Cred
Open-source Clerk clone for personal projects. Express + MongoDB + JWT auth with email verification, password reset, and rate limiting.
Updated May 20, 2026
Key Features
Auth
Zod-validated registration, email verification, JWT-based login with httpOnly cookies, and OAuth via Google and GitHub with auto-linking.
Security
bcryptjs password hashing, per-endpoint rate limiting, Helmet headers, generic login errors to prevent user enumeration, and startup env validation.
Verification on registration, forgot/reset password flow — Ethereal for development, SMTP for production.
Profile
Full profile CRUD — get and update profile, change password, and delete account.
Testing
115 tests across 7 suites using in-memory MongoDB, supertest for HTTP assertions, and Ethereal email mock.
Tech Stack
Node.js
Runtime environment
Express
HTTP server & routing
TypeScript
Type-safe development
MongoDB
User data storage
Vercel
Deployment & hosting
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Cred?
Cred is an open-source authentication service inspired by Clerk. Built with Express, MongoDB, and JWT, it provides email verification, password reset, rate limiting, and OAuth for personal projects.
Is Cred free and open source?
Yes. Cred is open source on GitHub and designed to be self-hosted for personal projects. It has 115 automated tests across 7 suites using in-memory MongoDB and supertest.
What authentication methods does Cred support?
Email and password with JWT-based login stored in httpOnly cookies, plus OAuth via Google and GitHub with auto-linking. Registration is validated with Zod and passwords are hashed with bcryptjs.