Token Generator and Validator

This project provides a lightweight module to generate and validate time-based secure tokens. The tokens are signed using HMAC for integrity and support a configurable time-to-live (TTL) mechanism to ensure tokens expire after a defined duration.

Features

• Generate secure, time-based tokens with customizable TTL.
• Validate tokens and verify their expiration.
• Simple and lightweight implementation using Node.js.

Installation

To install this module, clone the repository or include it in your project directly:

npm install secure-time-token

Usage

Import the Module

const { generateToken, validateToken } = require('secure-time-token');

Generate a Token

Use the generateToken function to create a secure token with a specified TTL (in seconds).

const secretKey = 'your-secure-secret-key'; // Replace with your secure secret key
const ttlInSeconds = 60; // Token will expire in 60 seconds

const token = generateToken(ttlInSeconds, secretKey);
console.log('Generated Token:', token);

Validate a Token

Use the validateToken function to verify the token's signature and expiration.

try {
    const isValid = validateToken(token, secretKey);
    console.log('Token is valid:', isValid);
} catch (error) {
    console.error('Token validation failed:', error.message);
}

Example Workflow

const { generateToken, validateToken, getDecodedPayload } = require('secure-time-token');

// Step 1: Generate a token
const secretKey = 'your-secure-secret-key';
const ttl = 120; // Token valid for 120 seconds
const token = generateToken(ttl, secretKey);
console.log('Generated Token:', token);

// Step 2: Validate the token
setTimeout(() => {
    try {
        const isValid = validateToken(token, secretKey);
        console.log('Token is valid:', isValid);

        const decodedPayload = getDecodedPayload();
        console.log('decoded payload:', decodedPayload);

    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Token validation failed:', error.message);
    }
}, 100000); // Validate after 100 seconds

// Step 3: Attempt to validate after token expiration
setTimeout(() => {
    try {
        const isValid = validateToken(token, secretKey);
        console.log('Token is valid:', isValid);
    } catch (error) {
        console.error('Token validation failed:', error.message);
    }
}, 130000); // Validate after 130 seconds (token expired)

Notes

1. Secret Key Security:

   • Use a strong, unique secret key to ensure the integrity of the tokens.
   • Never expose the secret key in client-side code or public repositories.

2. Time Synchronization:

   • Ensure the server's clock is synchronized to avoid discrepancies in token validation.

3. Performance:

   • The module is lightweight and suitable for applications where token security and expiration are critical.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the LICENSE file for details.