Introduction to Back-End Development with NodeJS Part 2

In today's fast-paced digital landscape, user authentication stands as a cornerstone of trust, security, and accessibility in the online world. It is the vital mechanism that ensures that only authorized users can access the privileged areas and data of web applications, websites, and mobile applications.

Whether you've ever logged into a social media platform, checked your email, or shopped online, you've encountered user authentication in various forms, ranging from the familiar username-password combination to the more advanced two-factor authentication methods. It's the guardian of personal information, confidential data, and the integrity of digital interactions.

We will embark on a journey to create a robust and secure user authentication system. Our application will enable users to create their own accounts and subsequently log in with the same credentials. We'll harness the power of MongoDB to store user data securely.

By the end of your learning, you will be able to:

• Set up routes, middleware, and handle HTTP requests and responses effectively.
• Do CRUD (Create, Read, Update, Delete) operations with MongoDB using libraries like Mongoose.
• Implement user authentication and authorization using Express.js middleware and sessions.
• Use error handling and logging techniques to enhance application robustness.
• Use strategies for optimizing the performance of Express.js applications, including caching, load balancing, and async programming.
• Tap on security mechanisms and practices to protect your Express.js applications from common vulnerabilities.