Productivity

Failed Gradle build

Gradle Multi-Module Builds: Setting Up Shared Dependencies

When you are managing a multi-module Gradle project, more often than not you’d want to share certain dependencies across different modules. This is particularly true for test dependencies. You can achieve this by defining common dependencies in the root build file and applying them to all subprojects. However, a problem often encountered is the dreaded Unresolved reference: testImplementation error. This blog post suggests a simple trick that resolves the issue. Give it a go and happy testing ever after!

By Tomas Zezula, ago
JWT token refresh

Refreshing an Access Token with Ktor and JWT

We’re back with another part of the series Conquer Authentication with KtoRemember where we left off in Part 6? We learned how to implement authentication with JWT but that lingering question remained: What happens once the access token expires? Today, we will address this concern and learn how to easily refresh an expired token in the background, without asking the user to re-authenticate.

By Tomas Zezula, ago
JWT: header, payload, signature

Conquer Authentication with Ktor: Part 6 – Implementing JSON Web Tokens

Welcome back to our journey with the Ktor framework. Our previous post introduced you to JSON Web Tokens (JWT) and their impact on authentication in modern web applications. You learned about the key benefits of JWT, such as statelessness, improved scalability, cross-platform compatibility, and enhanced security. Today, we take things a step further with a hands-on approach, showing you how to effectively implement JWT using Ktor. Follow along as we dive into the practical side of JWT with Ktor to secure your web application seamlessly and effectively. By the end of this post, you’ll have a deeper understanding of how JWT and Ktor work together to create a robust and maintainable security model.

By Tomas Zezula, ago
JWT embraces trust

Conquer Authentication with Ktor: Part 5 – Introduction into JSON Web Tokens

Welcome back to our ongoing series on the Ktor framework and its impressive capabilities when it comes to web application security. In this article, we shift our focus from traditional form-based authentication to a modern, innovative one – JSON Web Tokens (JWT). JWT provides several key advantages that have led to its growing popularity. Firstly, its stateless nature promotes better scalability by eliminating the need to maintain user sessions. Secondly, JWT’s JSON structure guarantees cross-platform compatibility. This means your authentication mechanism works equally well for web apps as it does for mobile apps or other systems. Lastly, JWT proactively increases the security of your applications, preventing attacks like CSRF. So, join us today as we delve into the world of JWT, exploring its mechanics and benefits.

By Tomas Zezula, ago
Session Management with Ktor

Conquer Authentication with Ktor: Part 4 – Session Management

Welcome to the continued exploration of form-based authentication with Ktor. Today’s post delves into session management—a feature that enables the persistence of user data across multiple HTTP requests. Session management allows users to securely access protected resources after initial authentication. Once the user logs in, the server persists user data and automatically re-authenticates users on subsequent requests. This is not only convenient from a user’s perspective but also reduces the risk of credential interception, a vulnerability inherent in basic authentication.

By Tomas Zezula, ago