django-totp 1.0.3

Production-ready TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) support for Django and Django REST Framework.

django-totp

Production-ready TOTP (Time-based One-Time Password) support for Django and Django REST Framework.

django-totp helps you add two-factor authentication (2FA) to your Django project with:

• Secure TOTP secret storage (Fernet encryption)
• Enrollment QR generation (SVG)
• Backup code generation, verification, and rotation
• DRF endpoints for enrollment lifecycle
• Token helpers for two-step authentication flows

This README is the single source of documentation for installation, configuration, integration, and operations.

Table of Contents

• Overview
• Features
• Requirements
• Installation
• Quick Start
• Configuration Reference
• API Endpoints
• JWT Authentication
• Integrating 2FA Into Login Flow
• Security and Production Checklist
• Troubleshooting
• Data Model
• Public Python API

Overview

django-totp stores each user's TOTP secret in encrypted form and provides API actions to:

1. Create enrollment and return a QR code
2. Confirm enrollment using a valid OTP
3. Return one-time backup recovery codes
4. Rotate backup codes
5. Disable TOTP

You can use it as:

• A drop-in REST API module in an existing Django + DRF project
• A building block for custom authentication endpoints

Features

• Encrypted secret storage using cryptography.Fernet
• Configurable issuer name for authenticator apps
• One-to-one user-to-TOTP mapping
• Configurable number of backup codes per user
• Backup code verification with one-time-use marking
• Rate limiting for TOTP endpoints
• Signed short-lived token helpers for step-up login flows

Requirements

• Python 3.12+
• Django 5.0+
• Django REST Framework 3.15+

Installed dependencies used by this package:

• cryptography
• pyotp
• qrcode

Installation

Install from PyPI:

pip install django-totp

Quick Start

1. Add apps

In Django settings:

# settings.py
INSTALLED_APPS = [
    # Django apps...
    "rest_framework",
    "django_totp",
]

2. Set encryption key (required)

Generate a Fernet key once:

python -c "from django_totp.encryption import generate_fernet_key; print(generate_fernet_key())"

Add it as an environment variable:

# .env
TOTP_ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-generated-key

And load in settings:

# settings.py
import os
TOTP_ENCRYPTION_KEY = os.environ["TOTP_ENCRYPTION_KEY"]

Important:

• Do not generate a new key on each start in production
• Changing this key later makes previously encrypted TOTP data unreadable

3. Include URLs

In your project URL configuration:

# urls.py
from django.urls import include, path

urlpatterns = [
    # your routes...
    path("api/", include("django_totp.urls")),
    path("api/", include("django_totp.urls.jwt"))
]

4. Run migrations

python manage.py migrate

5. Call endpoints as authenticated user

TOTP management endpoints:

• Enrollment create: POST /api/totp/create/
• Confirm enrollment: POST /api/totp/confirm/
• Disable TOTP: POST /api/totp/disable/
• Rotate backup codes: POST /api/totp/rotate_backup_codes/

JWT Authentication endpoints (if using JWT):

• Create: POST /api/jwt/create/
• TOTP Verify: POST /api/jwt/totp/verify/
• Refresh: POST /api/jwt/refresh/
• Verify: POST /api/jwt/verify/

Configuration Reference

All settings below are read from Django settings.

Note: Configure Your Secrets in Environment Variables! Do not hardcode sensitive values in settings.py.

TOTP_ENCRYPTION_KEY

• Required: Yes
• Type: string (valid Fernet key)
• Purpose: Encrypts TOTP secrets and backup codes at rest

If missing or invalid, django-totp raises ImproperlyConfigured.

# settings.py
TOTP_ENCRYPTION_KEY = "your-generated-key"
# generate with: python -c from django_totp.encryption import generate_fernet_key; print(generate_fernet_key())

TOTP_ISSUER

• Required: No
• Default: MyApp
• Type: string
• Purpose: Issuer label shown in authenticator apps

# settings.py
TOTP_ISSUER = "XYZ Platform"

TOTP_MAX_BACKUP_CODES

• Required: No
• Default: 10
• Type: integer
• Purpose: Number of backup codes generated per user set

# settings.py
TOTP_MAX_BACKUP_CODES = 12

TOTP_THROTTLE_RATE

• Required: No
• Default: 10/minute
• Type: DRF throttle rate string
• Purpose: Rate limit for all django-totp endpoint actions

# settings.py
TOTP_THROTTLE_RATE = "5/minute"

TOTP_TOKEN_SALT

• Required: No
• Default: django-totp-token-salt
• Type: string
• Purpose: Salt used for signed temporary token helpers

# settings.py
TOTP_TOKEN_SALT = "django-totp-token-salt"

TOTP_TOKEN_MAX_AGE

• Required: No
• Default: 120
• Type: integer (seconds)
• Purpose: Token expiry for signed temporary token helpers

