Session-Based Authentication

This example demonstrates a complete session-based authentication implementation using Stilmark Base's Session, Auth, AuthMiddleware, and CsrfMiddleware classes.

Application Structure

/your-app
├── public/
│   └── index.php           # Entry point
├── src/
│   ├── bootstrap.php       # Application bootstrap
│   └── Middleware/
│       └── AppAuthMiddleware.php  # Custom auth middleware
├── .env                    # Environment configuration
└── composer.json

Bootstrap & Configuration

`.env` Configuration

# Server
SERVER_NAME=example.com
APP_ENV=production

# Session
SESSION_AUTH_NAME=auth
SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE=true
SESSION_COOKIE_SAMESITE=Strict
SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT=1800      # 30 minutes
SESSION_ABSOLUTE_TIMEOUT=28800 # 8 hours

# Google OAuth
GOOGLE_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id.apps.googleusercontent.com
GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret
GOOGLE_REDIRECT_URI=/auth/google/callback

# CSRF
CSRF_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://example.com,https://www.example.com

`src/bootstrap.php`

<?php

require __DIR__ . '/../vendor/autoload.php';

use Stilmark\Base\Env;
use Stilmark\Base\Session;

// Load environment variables
Env::load(__DIR__ . '/../.env');

// Configure session security
Session::configure([
    'cookie_secure' => Env::get('SESSION_COOKIE_SECURE', false),
    'cookie_httponly' => true,
    'cookie_samesite' => Env::get('SESSION_COOKIE_SAMESITE', 'Lax'),
    'use_strict_mode' => true,
    'name' => Env::get('SESSION_AUTH_NAME', 'auth') . '_SESSION',
    'gc_maxlifetime' => (int) Env::get('SESSION_ABSOLUTE_TIMEOUT', 28800),
]);

// Start session
session_start();

<?php

use Stilmark\Base\Auth;
use Stilmark\Base\Request;
use Stilmark\Base\Render;
use Stilmark\Base\Session;

// Route: GET /login
function loginPage(Request $request)
{
    // Generate CSRF token for the login form
    $csrfToken = $request->generateCsrfToken();
    
    // Get flash messages
    $error = Session::getFlash('error');
    $success = Session::getFlash('success');
    
    // Render login page (example with inline HTML)
    ?>
    <!DOCTYPE html>
    <html>
    <head>
        <title>Login</title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <h1>Login</h1>
        
        <?php if ($error): ?>
            <div class="error"><?= htmlspecialchars($error) ?></div>
        <?php endif; ?>
        
        <?php if ($success): ?>
            <div class="success"><?= htmlspecialchars($success) ?></div>
        <?php endif; ?>
        
        <h2>Login with Google</h2>
        <form method="POST" action="/auth/google">
            <input type="hidden" name="_token" value="<?= $csrfToken ?>">
            <button type="submit">Sign in with Google</button>
        </form>
    </body>
    </html>
    <?php
}

// Route: POST /auth/google (initiate OAuth)
function initiateGoogleAuth(Request $request)
{
    // Validate CSRF token
    if (!$request->validateCsrfToken()) {
        Session::flash('error', 'Invalid CSRF token');
        header('Location: /login');
        exit;
    }
    
    $auth = new Auth('google');
    $auth->callout(); // Redirects to Google
}

// Route: GET /auth/google/callback
function handleGoogleCallback(Request $request)
{
    $auth = new Auth('google');
    
    try {
        $result = $auth->callback($request);
        
        if ($result['status'] === 'success') {
            // Session is already set up by Auth::callback()
            // with regenerated session ID and timestamps
            
            Session::flash('success', 'Login successful!');
            header('Location: /dashboard');
            exit;
        } else {
            Session::flash('error', $result['message'] ?? 'Login failed');
            header('Location: /login');
            exit;
        }
    } catch (Exception $e) {
        Session::flash('error', 'Authentication error: ' . $e->getMessage());
        header('Location: /login');
        exit;
    }
}

Protected Routes

Custom Auth Middleware with Database Validation

<?php
// src/Middleware/AppAuthMiddleware.php

namespace App\Middleware;

use Stilmark\Base\AuthMiddleware;
use Stilmark\Base\Env;

class AppAuthMiddleware extends AuthMiddleware
{
    private $db;
    
    public function __construct($db = null)
    {
        parent::__construct(
            authSessionKey: Env::get('SESSION_AUTH_NAME', 'auth'),
            idleTimeout: (int) Env::get('SESSION_IDLE_TIMEOUT', 1800),
            absoluteTimeout: (int) Env::get('SESSION_ABSOLUTE_TIMEOUT', 28800)
        );
        
