ASP.NET Core Identity Membership API

This repository demonstrates the implementation of a robust membership system using ASP.NET Core Identity API within an MVC web application. It showcases my ability to build secure and feature-rich authentication and authorization solutions, including email integration for password resets.

Table of Contents

• Project Overview
• Technical Stack
• Architecture
• Key Features
• Database Design
• Security
• Email Integration
• Future Enhancements

Project Overview

This project focuses on building a fully functional membership system using ASP.NET Core Identity. It provides user registration, login, logout, password management, and demonstrates how to implement role-based authorization within an ASP.NET Core MVC application. A key feature is the integration of email services for password resets, enhancing the user experience and security. This project serves as a practical example of my understanding of security best practices, email integration, and my ability to develop secure and user-friendly web applications.

Technical Stack

• .NET Core: .NET 7 and EntityFrameworkCore 7 versions used.
• ASP.NET Core MVC: Implementation of the Model-View-Controller design pattern.
• ASP.NET Core Identity: Framework for managing user authentication and authorization.
• Entity Framework Core: Object-Relational Mapping (ORM) for database interactions.
• MSSQL Server: Relational database management system.
• email library: System.Net.Mail

Architecture

This project employs an all-in-one application architecture. While it's a single project, the code is organized following MVC principles for separation of concerns within the application itself.

• Models: Contains the domain models, including user models that extend or customize the ASP.NET Core Identity user.
• Views: Handles the user interface and presentation logic.
• Controllers: Manages user interactions and interacts with the Identity framework, the database, and the email service.

Key Features

• User Registration: Allows new users to create accounts.
• User Login/Logout: Securely authenticates and logs out users.
• Password Management: Provides functionality for users to reset forgotten passwords.
• Role-Based Authorization: Implements role-based access control to restrict access to certain parts of the application.
• Customizable User Profiles: Demonstrates how to extend the ASP.NET Core Identity user with custom properties.
• Email Confirmation: Includes email confirmation for user registration.
• Password Reset via Email: Users can reset their passwords by receiving a verification email.

Database Design

The database schema includes tables for users, roles, and user-role relationships, as managed by ASP.NET Core Identity. The project demonstrates my understanding of database design principles related to identity management.

Security

This project emphasizes security best practices, including:

• Password Hashing: Uses strong password hashing algorithms provided by ASP.NET Core Identity.
• Input Validation: Implements input validation to prevent common web vulnerabilities.
• Authorization: Uses role-based authorization to control access to resources.
• Secure Email Handling: Follows best practices for sending emails securely (using secure SMTP connections).

Email Integration

The project integrates an email service (e.g., Gmail) to facilitate password resets. Users who forget their passwords can request a reset email containing a verification link. This demonstrates my ability to work with email services within a web application and implement a crucial part of user management.

Future Enhancements

• Improved UI/UX: Enhance the user interface and user experience.
• Integration with External Authentication Providers: Integrate with social login providers (e.g., Google, Facebook).
• More Advanced Authorization Scenarios: Implement more complex authorization rules.
• Unit/Integration Testing: Add unit and integration tests to ensure code quality.
• Email Templating: Use email templates for more professional and branded emails.