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rust-auth skill

/skills/rust-auth

This skill helps Rust engineers design and implement robust authentication and authorization patterns, including JWT, API keys, OAuth, RBAC, and secure session

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SKILL.md
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---
name: rust-auth
description: Authentication and authorization expert covering JWT, API keys, OAuth, RBAC, password hashing, distributed token storage, and session management patterns.
metadata:
  triggers:
    - authentication
    - authorization
    - JWT
    - API key
    - OAuth
    - RBAC
    - password
    - session
    - token
    - auth
---


## Authentication Strategies

| Method | Use Case | Security | Complexity |
|--------|----------|----------|------------|
| **JWT Token** | API access, SPA | High | Medium |
| **API Key** | Service-to-service, automation | Medium | Low |
| **OAuth 2.0** | Third-party login | High | High |
| **Session Cookie** | Traditional web apps | Medium | Medium |
| **mTLS** | Service mesh, microservices | Very High | High |


## Solution Patterns

### Pattern 1: JWT Authentication

```rust
use jsonwebtoken::{decode, encode, Algorithm, DecodingKey, EncodingKey, Header, Validation};
use serde::{Deserialize, Serialize};
use std::time::{SystemTime, UNIX_EPOCH};

#[derive(Debug, Serialize, Deserialize)]
struct Claims {
    sub: String,           // Subject (user ID)
    exp: u64,              // Expiration
    iat: u64,              // Issued at
    roles: Vec<String>,    // User roles
}

struct JwtService {
    encoding_key: EncodingKey,
    decoding_key: DecodingKey,
    algorithm: Algorithm,
    expiry_seconds: u64,
}

impl JwtService {
    // Recommended: EdDSA (Ed25519)
    pub fn new_ed25519(private_pem: &[u8], public_pem: &[u8]) -> Result<Self, Error> {
        Ok(Self {
            encoding_key: EncodingKey::from_ed_pem(private_pem)?,
            decoding_key: DecodingKey::from_ed_pem(public_pem)?,
            algorithm: Algorithm::EdDSA,
            expiry_seconds: 3600, // 1 hour
        })
    }

    // Alternative: RS256 (RSA)
    pub fn new_rs256(private_pem: &[u8], public_pem: &[u8]) -> Result<Self, Error> {
        Ok(Self {
            encoding_key: EncodingKey::from_rsa_pem(private_pem)?,
            decoding_key: DecodingKey::from_rsa_pem(public_pem)?,
            algorithm: Algorithm::RS256,
            expiry_seconds: 3600,
        })
    }

    pub fn generate_token(&self, user_id: &str, roles: Vec<String>) -> Result<String, Error> {
        let now = SystemTime::now().duration_since(UNIX_EPOCH)?.as_secs();

        let claims = Claims {
            sub: user_id.to_string(),
            exp: now + self.expiry_seconds,
            iat: now,
            roles,
        };

        encode(&Header::new(self.algorithm), &claims, &self.encoding_key)
            .map_err(Into::into)
    }

    pub fn verify_token(&self, token: &str) -> Result<Claims, Error> {
        let mut validation = Validation::new(self.algorithm);
        validation.validate_exp = true;

        decode::<Claims>(token, &self.decoding_key, &validation)
            .map(|data| data.claims)
            .map_err(Into::into)
    }
}
```

**Algorithm Selection:**
- **EdDSA (Ed25519)**: Recommended default (fast, secure, small keys)
- **RS256**: Use when ecosystem already standardized on RSA
- **HS256**: Only for single-service, tightly controlled scenarios

