Basic Login System with Authentication using MERN Stack

In the modern digital era, secure authentication mechanisms play a vital role in protecting sensitive user data and ensuring authorized access to web applications. This research presents the design and development of a basic login system using the MERN stack, which includes MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, and Node.js. The system integrates JSON Web Tokens (JWT) and bcrypt hashing techniques to enhance security and ensure safe user authentication. The study explores various aspects of authentication including user registration, login validation, password encryption, token-based authentication, and secure access to protected routes. Passwords are hashed using bcrypt before storing them in the database, which prevents exposure of sensitive data even if the database is compromised. JWT is used to maintain authentication in a stateless manner, improving scalability and performance of the system. The performance of the system is evaluated based on response time, reliability, and resistance to common security attacks. The results demonstrate that JWT-based authentication provides an efficient and scalable solution for modern web applications. This research contributes to understanding the practical implementation of authentication systems and highlights the importance of secure coding practices in web development.