        $this->db = $db;
    }
    
    /**
     * Custom validation: Check if user exists and is active
     */
    protected function validateSession(array $sessionData): bool
    {
        // First, call parent validation
        if (!parent::validateSession($sessionData)) {
            return false;
        }
        
        // If no database connection, skip database validation
        if (!$this->db) {
            return true;
        }
        
        // Get user email from session
        $userEmail = $sessionData['user']['email'] ?? null;
        if (!$userEmail) {
            return false;
        }
        
        // Check if user exists and is active in database
        $stmt = $this->db->prepare("SELECT id, status FROM users WHERE email = ?");
        $stmt->execute([$userEmail]);
        $user = $stmt->fetch(PDO::FETCH_ASSOC);
        
        if (!$user || $user['status'] !== 'active') {
            $this->clearAuthSession();
            return false;
        }
        
        return true;
    }
}

Protected Route Example

<?php

use Stilmark\Base\Request;
use Stilmark\Base\Render;
use Stilmark\Base\Session;
use App\Middleware\AppAuthMiddleware;

// Route: GET /dashboard
function dashboard(Request $request, $db)
{
    // Create auth middleware with database connection
    $authMiddleware = new AppAuthMiddleware($db);
    
    // Validate authentication
    if (!$authMiddleware->handle()) {
        Session::flash('error', 'Please login to continue');
        header('Location: /login');
        exit;
    }
    
    // Get user data from session
    $authData = Session::get('auth');
    $user = $authData['user'] ?? null;
    
    // Generate CSRF token for forms on this page
    $csrfToken = $request->generateCsrfToken();
    
    ?>
    <!DOCTYPE html>
    <html>
    <head>
        <title>Dashboard</title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <h1>Welcome, <?= htmlspecialchars($user['name'] ?? 'User') ?>!</h1>
        
        <p>Email: <?= htmlspecialchars($user['email'] ?? '') ?></p>
        
        <h2>Session Info</h2>
        <ul>
            <li>Provider: <?= htmlspecialchars($authData['provider'] ?? 'N/A') ?></li>
            <li>Login Time: <?= date('Y-m-d H:i:s', $authData['auth_time'] ?? 0) ?></li>
            <li>Last Activity: <?= date('Y-m-d H:i:s', Session::get('last_activity', 0)) ?></li>
        </ul>
        
        <form method="POST" action="/logout">
            <input type="hidden" name="_token" value="<?= $csrfToken ?>">
            <button type="submit">Logout</button>
        </form>
    </body>
    </html>
    <?php
}

CSRF Protection

Using CsrfMiddleware with Router

<?php

use Stilmark\Base\Router;
use Stilmark\Base\CsrfMiddleware;
use Stilmark\Base\Env;

$router = new Router();

// Create CSRF middleware
$allowedOrigins = explode(',', Env::get('CSRF_ALLOWED_ORIGINS', ''));
$csrfMiddleware = new CsrfMiddleware($allowedOrigins);

// Apply CSRF protection to all POST/PUT/PATCH/DELETE routes
$router->post('/auth/google', 'initiateGoogleAuth', [$csrfMiddleware]);
$router->post('/logout', 'handleLogout', [$csrfMiddleware]);
$router->post('/api/users', 'createUser', [$csrfMiddleware]);
$router->delete('/api/users/:id', 'deleteUser', [$csrfMiddleware]);

Manual CSRF Validation

<?php

use Stilmark\Base\Request;
use Stilmark\Base\Render;

function createUser(Request $request)
{
    // Manual CSRF validation (if not using middleware)
    if ($request->isUnsafeMethod() && !$request->validateCsrfToken()) {
        Render::json(['error' => 'CSRF validation failed'], 403);
        exit;
    }
    
    // Process user creation
    $data = $request->json();
    // ... create user logic
    
    Render::json(['success' => true, 'user_id' => 123]);
}

JavaScript API Calls with CSRF

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
    <title>API Example</title>
</head>
<body>
    <button id="createUserBtn">Create User</button>
    