### Pattern 2: API Key Authentication

```rust
use sha2::{Digest, Sha256};
use rand::{thread_rng, Rng};

struct ApiKey {
    key_id: String,
    secret_hash: String,
    owner_id: String,
    scopes: Vec<String>,
    expires_at: i64,
    disabled: bool,
}

struct ApiKeyService {
    secret: String,
    prefix: String,
}

impl ApiKeyService {
    pub fn generate(&self, owner_id: &str, scopes: Vec<String>) -> (String, String) {
        let key_id = self.generate_id();
        let secret = self.generate_secret();
        let signature = self.compute_signature(&key_id, &secret);

        let api_key = format!("{}_{}_{}", self.prefix, key_id, signature);
        let secret_hash = self.hash_secret(&secret);

        (api_key, secret_hash)
    }

    pub fn verify(&self, api_key: &str, stored: &ApiKey) -> Result<(), AuthError> {
        if stored.disabled {
            return Err(AuthError::KeyRevoked);
        }

        let now = chrono::Utc::now().timestamp();
        if stored.expires_at < now {
            return Err(AuthError::KeyExpired);
        }

        let parts: Vec<&str> = api_key.split('_').collect();
        if parts.len() != 3 {
            return Err(AuthError::InvalidFormat);
        }

        let expected_sig = self.compute_signature(parts[1], "");
        if parts[2] != expected_sig {
            return Err(AuthError::InvalidSignature);
        }

        Ok(())
    }

    fn generate_id(&self) -> String {
        const CHARSET: &[u8] = b"abcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789";
        let mut rng = thread_rng();
        (0..16).map(|_| CHARSET[rng.gen_range(0..CHARSET.len())] as char).collect()
    }

    fn generate_secret(&self) -> String {
        const CHARSET: &[u8] = b"ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZabcdefghijklmnopqrstuvwxyz0123456789";
        let mut rng = thread_rng();
        (0..32).map(|_| CHARSET[rng.gen_range(0..CHARSET.len())] as char).collect()
    }

    fn compute_signature(&self, key_id: &str, secret: &str) -> String {
        let mut hasher = Sha256::new();
        hasher.update(format!("{}{}{}", key_id, secret, self.secret));
        format!("{:x}", hasher.finalize())[..16].to_string()
    }

    fn hash_secret(&self, secret: &str) -> String {
        let mut hasher = Sha256::new();
        hasher.update(format!("{}{}", secret, self.secret));
        format!("{:x}", hasher.finalize())
    }
}
```

### Pattern 3: Password Hashing (Argon2)

```rust
use argon2::{Argon2, PasswordHash, PasswordHasher, PasswordVerifier};
use argon2::password_hash::{rand_core::OsRng, SaltString};

struct PasswordService;

impl PasswordService {
    pub fn hash_password(password: &str) -> Result<String, argon2::password_hash::Error> {
        let salt = SaltString::generate(&mut OsRng);
        let argon2 = Argon2::default();

        let hash = argon2.hash_password(password.as_bytes(), &salt)?;
        Ok(hash.to_string())
    }

    pub fn verify_password(password: &str, hash: &str) -> Result<bool, argon2::password_hash::Error> {
        let parsed_hash = PasswordHash::new(hash)?;
        let argon2 = Argon2::default();

        Ok(argon2.verify_password(password.as_bytes(), &parsed_hash).is_ok())
    }
}
```

