This project demonstrates a secure and scalable approach to user authentication using JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) in a C# .NET 7.0 application. It leverages Serilog for structured logging and middleware for flexible request handling.
JWT Authentication: Implements JWT-based authentication, providing a stateless and secure mechanism for user identity verification. The project generates JWT tokens upon successful login, containing user information and a digital signature for integrity.
Serilog Integration: Employs Serilog, a powerful logging library, for detailed logging of application events. This enables easy configuration and centralized log management, facilitating debugging and monitoring.
Middleware-Based Request Handling: Utilizes middleware components for streamlined request processing. Middleware allows for modular extensibility, enabling you to intercept requests, perform custom actions, and chain various functionalities.
Visual Studio 2022 or later: Download and install Visual Studio from https://visualstudio.microsoft.com/downloads/
.NET 7.0 SDK: Ensure you have the .NET 7.0 SDK installed. You can download it from https://dotnet.microsoft.com/en-us/download
Use Git to clone the repository, or download the ZIP archive.
Open the project in Visual Studio.
Configuration: Update the appsettings.json file with your specific configuration settings, such as database connection strings or secret keys for JWT signing.
Dependencies: Ensure all required NuGet packages are installed. You can manage them through the NuGet Package Manager within Visual Studio.
Press F5 or select "Debug" -> "Start Without Debugging" to run the application.
Controllers: Contains controller classes responsible for handling API requests related to user authentication and protected resources.
Middleware: Houses custom middleware components that intercept requests, perform authentication checks, and handle authorization logic.
Models: Defines data models representing user objects, JWT payloads, and other relevant data structures.
Services: Encapsulates business logic for user management, authentication services, and any interactions with a persistence layer (e.g., database).
Startup.cs: The main entry point of the application. It configures the ASP.NET Core services, registers middleware, and configures Serilog logging.
Secret Key Management: Securely store the secret key used for signing JWT tokens outside of source code, preferably using environment variables or a dedicated secret management system.
Input Validation: Implement robust input validation to prevent attacks like SQL injection or cross-site scripting (XSS).
Regular Updates: Maintain security by keeping .NET, libraries, and dependencies updated to address vulnerabilities.
Error Handling and Logging:
Consider implementing error handling middleware to catch exceptions and return appropriate error responses.
Configure Serilog to log both informational and error messages to a central location or file system for easier monitoring and debugging.
Unit and integration tests should be implemented to ensure the functionality and reliability of your authentication system.
Further Enhancement:
This project provides a solid foundation. Here are some ideas for expansion:
Granular Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Implement a more granular authorization system where access is granted based on user roles and resource permissions.
Refresh Tokens: Introduce refresh tokens to extend the validity of access tokens, improving user experience for long-session activities.
Cloud Deployment: Explore deploying your application to the cloud for scalability and accessibility.
This project demonstrates the core principles of secure JWT-based authentication using C#, .NET 7.0, Serilog, and middleware. Feel free to explore deeper into these topics and customize the project to fit your specific application's needs.