To implement authentication and authorization in a Go web application, you can follow these steps:
Choose an authentication method: There are multiple ways to authenticate users, such as username and password, social login, single sign-on (SSO), or JSON Web Tokens (JWT). Choose the authentication method that best suits your application's requirements.
Hash and store passwords securely: If you choose the username-password authentication method, make sure to hash the passwords before storing them in your database. You can use a library like bcrypt or scrypt to securely hash passwords.
Create a login page: Design a login page where users can enter their credentials to authenticate themselves. This page should have a form that sends the entered username and password to the server for verification.
Validate credentials: When receiving the login form data on the server, validate the entered credentials against the stored credentials in your database. If the credentials are valid, generate a session token or JWT as a form of authentication.
Store the user session: After successfully validating the credentials, store the session token on the server-side. This can be done by creating a session store (e.g., using a cookie) or by storing the token in a cache or database.
Implement middleware for authentication: To enforce authentication before accessing protected routes, create a middleware function that checks if the incoming request contains a valid session token or JWT. If the token is missing or invalid, it should redirect the user to the login page.
Implement authorization: Determine what resources or actions users are authorized to access. Create role-based access control (RBAC) or any other authorization mechanism based on your requirements. The middleware function mentioned earlier can also handle authorization by checking if the authenticated user has the necessary permissions to access a particular resource.
Protect sensitive routes: Use the authorization middleware to protect sensitive routes or APIs. Only authenticated and authorized users should be able to access them. Unauthorized access attempts should be rejected or redirected to an appropriate error page.
Secure sensitive data transmission: Ensure that sensitive data, such as passwords or session tokens, are transmitted securely over HTTPS using SSL/TLS encryption.
Test and validate: Thoroughly test your authentication and authorization implementation to ensure it works as expected and that user data remains secure.
Remember to regularly update and monitor your authentication and authorization mechanisms to address any security vulnerabilities that may arise.