Authentication System

The problem

The Long Now Foundation needed secure authentication for its member portal. Members open exclusive content. Security had to be strong and the experience smooth. The key requirements: safe token management, magic-link authentication and network isolation.

What I built

I built and shipped a serverless authentication system on AWS:

• JWT tokens and magic links: members sign in without a password
• AWS Lambda functions for the backend
• PostgreSQL with RDS Proxy for safe database connections
• BetterAuth for the authentication flows
• Network isolation in three zones: internet, DMZ, private

Stack

AWS Lambda • JWT • PostgreSQL • BetterAuth • RDS Proxy

Result

The system runs in production and handles member access securely. The serverless design scales with demand and keeps upkeep low for the Foundation's team.