AuthFlow – Automated Welcome Emails with Nodemailer

Extends (JWT Auth) to send a personalized HTML welcome email on every successful signup.

What's New in AuthFlow

File	Change
backend/utils/mailer.js	NEW — Nodemailer transporter + sendWelcomeEmail() + HTML template
backend/controllers/authController.js	Calls sendWelcomeEmail() after user saved; email failure never crashes signup
backend/package.json	Added nodemailer dependency
backend/.env	Added MAIL_HOST, MAIL_PORT, MAIL_SECURE, MAIL_USER, MAIL_PASS

Setup

1. Configure MongoDB (same as jwt auth)

Update MONGO_URI in backend/.env with your Atlas connection string.

2. Configure Email

OPTION A — Ethereal (free fake SMTP, no real emails, best for testing):

1. Go to https://ethereal.email → click "Create Ethereal Account"
2. Copy the credentials into .env: MAIL_HOST=smtp.ethereal.email MAIL_PORT=587 MAIL_SECURE=false MAIL_USER=xxxxx@ethereal.email MAIL_PASS=xxxxxxxxxxxx After signup, terminal prints a Preview URL to see the email in browser.

OPTION B — Gmail (sends real emails):

1. Enable 2-Factor Auth on Google account
2. Google Account → Security → App Passwords → generate one
3. Use the 16-char app password (not your real Gmail password): MAIL_HOST=smtp.gmail.com MAIL_PORT=587 MAIL_SECURE=false MAIL_USER=yourgmail@gmail.com MAIL_PASS=abcd efgh ijkl mnop

3. Run Backend

cd AuthFlow/backend npm install npm run dev

4. Run Frontend (second terminal)

cd AuthFlow/frontend npm install npm run dev

Open http://localhost:5173