# settings.py
TOTP_TOKEN_MAX_AGE = 120

REST_FRAMEWORK JWT Authentication

• Required: No (only if using JWT integration)
• Purpose: Configure DRF to use JWTAuthentication for protected endpoints

# settings.py
REST_FRAMEWORK = {
    "DEFAULT_AUTHENTICATION_CLASSES": (
        "rest_framework_simplejwt.authentication.JWTAuthentication",
    ),
}

SIMPLE_JWT Settings

• Required: No (only if using JWT integration)
• Purpose: Configure JWT behavior, token lifetimes, rotation, etc.
• Docs: https://django-rest-framework-simplejwt.readthedocs.io/en/latest/settings.html

# settings.py
from datetime import timedelta

SIMPLE_JWT = {
    "AUTH_HEADER_TYPES": ("Bearer",),
    "ACCESS_TOKEN_LIFETIME": timedelta(minutes=20),
    "REFRESH_TOKEN_LIFETIME": timedelta(days=1),
    "ROTATE_REFRESH_TOKENS": True,
    "BLACKLIST_AFTER_ROTATION": True,
    # other settings as needed...
}

API Endpoints

Base path assumes you include django_totp.urls at /api/. For JWT endpoints, include django_totp.urls.jwt at the same base path.

All endpoints:

• Use DRF user throttle (configured by TOTP_THROTTLE_RATE)
• Return error payload as JSON with detail field on validation/service errors

TOTP Setup Endpoints

When a user wants to enable TOTP, they should first call the create endpoint to get the QR code, then confirm with a valid OTP to finalize enrollment and receive backup codes.

POST /api/totp/create/

Starts TOTP enrollment. Creates an encrypted secret and returns QR SVG.

Request body:

• Empty

Success response (201):

{
    "svg": "<svg ...>...</svg>"
}

Error examples (400):

• TOTP already exists for this user

POST /api/totp/confirm/

Confirms enrollment using a valid code from authenticator app and returns backup codes.

Request body:

{
    "input_code": "123456"
}

Success response (200):

{
    "backup_codes": ["code1", "code2", "..."]
}

Error examples (400):

• User does not have an associated TOTP secret
• Invalid TOTP code

POST /api/totp/disable/

Disables TOTP and deletes associated backup codes.

Request body:

• Empty

Success response:

• 204 No Content

Error examples (400):

• User does not have an associated TOTP secret

POST /api/totp/rotate_backup_codes/

Replaces all existing backup codes with a new set.

Request body:

• Empty

Success response (200):

{
    "backup_codes": ["new1", "new2", "..."]
}

JWT Authentication Endpoints

When django_totp is integrated with JWT authentication, use these endpoints for 2FA-aware token issuance.

POST /api/jwt/create/

Initiate login with username and password. Returns JWT tokens if user has no TOTP enabled, or a challenge token if 2FA is required.

Request body:

{
    "username": "[e-mail]",
    "password": "secure_password"
}

Success response (200) — No TOTP enabled:

{
    "is_totp_enabled": false,
    "refresh": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc...",
    "access": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc..."
}

Success response (200) — TOTP enabled:

{
    "is_totp_enabled": true,
    "totp_challenge_token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc..."
}

Error examples (400/401):

• Invalid username/password combination
• User account inactive or disabled

POST /api/jwt/totp/verify/

Verify TOTP code or backup code and receive JWT tokens. Must be called after /api/jwt/create/ when TOTP is enabled.

Request body (TOTP code):

{
    "totp_challenge_token": "...",
    "otp_code": "123456"
}

Request body (backup code):

{
    "totp_challenge_token": "...",
    "backup_code": "BACKUP-CODE-1"
}

Success response (200):

{
    "refresh": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc...",
    "access": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc..."
}

Error examples (400):

• Invalid or expired challenge token
• Invalid TOTP code
• Invalid backup code
• TOTP not enabled for user (fallback check)

POST /api/jwt/refresh/

Refresh an expired access token using a valid refresh token.

Request body:

{
    "refresh": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc..."
}

Success response (200):

{
    "access": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc...",
    "refresh": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc..." // New refresh token if rotation enabled
}

POST /api/jwt/verify/

Verify the validity of an access or refresh token.

Request body:

{
    "token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGc..."
}

Success response (200):

{} // Empty response indicates valid token

Error examples (401):

• Token expired
• Token blacklisted (if using token blacklist)
• Invalid token signature

Integrating 2FA Into Login Flow

Typical 2-step login flow:

1. Validate username/password
2. If user has TOTP enabled, issue short-lived signed challenge token
3. Ask user for TOTP code (or backup code)
4. Verify code
5. Issue final session/JWT only after successful 2FA verification

Security and Production Checklist

Configure Encryption Key Correctly

TOTP_ENCRYPTION_KEY is used to encrypt stored TOTP secrets and backup codes.

