flask-accounts 0.2.0

Reusable Flask authentication module with registration, login, and email verification

Flask Accounts

Plug-and-play authentication for Flask with UI, database, and email verification included.

A modular, reusable authentication system for Flask applications.

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✨ Features

• User registration
• Login / logout
• Email verification (with expiration + resend)
• Password reset flow
• Password hashing (Werkzeug)
• Login and Auth request limiting
• PostgreSQL backend
• Session-based authentication
• Configurable UI (banners, redirects, custom CSS)
• SMTP email support (or terminal mode for development)
• One-command database bootstrap

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🚀 Installation

pip install flask-accounts

Latest version: v0.2.0

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⚡ Quick Start

Create run.py

from flask import Flask
from flask_accounts import init_auth

app = Flask(__name__)

app.config["SECRET_KEY"] = "your-secret-key"

# Database
app.config["DB_HOST"] = "localhost"
app.config["DB_NAME"] = "accountdb"
app.config["DB_USER"] = "accountuser"
app.config["DB_PASSWORD"] = "yourpassword"

# Email
app.config["SMTP_HOST"] = "smtp.email.com"
app.config["SMTP_PORT"] = 587
app.config["SMTP_USERNAME"] = "[e-mail]"
app.config["SMTP_PASSWORD"] = "your_app_password"
app.config["SMTP_FROM_EMAIL"] = "[e-mail]"

# Dev mode (prints emails to terminal)
app.config["USE_TERMINAL_EMAIL"] = True

init_auth(app)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    app.run(debug=True)

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🛠️ Database Setup

Recommended (first-time setup)

flask --app run.py auth-bootstrap-db

You will be prompted for your PostgreSQL admin credentials.

This command will:

• Create the database (if it does not exist)
• Create the user (if it does not exist)
• Grant permissions
• Initialize all required tables

Then run:

python run.py

Visit the URL shown in your terminal to access your app.

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Initialize schema only (existing database)

flask --app run.py auth-init-db

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🧩 Working with Your App

Flask Accounts integrates directly with your existing Flask routes and templates.

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🔁 Redirects

Control where users are sent after key actions:

LOGIN_REDIRECT = "home" # <- MUST BE IN 'templates/home.html'>
REGISTER_REDIRECT = "auth.verify_email"
VERIFY_EMAIL_REDIRECT = "auth.show_login"
LOGOUT_REDIRECT = "auth.show_login"

These values must match your Flask endpoint names.

Example

from flask import render_template

@app.route("/home")
def home():
    return render_template("home.html")

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🔓 Logout

Use the built-in logout route:

<form method="POST" action="{{ url_for('auth.logout') }}">
    <button type="submit">Logout</button>
</form>

This will:

• Clear the session
• Redirect based on LOGOUT_REDIRECT

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🔐 Protected Route Example

from flask import session, redirect, url_for

@app.route("/dashboard")
def dashboard():
    if "user_id" not in session:
        return redirect(url_for("auth.show_login"))
    return "Welcome to your dashboard"

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💡 Notes

• Blueprint routes use: "auth.route_name"
• App routes use: "route_name"
• Session stores user_id when authenticated

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🎨 Custom Styling

Place your CSS file in your app:

your_app/static/custom.css

Then configure:

AUTH_CUSTOM_CSS = "custom.css"

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📸 Screenshots

🔐 Login

📝 Register

📧 Email Verification

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⚙️ Configuration

Required

SECRET_KEY

DB_HOST
DB_NAME
DB_USER
DB_PASSWORD

SMTP_HOST
SMTP_PORT
SMTP_USERNAME
SMTP_PASSWORD
SMTP_FROM_EMAIL

USE_TERMINAL_EMAIL

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Optional

# Redirects
LOGIN_REDIRECT = "home"
REGISTER_REDIRECT = "auth.verify_email"
VERIFY_EMAIL_REDIRECT = "auth.show_login"
LOGOUT_REDIRECT = "auth.show_login"

# UI
LOGIN_BANNER = "Welcome Back"
LOGIN_BANNER_MSG = "Login to your account"

REGISTER_BANNER = "Create Account"
REGISTER_BANNER_MSG = "Register to get started"

# Password reset
PASSWORD_RESET_TOKEN_EXPIRY = 3600
RESET_PASSWORD_REDIRECT = "auth.show_login"

# Styling
AUTH_CUSTOM_CSS = "custom.css"

# Rate limiting
AUTH_LOGIN_RATE_LIMIT = "5 per minute"
AUTH_FORGOT_PASSWORD_RATE_LIMIT = "3 per 10 minutes"
AUTH_RESEND_CODE_RATE_LIMIT = "3 per 10 minutes"
AUTH_VERIFY_EMAIL_RATE_LIMIT = "5 per 10 minutes"

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🔐 Authentication Flow

1. Register
2. Verify email
3. Login
4. Reset password (if needed)
5. Access protected routes
6. Logout

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🔌 Routes

/auth/register
/auth/login
/auth/logout
/auth/verify-email
/auth/resend-code
/auth/forgot-password
/auth/reset-password/<token>

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⚠️ Notes

• Session-based authentication (no JWT)
• PostgreSQL via psycopg2
• Database setup commands are safe to run multiple times (idempotent)

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🚀 Roadmap

• OAuth (Google, GitHub)
• JWT / token-based authentication
• SQLAlchemy support
• Rate limiting

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🧑‍💻 Author

Gabriel Leffew

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📜 License

MIT