I'm working on a simple game that I want to play with my friends, and I need a way for users to log in and register. The backend could be written in either Python or Rust; I want to avoid JavaScript, TypeScript, or PHP. I plan to host everything on my small cloud server, which runs Debian and has Apache2 installed, though I'm open to other setups. The game will need to maintain a constant connection to the server for turn-based elements and instant notifications, so I'm planning to use WebSockets.
I'm looking for lightweight authentication solutions. While I'm okay with using Google Login if it's simple, I'd prefer not to have anything tied to Facebook. I want something basic—it needs to handle just login and registration without the full machinery of a heavier framework like Django. Ultimately, I need a way to get a User ID to the frontend and check if the user is logged in on the backend. I'm comfortable coding, but a minimal web server solution that proxies WebSocket or HTTPS calls to my backend would be ideal.
6 Answers
Going for Google OAuth could be the simplest way. Python has authlib you can check out, and for Rust, the oauth2 crate works well. You handle the callback after authentication, store the user ID in a session or JWT, and that’s it! You just need to validate it when connecting via WebSocket.
Have you looked into Pocketbase? It’s a very lightweight backend solution that could handle your needs pretty well.
Consider putting Cloudflare in front for free and using their Zero Trust feature to help manage access securely. It adds another layer of security while keeping your setup simple!
If you decide to go with Flask in Python, you can check out authlib or simple jwt for your authentication needs. If Rust is your choice, there's the oauth2 crate, which is also straightforward.
If your game is browser-based, consider using JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for authentication. You could implement a One-Time Password (OTP) system, which eliminates the need to store passwords altogether. Just keep track of users' email addresses, hash the OTPs in a Redis store for quick access, and validate the given token when users log in. This way, you avoid third-party services entirely!
You might find AWS Cognito a good fit! It’s easy to set up for a small number of users and provides a robust authentication system complete with password management and email reminders, which could save you time.
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