[0.1] Secure Login

1. Front Matter

• Title: Secure Login

• Author: scorevi

• Reviewers: Joshua Uriel Tribiana (Joshua-Yel)

• Created: February 2026

• Status: Approved

• References:

  • Issue: [0.1] Secure Login #67

  • Milestone: [0] Auth & Security

2. Introduction & Goals

• Problem Summary: Users need a secure, user-friendly login experience with clear feedback on credential issues. The authentication system must prevent unauthorized access while maintaining a smooth user experience.

• Goals:

  • Implement password visibility toggle for user convenience

  • Display clear, actionable error messages for all failure scenarios

  • Integrate Clerk authentication for secure session management

  • Protect sensitive routes with middleware

• Non-Goals:

  • Custom password hashing (handled by Clerk)

  • Multi-factor authentication (separate feature)

  • Social login beyond Google OAuth (separate feature)

• Glossary:

  • Clerk: Third-party authentication service handling user identity

  • JWT: JSON Web Token used for session management

  • Protected Route: Route requiring authentication to access

3. High-Level Architecture

• System Diagram:

┌────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐     ┌─────────────────┐
│  Login Form    │────▶│  Clerk Auth     │────▶│  Session        │
│  (Shadcn UI)   │     │  (SignIn)       │     │  Management     │
└────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘     └─────────────────┘
        │                       │
        │                       ▼
        │              ┌─────────────────┐
        └─────────────▶│  Error Handler  │
                       │  (Typed Codes)  │
                       └─────────────────┘

• Technologies Used:

  • Clerk - Authentication and session management

  • Next.js 15 - App Router with middleware protection

  • Shadcn/UI - Form components and styling

  • TypeScript - Type-safe error handling

4. Detailed Design & Implementation

• Data Model / Schema: No custom database tables. User authentication data managed entirely by Clerk.

• API Specification: Authentication is handled client-side via Clerk's <SignIn> component.

  • POST /api/clerk/webhook - Clerk webhook for user sync

• Logic & Workflows:

  Login Flow:

  1. User enters email and password

  2. Clerk validates credentials

  3. On success → JWT token issued, redirect to /creator

  4. On failure → Display typed error message

  Password Visibility Toggle:

  • Eye icon toggles type="password" ↔ type="text"

  • State managed locally, no API calls

  • Accessible with ARIA labels

  Error Message Mapping:

  • form_identifier_not_found → No account found with this email address

  • form_password_incorrect → The email or password you entered is incorrect

  • user_locked → Your account has been temporarily locked

  • rate_limit_exceeded → Too many login attempts, please wait

5. Infrastructure & Operations

• Dependencies:

  • Clerk - Authentication provider

  • Vercel - Hosting with edge middleware

• Monitoring & Alerting:

  • Clerk Dashboard: Failed login attempts, rate limiting events

  • Vercel Logs: Middleware errors, redirect failures

• Deployment Plan:

  1. Configure Clerk environment variables

  2. Deploy middleware with protected routes

  3. Verify sign-in flow on staging

  4. No database migrations required

6. Testing & Quality Assurance

• Test Strategy:

  • Manual: Login flow, error messages, visibility toggle

  • E2E: Protected route redirects

• Known Limitations:

  • Password reset handled separately (0.3)

  • Session timeout handled separately (0.2)

  • No offline support

7. Maintenance & Support

• Troubleshooting:

  • Login redirect loop → Check NEXT_PUBLIC_CLERK_SIGN_IN_URL env var

  • Invalid API key error → Verify CLERK_SECRET_KEY is set correctly

  • CORS errors → Ensure domain is added to Clerk dashboard

• Changelog:

  • 1.0 (Feb 2026): Initial implementation

Document Version

1.0 - Approved, Feature deployed to production, 02/15/2026