Forgot Password

Lecture 380:- Forgot Password

Implementing a Forgot Password feature is a common practice for web applications that require users to sign in. The basic steps to implement a Forgot Password feature are:

1. User Requests Password Reset: The user initiates a password reset request by clicking on a "Forgot Password" link on the sign-in page or profile page.
2. Generate Token: A unique token is generated and stored in the database along with the user's ID and an expiration time.
3. Send Email: An email is sent to the user's registered email address containing a link to reset their password. The link contains the token generated in the previous step.
4. User Resets Password: When the user clicks on the link in the email, they are redirected to a page where they can reset their password. The token is validated to ensure that it has not expired and matches the user's ID.
5. Password Reset: The user is asked to enter a new password, and the password is updated in the database.

Here is a high-level overview of how you could implement this feature in a Node.js and Express.js application:

1. Create a new route in your application that handles password reset requests.
2. When the user submits the password reset form, generate a unique token using a package like crypto or uuid.
3. Store the token, user ID, and expiration time in the database. You can use a package like mongoose to interact with the database.
4. Use a package like nodemailer to send an email to the user's registered email address containing a link to reset their password. The link should include the token generated in the previous step and should point to a new route in your application.
5. Create a new route in your application that handles password resets.
6. When the user clicks on the link in the email, validate the token to ensure that it is valid and has not expired. If the token is valid, render a page that allows the user to enter a new password.
7. When the user submits the new password form, update the user's password in the database and delete the token.

This is just a high-level overview, and there are many details to consider when implementing a Forgot Password feature, such as handling errors, ensuring the security of the token, and implementing rate limiting to prevent abuse.