Password Vault

A secure, modern password management application with client-side encryption.

Features

• Client-Side Encryption: All sensitive data is encrypted in the browser before being sent to the server using XChaCha20-Poly1305 encryption
• Password Generation: Built-in secure password generator with customizable options
• Advanced Search & Filtering: Find passwords quickly with powerful search functionality
• Password Strength Analysis: Visual indicators of password strength
• Group View: Organize passwords by category, domain, or strength
• Responsive Design: Works on desktop, tablet, and mobile devices
• Secure Authentication: User authentication with encryption key derivation using Argon2id

Tech Stack

Frontend

• Next.js: React framework for server-rendered applications
• React: JavaScript library for building user interfaces
• Tailwind CSS: Utility-first CSS framework
• libsodium-wrappers: For client-side cryptography operations

Backend

• Express.js: Web application framework for Node.js
• MongoDB: NoSQL database
• JSON Web Tokens (JWT): For secure authentication
• bcrypt: For server-side password hashing

Security Features

• Zero-Knowledge Architecture: Your master password never leaves your device
• Client-Side Encryption: All vault items are encrypted before being sent to the server
• Secure Key Derivation: Password-based key derivation using Argon2id
• No Plain-Text Storage: Passwords are never stored in plain text, even in memory
• XChaCha20-Poly1305: Modern authenticated encryption for all vault items
• Session Management: Secure session handling with automatic timeouts

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v14+)
• MongoDB (v4.4+)
• npm or yarn

Installation

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/Akcthecoder200/Password-Vault.git
cd Password-Vault

2. Install dependencies for both client and server

# Install server dependencies
cd server
npm install

# Install client dependencies
cd ../client
npm install

3. Create environment files

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

   PORT=4000
   MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/password-vault
   JWT_SECRET=your_jwt_secret_key_here
   JWT_EXPIRY=24h
   

   • Create a .env.local file in the client directory:

   NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL=http://localhost:4000/api
   

4. Start the application

# Start the server
cd server
npm run dev

# In a new terminal, start the client
cd client
npm run dev

5. Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000

Usage

Registration and Login

1. Create an account with a strong master password
2. Your encryption key is derived from this password - make sure to remember it!
3. Log in with your credentials to access your vault

Adding Passwords

1. Click "Add New Password" on the dashboard
2. Enter the website details, username, and password
3. All data is encrypted in your browser before being stored

Searching and Filtering

1. Use the search bar to find specific passwords
2. Filter by website, username, or other criteria
3. Sort by various fields including most recently used

Generating Secure Passwords

1. Navigate to the Password Generator tool
2. Customize length and character types
3. Generate and copy secure passwords

Development Setup

Running Tests

# Run server tests
cd server
npm test

# Run client tests
cd client
npm test

Building for Production

# Build the client
cd client
npm run build

# Start the production build
npm start

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Encryption Not Initialized

If you see "Encryption is not initialized" errors:

1. Clear browser cache and session storage
2. Log out and log back in
3. Ensure you're using the same password you registered with

API Connection Issues

If the client cannot connect to the server:

1. Verify the server is running
2. Check that the NEXT_PUBLIC_API_URL environment variable is correct
3. Look for CORS issues in the browser console

Contributing

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

License

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

Acknowledgements

• libsodium for encryption
• Tailwind CSS for styling
• Next.js for the React framework
• MongoDB for database