When you monetize docs and tool access, auth stops being “just a login form.” It becomes product infrastructure. You need enough security to block abuse, but not so much complexity that delivery stalls.
Threat model first
For paid docs/tool stacks, immediate risks are brute-force attempts, credential stuffing, weak reset flows, and stale sessions.
Controls that move the needle
- Per-IP rate limits on login and reset endpoints
- Short lockout windows after repeated failed attempts
- Signed, expiring session cookies with strict flags
- Token-based password reset with short expiry
Password storage choices
Hash with scrypt/argon2 + unique salts. Never store plaintext. If metadata storage is temporary, keep migration plans explicit and time-bound.
Reset UX without account enumeration
Reset-request endpoints should return generic success responses even when accounts don’t exist. That blocks probing.
Session hygiene
Use HttpOnly, Secure, and SameSite=Strict where feasible. Keep expiration finite. Clear cookies explicitly on logout.
What to monitor
- Login failure rate by IP
- Reset-token request spikes
- Unexpected 500s on auth routes
- Mismatch between purchase success and first successful login
Roadmap to auth v2
After baseline controls, migrate to dedicated auth storage, add audit events, and email-based reset delivery. Sequence matters: secure enough now, stronger architecture next.