Recommendations:

• Store the key in environment variables or a secure secret manager.
• Generate the key once and reuse it across deployments.
• Never hardcode the key in source code or commit it to Git.

Generate a Fernet key:

python -c "from django_totp.encryption import generate_fernet_key; print(generate_fernet_key())"

Important:

• Do NOT generate a new key on every application start.
• Do NOT change the key after users have enrolled in TOTP unless you intentionally want to invalidate existing encrypted TOTP data.
• Changing the key later makes previously encrypted TOTP secrets and backup codes unreadable.

Use HTTPS in Production

Always serve authentication endpoints over HTTPS.

This includes:

• TOTP setup endpoints
• JWT authentication endpoints
• TOTP verification endpoints

Never expose OTP codes, challenge tokens, or JWT tokens over plain HTTP connections.

Configure Throttling

Enable strict throttling for authentication-related endpoints to reduce brute-force attempts.

Recommended endpoints:

• Login endpoints
• TOTP verification endpoints
• Backup code verification endpoints

Example:

TOTP_THROTTLE_RATE = "5/minute"

Handle Backup Codes Securely

Backup codes are recovery credentials and should be treated like passwords.

Recommendations:

• Show backup codes only once during generation or rotation.
• Ask users to securely store backup codes.
• Never log plaintext backup codes.
• Never expose backup codes in debug responses or monitoring systems.

Handle OTP Codes Securely

Recommendations:

• Never log OTP codes.
• Never store submitted OTP codes.
• Avoid exposing OTP values in debugging tools, logs, or error traces.

Configure Challenge Token Expiry Carefully

TOTP_TOKEN_MAX_AGE controls how long temporary challenge tokens remain valid during the 2FA login flow.

Default:

TOTP_TOKEN_MAX_AGE = 120

Recommendations:

• Keep expiration times short in production.
• Avoid excessively large expiration windows.

Configure Token Salt Before Production

TOTP_TOKEN_SALT is used when generating signed temporary challenge tokens.

Default:

TOTP_TOKEN_SALT = "django-totp-token-salt"

Recommendations:

• Change the default value before production deployment.
• Keep the value stable after deployment.
• Don't hardcode the salt in source code if possible.

Important:

• Changing the salt later invalidates previously issued challenge tokens.

Keep Dependencies Updated

Keep authentication and security-related dependencies updated regularly.

Recommended packages to monitor:

• Django
• cryptography
• pyotp
• djangorestframework
• djangorestframework-simplejwt

Apply security updates regularly in production environments.

Troubleshooting

ImproperlyConfigured: TOTP_ENCRYPTION_KEY must be set

Cause:

• Missing or invalid Fernet key

Fix:

1. Generate a valid Fernet key
2. Set TOTP_ENCRYPTION_KEY in environment
3. Restart app processes

Confirm endpoint always returns Invalid TOTP code

Cause candidates:

• Device clock drift
• Wrong issuer/account scanned
• Code copied late/expired

Fixes:

• Ensure server time is synchronized (NTP)
• Re-run enrollment create and rescan QR
• Submit current active code from authenticator app

Backup code rejected

Cause:

• Backup code already used (one-time)
• Input mismatch due to copy/paste/whitespace issues

Fix:

• Rotate backup codes and securely redistribute

Data Model

django_totp creates two models:

• Totp
  • user (one-to-one with AUTH_USER_MODEL)
  • secret_key (encrypted)
  • created_at
• BackupCode
  • totp (foreign key)
  • code (encrypted)
  • is_used
  • created_at

Public Python API

Useful helpers you can import directly:

• django_totp.auth
  • is_totp_enabled(user)
  • generate_challenge_token(user)
  • verify_challenge_token(token)
  • get_user_from_challenge_token(token)
• django_totp.totp
  • generate_totp_secret()
  • verify_totp_code(user, input_code)
  • create_totp_setup(user)
  • confirm_totp_setup(user, input_code)
  • disable_totp(user)
• django_totp.backup_code_utils
  • store_backup_codes(user, codes)
  • verify_backup_code(user, input_code)
  • rotate_backup_codes(user)
• django_totp.encryption
  • generate_fernet_key()
  • resolve_fernet_key(default=None)
  • encrypt(value)
  • decrypt(value)

Interactive Helper Tools

The following utilities are available for development, debugging, and response inspection:

• SVG Viewer
  Render and inspect SVG payloads returned by TOTP enrollment (create) endpoints.

• JSON to TXT Converter
  Convert backup code JSON responses into plain-text downloadable format.

Tool URL:

https://django-totp-helper.pages.dev/

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please open issues for bugs or feature requests, and submit pull requests for any improvements.

Maintainers

• Kumar Sahil
  • GitHub: @krsahil8825
  • Email: [e-mail]

License

MIT License.