Auth & security at scale
OAuth2, JWT, IAM patterns, secrets rotation, and least-privilege service auth.
ACME LetsEncrypt Mock Challenge Server in Python
A minimal HTTP server that serves key authorizations for ACME/Let's Encrypt DNS-01 or HTTP-01 challenges during testing and validation.
from http.server import HTTPServer, BaseHTTPRequestHandler
import json
# In-memory store simulating the ACME challenge token -> key authorization pair
challenge_store = {
"token_example": "token_example.key_authorization"
}
class AcmeChallengeHandler(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
def do_GET(self):
# Extra…
AES GCM encryption and decryption in Python
Encrypt and decrypt data with AES-256-GCM using the cryptography library, including nonce generation and authenticated roundtrip verification.
import os
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.ciphers.aead import AESGCM
def aes_gcm_demo():
plaintext = b"confidential message"
key = AESGCM.generate_key(bit_length=256)
aesgcm = AESGCM(key)
nonce = os.urandom(12)
ciphertext = aesgcm.encrypt(nonce, plaintext, None)
decrypted = aesgcm.dec…
Build a Mock OIDC Userinfo Endpoint in Python with Flask
Create a local mock OIDC userinfo endpoint in Flask that returns a standard JSON user payload, ideal for testing auth flows without a real identity provider.
from flask import Flask, jsonify
app = Flask(__name__)
@app.route("/userinfo")
def userinfo():
mock_user = {
"sub": "1234567890",
"name": "John Doe",
"email": "john@example.com",
"email_verified": True,
"groups": ["admin", "dev"]
}
return jsonify(mock_user)
if __n…
ChaCha20-Poly1305 mock in Python
Simulates ChaCha20-Poly1305 AEAD encryption and authentication using SHA-256 as a deterministic keystream and tag generator.
from hashlib import sha256
import struct
def chacha20_block(key, counter, nonce):
"""Mock ChaCha20 block: deterministic pseudo-random keystream from key+counter+nonce."""
state_input = key + struct.pack("<I", counter) + nonce + b"ChaCha20"
return sha256(state_input).digest()[:64] # 64-byte keystream bloc…
Fetch Secrets from a Mock Secrets Manager in Python
Build a minimal in-memory secrets manager that stores and retrieves secret values, raising a KeyError for missing names.
import json
class SecretsManager:
"""Mock secrets manager that returns secrets from a local store."""
def __init__(self, store=None):
self.store = store or {
"api_key": "mock-api-key-123",
"db_password": "s3cret-p@ss",
"jwt_secret": "dev-only-secret"
}
…
How to Create and Verify HMAC SHA256 API Signatures in Python
Generate and verify HMAC-SHA256 signatures for API requests using Python's hmac, hashlib, and base64 modules.
import hmac
import hashlib
import base64
import json
from datetime import datetime, timezone
def create_api_signature(secret_key: str, method: str, path: str, timestamp: str, body: dict = None) -> str:
"""Create HMAC-SHA256 signature for API request."""
payload = {
"method": method.upper(),
"p…
How to Create and Verify an OpenID Connect ID Token in Python
Generate and validate a mock OpenID Connect ID token (JWT) with HS256 signing using only the Python standard library.
import base64
import hashlib
import hmac
import json
import time
from typing import Optional
def b64url_encode(data: bytes) -> str:
return base64.urlsafe_b64encode(data).rstrip(b"=").decode("utf-8")
def b64url_decode(data: str) -> bytes:
padding = "=" * (-len(data) % 4)
return base64.urlsafe_b64decode(…
How to Encode and Decode JWT with HS256 in Python
Implement JWT encoding and decoding using HMAC-SHA256 (HS256) with Python's standard library, including signature verification.
import base64
import hashlib
import hmac
import json
def base64url_encode(data: bytes) -> bytes:
return base64.urlsafe_b64encode(data).rstrip(b"=")
def base64url_decode(data: str) -> bytes:
padding = "=" * (-len(data) % 4)
return base64.urlsafe_b64decode(data + padding)
def encode_jwt(payload: dict, …
How to Generate PKCE Code Challenge in Python
This Python script generates a PKCE code verifier and its corresponding S256 code challenge for secure OAuth2 authorization flows.
import base64
import hashlib
import os
import secrets
import string
def generate_code_verifier(length=64):
alphabet = string.ascii_letters + string.digits + "-._~"
return "".join(secrets.choice(alphabet) for _ in range(length))
def generate_code_challenge(code_verifier, method="S256"):
if method == "S256…
How to Hash Passwords Securely in Python
Hash passwords with PBKDF2, random salts, and constant pepper, plus generate secure API keys using Python's stdlib.
import hashlib
import secrets
import time
import hmac
def hash_password(password: str, salt: str = None, pepper: str = "static-pepper") -> dict:
"""Hash a password with a random salt and constant pepper."""
if salt is None:
salt = secrets.token_hex(16)
salted = f"{pepper}{salt}{password}"
dig…
How to Hash Passwords and Authenticate Users in Python
A beginner-friendly dataclass-based design that hashes passwords with PBKDF2 and verifies them securely using constant-time comparisons.
import hashlib
import hmac
import secrets
from dataclasses import dataclass
from typing import Optional
@dataclass
class User:
id: int
username: str
password_hash: str
salt: str
def hash_password(password: str) -> tuple[str, str]:
salt = secrets.token_hex(16)
password_hash = hashlib.pbkdf2_…
How to Hash Passwords with bcrypt in Python
Hash a plaintext password with bcrypt using a randomly generated salt, then verify a plaintext attempt against the stored hash.
import bcrypt
def hash_password(password: str) -> str:
"""Hash a password using bcrypt with a generated salt."""
