Checkpoint 401 is a straightforward and efficient Forward Auth Security Server designed to streamline authentication processes in your applications. Written in TypeScript and powered by Deno, it aims to be the simplest solution for developers looking to implement secure authentication without complexity.

What is a Forward Auth Server?

A Forward Auth Server acts as an intermediary that handles authentication requests on behalf of another server. It verifies permissions for accessing resources and seamlessly integrates with reverse proxies like Caddy, NGINX, and Traefik, enhancing security and simplifying your authentication management.

Core Concepts of Checkpoint 401

• Simplicity and Minimalism: With an entire source code of just about 500 lines, Checkpoint 401 is designed to be easy to understand and implement.
• TypeScript Integration: You will primarily write your endpoint functions in TypeScript, making it a familiar environment for modern web developers.
• Custom Routes: By creating a routes.json file, you define specific methods and URL patterns for your application, linking them to the appropriate endpoint functions.

Why Use Checkpoint 401?

• Centralized Authentication: Streamline your auth logic into a single server, ensuring consistency across applications and reducing security risks.
• Simplified Application Logic: Offloading authentication reduces the clutter in your application code, making it cleaner and easier to maintain.
• Enhanced Security: A single point of control for authentication allows better enforcement of security policies and practices.
• Scalability: Easily handle auth for multiple applications without interdependencies, improving overall performance.
• Flexibility: Compatible with various reverse proxies, it provides freedom in architectural choices while maintaining robust auth management.

Practical Example of Usage

To give you a practical insight, Checkpoint 401 allows you to define routes in a routes.json file like so:

[
  {
    "method": "GET",
    "routeURLPattern": "/api/users",
    "routeEndpointTypeScriptFile": "getUsers.ts"
  }
]

Your TypeScript endpoint function could look like this:

export default async function getUsers(req: Request, match: URLPatternResult | null): Promise<{ success: boolean; errorMessage?: string; }> {
    // Logic to validate user
    return { success: true };
}

Conclusion

Checkpoint 401 provides TypeScript developers with a clear, concise, and efficient way to manage authentication across applications, fostering better security practices and code maintainability. Take the time to explore this innovative solution and see how it can enhance your projects today.

For more information, details about getting started, and sample configurations, visit the Checkpoint 401 repository.