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Email-based password reset flow with expiry

Why Choose This Project?

Password recovery is one of the most common yet vulnerable features in web applications. Many insecure implementations allow attackers to reset user accounts using leaked links or replay attacks. This project ensures a secure, time-bound, tokenized password reset flow to protect users from account takeover attempts. Ideal for secure platforms like banking apps, e-commerce, and enterprise portals.

What You Get in This Project

A robust password reset system where users can:

Request a password reset by email
Receive a unique, one-time-use, time-expiring link
Reset their password only if the token is valid and not expired
Get alerts if suspicious reset requests are made

Technology Stack

Layer	Technology
Frontend	HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Bootstrap (React optional for forms)
Backend	Node.js (Express) / Java Spring Boot / Python Django/Flask
Database	MySQL / PostgreSQL / MongoDB
Auth	JWT, Spring Security, or OAuth
Email Service	SMTP (SendGrid, Gmail SMTP, AWS SES, Postfix)
Security	BCrypt/Argon2 password hashing, HTTPS/TLS
Optional	Redis for temporary token storage, reCAPTCHA for request form

Key Features

Feature	Description
Password Reset Request	User enters registered email to request reset
Token Generation	Backend generates a random, cryptographically secure token
Expiry Mechanism	Token is valid for a short time (e.g., 15 mins – 1 hour)
One-Time Use	Token can only be used once; becomes invalid after reset
Email Delivery	Secure email with reset link sent to user
Reset Page	User clicks link → redirected to reset password form
Verification Flow	Backend verifies token, expiry, and user identity
Alerts & Logs	User notified if multiple reset attempts are made
Strong Password Enforcement	Password must meet strength requirements (symbols, numbers, length)

How the Secure Password Reset Flow Works

User Requests Reset
→ User enters their email on “Forgot Password” page.
Token Generation
→ Server generates a unique secure token and stores it (DB/Redis) with an expiry timestamp.
Email Sent
→ User gets an email containing a reset link:
https://example.com/reset-password?token=XYZ
User Clicks Link
→ Server validates token:
- Exists?
- Not expired?
- Not used before?
Password Reset Form
→ User sets a new strong password.
Update & Invalidate Token
→ Password updated (hashed) in DB.
→ Token marked as used or expired.

Security Features

Token Expiry → Prevents replay attacks by enforcing time-bound reset links.
One-Time Use → Tokens are invalidated immediately after use.
Email Security → Reset link contains cryptographically random, unguessable tokens.
Password Hashing → New passwords are stored only in hashed format (BCrypt/Argon2).
Brute-Force Protection → Lockout/reset attempt limits to prevent abuse.
User Alerts → Users receive notifications for password reset requests, even if they didn’t initiate them.
HTTPS/TLS → Reset links only work over encrypted HTTPS.