salt = bcrypt.gensalt()
return bcrypt.hashpw(password.encode("utf-8"), salt).decode("utf-8")
def check_password(password: str, hashed: str) -> bool:
"""Verify a plaintext password against …
How to Hash and Verify Passwords in Python
Hash passwords securely with PBKDF2-SHA256 and verify them using a constant-time comparison.
import hashlib
import hmac
import secrets
from typing import Tuple
def hash_password(password: str, salt: str = None) -> Tuple[str, str]:
"""Hash a password with a random salt using PBKDF2-SHA256."""
salt = salt or secrets.token_hex(16)
hashed = hashlib.pbkdf2_hmac(
"sha256", password.encode("utf…
How to Implement Refresh Token Rotation in Python
A mock auth service that issues, rotates, and validates refresh tokens, revoking old tokens on reuse to prevent replay attacks.
import time
import hashlib
import secrets
from typing import Dict, Optional, Tuple
class MockTokenService:
"""Simulates refresh token rotation for a simple auth system."""
def __init__(self):
# Token hash -> (user_id, rotation_count, expires_at)
self._active_tokens: Dict[str, Tuple[str, int,…
How to Implement a CSRF Token Double Submit Mock in Python
A mock CSRF protection class that generates and validates double-submit tokens using HMAC-SHA256 with a secret key.
import hmac
import hashlib
import secrets
class CSRFProtection:
def __init__(self, secret_key: str):
self.secret_key = secret_key.encode("utf-8")
def generate_token(self) -> str:
random_value = secrets.token_hex(16)
signature = hmac.new(
self.secret_key, random_value.enco…
How to Implement a Vault Dynamic Database Credentials Mock in Python
A Python dataclass-based mock of HashiCorp Vault that issues short-lived database credentials, tracks leases, and revokes them, demonstrating dynamic secrets rotation.
import time
import json
from dataclasses import dataclass, field
from typing import Dict
@dataclass
class DynamicCredential:
username: str
password: str
lease_duration: int
created_at: float = field(default_factory=time.time)
def is_valid(self) -> bool:
return time.time() - self.created_…
How to Mock OAuth 2.0 Device Code Flow in Python
A mock implementation of the OAuth 2.0 device authorization grant for testing authentication flows without a real provider.
import hashlib
import time
import uuid
class DeviceCodeFlowMock:
def __init__(self):
self.device_codes = {}
def request_device_code(self, client_id, scope="read write"):
device_code = uuid.uuid4().hex
user_code = str(uuid.uuid4().int)[:8].upper()
expires_in = 300
inte…
How to Mock a Redis Session Store in Python
An in-memory RedisSessionStore class with TTL-based expiry, get/set/delete/exists methods, and JSON field support—perfect for testing and prototyping without a live Redis.
import time
import json
from collections import defaultdict
class RedisSessionStore:
"""In-memory mock of a Redis-backed session store."""
def __init__(self, ttl=3600):
self._data = defaultdict(dict)
self._expires = {}
self._ttl = ttl
def set(self, session_id, field, value):
…
How to Revoke Tokens with a Blacklist Set in Python
A minimal TokenBlacklist class using a Python set to revoke, batch-revoke, check, and remove expired tokens for simple token invalidation.
import time
class TokenBlacklist:
def __init__(self):
self.blacklisted_tokens = set()
def revoke(self, token):
self.blacklisted_tokens.add(token)
print(f"Token {token} revoked. Blacklist size: {len(self.blacklisted_tokens)}")
def revoke_batch(self, tokens):
before = len(s…
How to Salt Passwords per User in Python
Hash each user's password with a unique random salt using hashlib, and verify logins with timing-safe comparison.
import hashlib
import secrets
def hash_password(password: str, salt: str | None = None) -> tuple[str, str]:
"""Hash a password with a random salt (or provided salt).
Returns:
(salt_hex, password_hash_hex)
"""
if salt is None:
salt = secrets.token_hex(16)
salted = (salt + password)…
How to Verify Passwords in Constant Time in Python
Use hmac.compare_digest to verify passwords in constant time, preventing timing attacks that could reveal password length or character positions.
import hmac
import time
# Mock of a constant-time password comparison (prevents timing attacks)
def verify_password(stored_password: str, supplied_password: str) -> bool:
# hmac.compare_digest runs in constant time (for a given length)
return hmac.compare_digest(stored_password.encode(), supplied_password.enc…
How to mock DNS CAA record lookups in Python
Parse and filter DNS CAA records with a mock lookup function, demonstrating how certificate authorities validate domain authorization.
import dnslib
def parse_caa_record(record_string):
"""Parse a DNS CAA record string into its components."""
parts = record_string.split()
flags = int(parts[0])
tag = parts[1]
value = parts[2]
return flags, tag, value
def mock_caa_lookup(domain, caa_records):
"""Mock DNS CAA lookup that re…
How to mock short TTL access tokens in Python
Simulate short-lived access tokens with a TTL, issue and validate them, and watch expiry behavior.
import time
import uuid
from datetime import datetime, timedelta
class AccessTokenManager:
def __init__(self, ttl_seconds=30):
self.ttl_seconds = ttl_seconds
self.tokens = {}
def issue_token(self):
token_id = uuid.uuid4().hex
expiry = datetime.now() + timedelta(seconds=self.t…
How to sign and verify JWT RS256 in Python
Generate RSA keys, create a JWT signed with RS256, verify its signature, and decode the payload using the cryptography library.
import json
import time
import base64
import hmac
import hashlib
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.asymmetric import rsa
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives import serialization, hashes
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.asymmetric import padding
from cryptography.hazmat.primitives.asymmetric.utils import encode_ds…
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