### Pattern 4: Distributed Token Storage (Redis)

```rust
use redis::AsyncCommands;
use serde_json;

struct TokenStore {
    redis: redis::aio::ConnectionManager,
    prefix: String,
}

impl TokenStore {
    pub async fn store_token(
        &mut self,
        user_id: &str,
        token_id: &str,
        claims: &Claims,
        max_concurrent: usize,
    ) -> Result<(), Error> {
        let user_tokens_key = format!("{}:user:{}:tokens", self.prefix, user_id);

        // Check concurrent session limit
        let count: usize = self.redis.scard(&user_tokens_key).await?;
        if count >= max_concurrent {
            // Remove oldest token
            if let Some(old_token) = self.redis.spop::<_, Option<String>>(&user_tokens_key).await? {
                self.redis.del(format!("{}:token:{}", self.prefix, old_token)).await?;
            }
        }

        // Store new token
        let token_key = format!("{}:token:{}", self.prefix, token_id);
        let data = serde_json::to_string(claims)?;
        let ttl = claims.exp - chrono::Utc::now().timestamp() as u64;

        self.redis.set_ex(&token_key, data, ttl as usize).await?;
        self.redis.sadd(&user_tokens_key, token_id).await?;

        Ok(())
    }

    pub async fn revoke_token(&mut self, user_id: &str, token_id: &str) -> Result<(), Error> {
        self.redis.del(format!("{}:token:{}", self.prefix, token_id)).await?;
        self.redis.srem(format!("{}:user:{}:tokens", self.prefix, user_id), token_id).await?;
        Ok(())
    }

    pub async fn revoke_all_tokens(&mut self, user_id: &str) -> Result<(), Error> {
        let user_tokens_key = format!("{}:user:{}:tokens", self.prefix, user_id);
        let tokens: Vec<String> = self.redis.smembers(&user_tokens_key).await?;

        for token_id in tokens {
            self.redis.del(format!("{}:token:{}", self.prefix, token_id)).await?;
        }
        self.redis.del(&user_tokens_key).await?;

        Ok(())
    }
}
```

### Pattern 5: Auth Middleware (Axum)

```rust
use axum::{
    extract::Request,
    middleware::Next,
    response::Response,
    http::StatusCode,
};

pub async fn jwt_auth_middleware(
    mut req: Request,
    next: Next,
) -> Result<Response, StatusCode> {
    let auth_header = req.headers()
        .get("Authorization")
        .and_then(|h| h.to_str().ok())
        .ok_or(StatusCode::UNAUTHORIZED)?;

    let token = auth_header
        .strip_prefix("Bearer ")
        .ok_or(StatusCode::UNAUTHORIZED)?;

    let jwt_service = req.extensions()
        .get::<JwtService>()
        .ok_or(StatusCode::INTERNAL_SERVER_ERROR)?;

    let claims = jwt_service
        .verify_token(token)
        .map_err(|_| StatusCode::UNAUTHORIZED)?;

    req.extensions_mut().insert(claims);
    Ok(next.run(req).await)
}
```


## RBAC (Role-Based Access Control)

```rust
#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub enum Permission {
    Read,
    Write,
    Delete,
    Admin,
}

#[derive(Debug, Clone)]
pub struct Role {
    name: String,
    permissions: Vec<Permission>,
}

pub struct RbacService {
    roles: HashMap<String, Role>,
}

impl RbacService {
    pub fn check_permission(&self, user_roles: &[String], required: Permission) -> bool {
        user_roles.iter().any(|role_name| {
            self.roles
                .get(role_name)
                .map(|role| role.permissions.contains(&required))
                .unwrap_or(false)
        })
    }
}
```


## Workflow

### Step 1: Choose Auth Strategy

```
Use case:
  → API/SPA? JWT
  → Service-to-service? API Key or mTLS
  → Traditional web? Session Cookie
  → Third-party login? OAuth 2.0
  → Microservices? mTLS + JWT
```

### Step 2: Implement Securely

```
Security checklist:
  → Strong password hashing (Argon2)
  → Secure token generation (crypto random)
  → HTTPS only in production
  → Validate all inputs
  → Rate limiting on auth endpoints
  → Audit logging
```

### Step 3: Handle Token Lifecycle

```
Token management:
  → Issue: Generate with expiry
  → Refresh: Before expiry
  → Revoke: Blacklist or store state
  → Rotate: Periodic key rotation
```


## Review Checklist

When implementing auth:

- [ ] Passwords hashed with Argon2 (not bcrypt/MD5)
- [ ] JWT tokens have expiration
- [ ] API keys have scope limitations
- [ ] HTTPS enforced in production
- [ ] Rate limiting on login endpoints
- [ ] Audit logging for auth events
- [ ] Token refresh mechanism
- [ ] Secure session storage (Redis with encryption)
- [ ] IP whitelisting for API keys
- [ ] Concurrent session limits