    <script>
        // Get CSRF token from meta tag or data attribute
        const csrfToken = '<?= $request->generateCsrfToken() ?>';
        
        document.getElementById('createUserBtn').addEventListener('click', async () => {
            try {
                const response = await fetch('/api/users', {
                    method: 'POST',
                    headers: {
                        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
                        'X-CSRF-TOKEN': csrfToken
                    },
                    body: JSON.stringify({
                        name: 'John Doe',
                        email: 'john@example.com'
                    })
                });
                
                const data = await response.json();
                console.log('User created:', data);
            } catch (error) {
                console.error('Error:', error);
            }
        });
    </script>
</body>
</html>

Logout

Logout Handler

<?php

use Stilmark\Base\Auth;
use Stilmark\Base\Request;
use Stilmark\Base\Session;

// Route: POST /logout
function handleLogout(Request $request)
{
    // Validate CSRF token
    if (!$request->validateCsrfToken()) {
        Session::flash('error', 'Invalid CSRF token');
        header('Location: /dashboard');
        exit;
    }
    
    $auth = new Auth();
    $auth->logout(); // Destroys session completely
    
    // Redirect to login page
    header('Location: /login?logged_out=1');
    exit;
}

Complete Code

`public/index.php` - Full Application

<?php

require __DIR__ . '/../src/bootstrap.php';

use Stilmark\Base\Router;
use Stilmark\Base\Request;
use Stilmark\Base\Render;
use Stilmark\Base\Auth;
use Stilmark\Base\Session;
use Stilmark\Base\CsrfMiddleware;
use Stilmark\Base\Env;
use App\Middleware\AppAuthMiddleware;

// Initialize router
$router = new Router();

// Initialize database (example with PDO)
$db = new PDO(
    'mysql:host=localhost;dbname=myapp',
    Env::get('DB_USER'),
    Env::get('DB_PASS')
);

// Create middleware instances
$allowedOrigins = array_filter(explode(',', Env::get('CSRF_ALLOWED_ORIGINS', '')));
$csrfMiddleware = new CsrfMiddleware($allowedOrigins);
$authMiddleware = new AppAuthMiddleware($db);

// ============================================
// Public Routes
// ============================================

$router->get('/', function() {
    header('Location: /login');
    exit;
});

$router->get('/login', function(Request $request) {
    $csrfToken = $request->generateCsrfToken();
    $error = Session::getFlash('error');
    $success = Session::getFlash('success');
    
    include __DIR__ . '/../views/login.php';
});

// ============================================
// OAuth Routes (with CSRF protection)
// ============================================

$router->post('/auth/google', function(Request $request) {
    $auth = new Auth('google');
    $auth->callout();
}, [$csrfMiddleware]);

$router->get('/auth/google/callback', function(Request $request) {
    $auth = new Auth('google');
    
    try {
        $result = $auth->callback($request);
        
        if ($result['status'] === 'success') {
            Session::flash('success', 'Welcome back!');
            header('Location: /dashboard');
        } else {
            Session::flash('error', $result['message'] ?? 'Login failed');
            header('Location: /login');
        }
    } catch (Exception $e) {
        Session::flash('error', 'Authentication error');
        header('Location: /login');
    }
    exit;
});

// ============================================
// Protected Routes (with Auth + CSRF)
// ============================================

$router->get('/dashboard', function(Request $request) use ($authMiddleware) {
    if (!$authMiddleware->handle()) {
        Session::flash('error', 'Please login to continue');
        header('Location: /login');
        exit;
    }
    
    $authData = Session::get('auth');
    $user = $authData['user'] ?? null;
    $csrfToken = $request->generateCsrfToken();
    
    include __DIR__ . '/../views/dashboard.php';
});

$router->post('/logout', function(Request $request) use ($authMiddleware) {
    if (!$authMiddleware->handle()) {
        header('Location: /login');
        exit;
    }
    
    $auth = new Auth();
    $auth->logout();
    
    header('Location: /login?logged_out=1');
    exit;
}, [$csrfMiddleware]);

// ============================================
// API Routes (with Auth + CSRF)
// ============================================

$router->get('/api/profile', function(Request $request) use ($authMiddleware) {
    if (!$authMiddleware->handle()) {
        Render::json(['error' => 'Unauthorized'], 401);
        exit;
    }
    
    $authData = Session::get('auth');
    Render::json([
        'user' => $authData['user'] ?? null,
        'provider' => $authData['provider'] ?? null
    ]);
}, [$authMiddleware]);

