How to Authenticate and Authorize Users in a Node.js Express App

Authentication and authorization are critical components for securing web applications, ensuring that only legitimate users can access and perform actions based on their permissions. Node.js and Express.js are popular for building these systems, but implementing authentication requires careful handling of passwords, sessions, and tokens, while authorization adds complexity by managing user roles and permissions. Role-Based Access Control (RBAC) is a widely used strategy to efficiently manage user permissions by assigning roles such as admin, editor, or viewer, simplifying authorization. Implementing secure user authentication in Node.js involves using tools and packages like bcrypt for password encryption and JSON Web Tokens (JWT) for stateless session management. Developers must adhere to security best practices to safeguard applications from vulnerabilities, including password hashing, secure token storage, and using HTTPS. Supertokens is highlighted as a developer-friendly platform that simplifies authentication complexities by providing pre-built solutions for user sessions, social login integration, and multi-factor authentication, reducing development time and enhancing security through built-in protections against CSRF and XSS attacks.