide to Logging In with login_do

Prerequisites

Setting up login_do

Conclusion

Simple Guide to Logging In with `login_do`