$router->post('/api/users', function(Request $request) use ($authMiddleware, $db) {
    if (!$authMiddleware->handle()) {
        Render::json(['error' => 'Unauthorized'], 401);
        exit;
    }
    
    $data = $request->json();
    
    // Validate input
    if (!isset($data['name']) || !isset($data['email'])) {
        Render::json(['error' => 'Missing required fields'], 400);
        exit;
    }
    
    // Create user in database
    $stmt = $db->prepare("INSERT INTO users (name, email) VALUES (?, ?)");
    $stmt->execute([$data['name'], $data['email']]);
    
    Render::json([
        'success' => true,
        'user_id' => $db->lastInsertId()
    ]);
}, [$authMiddleware, $csrfMiddleware]);

// ============================================
// Dispatch Router
// ============================================

$router->dispatch();

Security Checklist

✅ Session Security

HttpOnly cookies enabled
Secure flag enabled (HTTPS only)
SameSite attribute set
Session ID regenerated after login
Complete session destruction on logout

✅ CSRF Protection

CSRF tokens on all forms
CSRF validation on all unsafe methods
Time-bucketed tokens with rotation
Origin/Referer validation

✅ Timeout Management

Idle timeout (30 minutes default)
Absolute timeout (8 hours default)
Automatic activity tracking
Session cleanup on timeout

✅ Authentication

OAuth2 state validation
Custom session validation
Database user status checks
Protected route enforcement

Testing the Application

# Visit login page
curl -c cookies.txt http://localhost/login

# Initiate OAuth (will redirect to Google)
curl -b cookies.txt -X POST http://localhost/auth/google \
  -d "_token=YOUR_CSRF_TOKEN"

2. Test Protected Routes

# Access dashboard without auth (should redirect)
curl -L http://localhost/dashboard

# Access dashboard with session
curl -b cookies.txt http://localhost/dashboard

3. Test CSRF Protection

# POST without CSRF token (should fail)
curl -b cookies.txt -X POST http://localhost/api/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"name":"John","email":"john@example.com"}'

# POST with CSRF token (should succeed)
curl -b cookies.txt -X POST http://localhost/api/users \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "X-CSRF-TOKEN: YOUR_TOKEN" \
  -d '{"name":"John","email":"john@example.com"}'

4. Test Timeout

# Login and wait for idle timeout (30 minutes)
# Then try to access protected route (should redirect to login)

Session-Based Authentication

Table of Contents

Application Structure

Bootstrap & Configuration

`.env` Configuration

`src/bootstrap.php`

Protected Routes

Custom Auth Middleware with Database Validation

Protected Route Example

CSRF Protection

Using CsrfMiddleware with Router

Manual CSRF Validation

JavaScript API Calls with CSRF

Logout

Logout Handler

Complete Code

`public/index.php` - Full Application

Security Checklist

Testing the Application

2. Test Protected Routes

3. Test CSRF Protection

4. Test Timeout

See Also

hashtagTable of Contents

hashtagApplication Structure

hashtagBootstrap & Configuration

hashtag.env Configuration

hashtagsrc/bootstrap.php

hashtagLogin Flow

hashtagLogin Route Handler

hashtagProtected Routes

hashtagCustom Auth Middleware with Database Validation

hashtagProtected Route Example

hashtagCSRF Protection

hashtagUsing CsrfMiddleware with Router

hashtagManual CSRF Validation

hashtagJavaScript API Calls with CSRF

hashtagLogout

hashtagLogout Handler

hashtagComplete Code

hashtagpublic/index.php - Full Application

hashtagSecurity Checklist

hashtagTesting the Application

hashtag1. Test Login Flow

hashtag2. Test Protected Routes

hashtag3. Test CSRF Protection

hashtag4. Test Timeout

hashtagSee Also

Table of Contents

Application Structure

Bootstrap & Configuration

`.env` Configuration

`src/bootstrap.php`

Login Flow

Login Route Handler

Protected Routes

Custom Auth Middleware with Database Validation

Protected Route Example

CSRF Protection

Using CsrfMiddleware with Router

Manual CSRF Validation

JavaScript API Calls with CSRF

Logout

Logout Handler

Complete Code

`public/index.php` - Full Application

Security Checklist

Testing the Application

1. Test Login Flow

2. Test Protected Routes

3. Test CSRF Protection

4. Test Timeout

See Also