## Verification Commands

```bash
# Test JWT generation
cargo test jwt_generation

# Verify password hashing
cargo test password_hashing

# Check token expiration
cargo test token_expiry

# Load test auth endpoints
wrk -t4 -c100 -d30s http://localhost:3000/auth/login
```


## Common Pitfalls

### 1. Weak Password Hashing

**Symptom**: Fast brute-force attacks

```rust
// ❌ Bad: MD5/SHA256 (too fast)
let hash = format!("{:x}", md5::compute(password));

// ✅ Good: Argon2 (designed for passwords)
let hash = Argon2::default().hash_password(password.as_bytes(), &salt)?;
```

### 2. No Token Expiration

**Symptom**: Stolen tokens valid forever

```rust
// ❌ Bad: no expiration
let claims = Claims { sub: user_id, exp: None };

// ✅ Good: reasonable expiry
let claims = Claims {
    sub: user_id,
    exp: now + 3600, // 1 hour
};
```

### 3. Storing Tokens in LocalStorage

**Symptom**: XSS vulnerability

```javascript
// ❌ Bad: accessible to XSS
localStorage.setItem('token', jwt);

// ✅ Good: HTTP-only cookie
// Set-Cookie: token=...; HttpOnly; Secure; SameSite=Strict
```


## Related Skills

- **rust-web** - Web framework integration
- **rust-middleware** - Middleware patterns
- **rust-cache** - Token storage with Redis
- **rust-error** - Error handling
- **rust-database** - User storage


## Localized Reference

- **Chinese version**: [SKILL_ZH.md](./SKILL_ZH.md) - 完整中文版本,包含所有内容

Overview

This skill is an authentication and authorization expert for Rust projects, covering JWT, API keys, OAuth, RBAC, password hashing, distributed token storage, and session management patterns. It provides concrete implementation patterns, secure defaults, and operational checklists to guide design and audits. The content focuses on practical, deployable patterns and trade-offs for real-world systems.

How this skill works

The skill inspects use-case characteristics and recommends an auth strategy (JWT, API key, OAuth, session cookies, or mTLS). It includes ready-to-use Rust patterns: token generation/verification, Argon2 password hashing, API key lifecycle, Redis-backed token storage, Axum middleware, and a simple RBAC check. Each pattern emphasizes secure defaults (Ed25519 for JWT, Argon2 for passwords) and operational controls (expiry, rotation, revocation).

When to use it

  • Protect APIs and SPAs with short-lived JWTs and role claims
  • Use API keys for service-to-service automation with scope limits
  • Apply OAuth 2.0 for third-party login and delegated access
  • Use session cookies for traditional server-rendered web apps
  • Deploy mTLS with JWT for high-security microservice meshes

Best practices

  • Prefer EdDSA (Ed25519) for JWT signing; use RS256 only when required by ecosystem
  • Hash passwords with Argon2 and verify with password-hash crates
  • Store and revoke tokens in a distributed cache (Redis) with TTL and session limits
  • Enforce HTTPS, rate limiting, audit logging, and key rotation in production
  • Limit API key scopes, support revocation, and consider IP whitelisting

Example use cases

  • Single-page app: issue JWTs with short expiry and refresh flow; validate via Axum middleware
  • Service-to-service: issue API keys with scopes and rotate secrets regularly
  • Enterprise microservices: mTLS between services and JWT for end-user claims; use Redis for token revocation
  • Traditional web app: HTTP-only secure cookies, server-side session store with concurrent-session limits
  • Login system: Argon2 password hashing, audit trails, and enforced account lockouts after brute-force attempts

FAQ

Which JWT algorithm should I choose?

Use EdDSA (Ed25519) by default for speed and small keys; choose RS256 only when interoperability requires RSA. Avoid HS256 across distributed services.

How should I revoke tokens?

Store token state in a fast distributed store (Redis) and check it at authentication; support per-token revoke and revoke-all per user and enforce TTLs to limit window of exposure.