
Auth Implementation Patterns
Install this when you are wiring login, JWT access and refresh tokens, and Express-style auth middleware for a solo-built API or SaaS backend.
Install
npx skills add https://github.com/wshobson/agents --skill auth-implementation-patternsWhat is this skill?
- JWT access and refresh token pair pattern with short-lived access (15m) and longer refresh (7d) examples
- Express middleware for Bearer header extraction and 401 handling
- Typed JWTPayload shape and explicit expired vs invalid token errors
- Copy-paste TypeScript snippets using jsonwebtoken for indie API backends
Adoption & trust: 8.6k installs on skills.sh; 36.5k GitHub stars; 3/3 security scanners passed (skills.sh audits).
Recommended Skills
Journey fit
Auth implementation is core backend construction; canonical shelf is Build → backend, with ship security review as a natural follow-on. Patterns cover token issuance, verification, and request guards—server-side API concerns, not frontend polish or growth analytics.
Common Questions / FAQ
Is Auth Implementation Patterns safe to install?
skills.sh reports 3 of 3 security scanners passed. Review the Security Audits panel on this page before installing in production.
SKILL.md
READMESKILL.md - Auth Implementation Patterns
# auth-implementation-patterns — detailed patterns and worked examples ## JWT Authentication ### Pattern 1: JWT Implementation ```typescript // JWT structure: header.payload.signature import jwt from "jsonwebtoken"; import { Request, Response, NextFunction } from "express"; interface JWTPayload { userId: string; email: string; role: string; iat: number; exp: number; } // Generate JWT function generateTokens(userId: string, email: string, role: string) { const accessToken = jwt.sign( { userId, email, role }, process.env.JWT_SECRET!, { expiresIn: "15m" }, // Short-lived ); const refreshToken = jwt.sign( { userId }, process.env.JWT_REFRESH_SECRET!, { expiresIn: "7d" }, // Long-lived ); return { accessToken, refreshToken }; } // Verify JWT function verifyToken(token: string): JWTPayload { try { return jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET!) as JWTPayload; } catch (error) { if (error instanceof jwt.TokenExpiredError) { throw new Error("Token expired"); } if (error instanceof jwt.JsonWebTokenError) { throw new Error("Invalid token"); } throw error; } } // Middleware function authenticate(req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) { const authHeader = req.headers.authorization; if (!authHeader?.startsWith("Bearer ")) { return res.status(401).json({ error: "No token provided" }); } const token = authHeader.substring(7); try { const payload = verifyToken(token); req.user = payload; // Attach user to request next(); } catch (error) { return res.status(401).json({ error: "Invalid token" }); } } // Usage app.get("/api/profile", authenticate, (req, res) => { res.json({ user: req.user }); }); ``` ### Pattern 2: Refresh Token Flow ```typescript interface StoredRefreshToken { token: string; userId: string; expiresAt: Date; createdAt: Date; } class RefreshTokenService { // Store refresh token in database async storeRefreshToken(userId: string, refreshToken: string) { const expiresAt = new Date(Date.now() + 7 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000); await db.refreshTokens.create({ token: await hash(refreshToken), // Hash before storing userId, expiresAt, }); } // Refresh access token async refreshAccessToken(refreshToken: string) { // Verify refresh token let payload; try { payload = jwt.verify(refreshToken, process.env.JWT_REFRESH_SECRET!) as { userId: string; }; } catch { throw new Error("Invalid refresh token"); } // Check if token exists in database const storedToken = await db.refreshTokens.findOne({ where: { token: await hash(refreshToken), userId: payload.userId, expiresAt: { $gt: new Date() }, }, }); if (!storedToken) { throw new Error("Refresh token not found or expired"); } // Get user const user = await db.users.findById(payload.userId); if (!user) { throw new Error("User not found"); } // Generate new access token const accessToken = jwt.sign( { userId: user.id, email: user.email, role: user.role }, process.env.JWT_SECRET!, { expiresIn: "15m" }, ); return { accessToken }; } // Revoke refresh token (logout) async revokeRefreshToken(refreshToken: string) { await db.refreshTokens.deleteOne({ token: await hash(refreshToken), }); } // Revoke all user tokens (logout all devices) async revokeAllUserTokens(userId: string) { await db.refreshTokens.deleteMany({ userId }); } } // API endpoints app.post("/api/auth/refresh", async (req, res) => { const { refreshToken } = req.body; try { const { accessToken } = await refreshTokenService.refreshAccessToken(refreshToken); res.json({ accessToken }); } catch (error) { res.status(401).json({ error: "Invalid refresh token" }); } }); app.post("/api/auth/logout", authenticate, async (req, res) => { con