Socket Authentication (Key-based – Learning Purpose)

[devtunis]

This project uses a simple key-based authentication mechanism for Socket.IO to demonstrate how real-time authentication works.

How it works:

The backend generates a unique key when a user logs in.

The key is stored in memory (Map) on the server.

The client sends this key during the Socket.IO connection (handshake.auth).

The server validates the key in a Socket.IO middleware.

Only clients with a valid key are allowed to establish a socket connection.

⚠️ This approach is intended for learning and testing only.
In production, this logic should be replaced with JWT or a persistent session store (e.g., Redis).

[devtunis]

io.use((socket, next) => {
const key = socket.handshake.auth.key;

if (key !== "super-secret-123") {
return next(new Error("Unauthorized"));
}

socket.isAuthorized = true;
next();
});