Authentication and authorization are the most misunderstood parts of backend development. They often look simple at first—until a real user forgets a password, a token expires, an admin makes a mistake, or an attacker starts probing your API. That is the moment when copy-paste tutorials fall apart.
This book is written to close that gap.
Node.js Authentication & Authorization: From Zero to Production teaches you how authentication systems actually behave in real applications, not just how they look in demos. You will build a complete backend authentication system step by step, starting from first principles and ending with a production-ready design that can be tested, secured, and reasoned about with confidence.
You won’t just learn how to register users or generate JWTs. You’ll learn why authentication belongs in the backend, how trust is established and revoked, how tokens really work, and how authorization decisions shape the safety of your entire system. Email verification, password recovery, role-based access, admin dashboards, brute-force protection, error handling, logging, and testing are treated as core features—not afterthoughts.
Every concept is backed by real implementation. Every flow is tested end-to-end using Postman so you can prove, not assume, that your system behaves correctly. Code is explained with intent, focusing on why each decision exists and what breaks if it is done incorrectly.
This book is beginner-friendly without being beginner-dishonest. It does not hide complexity or defer important topics to “later.” If you are building real Node.js backends and want an authentication system you can trust in production, this book was written for you.
