ADR0000: Use Django's authentication for user management

[kimadactyl]

• Status: proposed
• Deciders: Kim, Alice
• Date: 2020-02-01

Context and Problem Statement

We need to ensure the site is highly secure against fascists and trolls, but we also need the website to be simple for admin users.

Decision Drivers

• Limited budget
• Desire to not use Amazon services
• Need to run on multiple devices (including iPad)
• Needs to be secure
• Rather not rely on an external email provider

Considered Options

• Auth0 (including paid and free options, and including their various offerings)
• Django's in-built user management

Decision Outcome

Chosen option: "Django's in-built user management", because it comes for free and meets the requirements.

Positive Consequences

• Limited additional work to secure it
• No additional third-parties to deal with

Negative Consequences

• We need to be confident we are managing passwords securely
• More work to enforce 2FA if we need this

Pros and Cons of the Options

Auth0

Auth0 provides a number of methods for managing users. This simplest being a database of users, which can be used with a Django plugin. The most complicated being passwordless, which would require custom code.

• Good, because we don't store passwords ourselves
• Good, because it can provide 2FA (if you pay or integrate with Twilio)
• Bad, because we are expected to maintain email services
• Bad, because the free version is not considered production-ready
• Bad, because the user-flow isn't clean
• Bad, because it requires a Django plugin
• Bad, because we have to maintain the Auth0 integration
• Bad, because it is a third-party we have to deal with

[option 2]

Django comes with user management out of the box.

• Good, because no third-parties
• Good, because it integrates with the inbuilt admin dashboard easily
• Bad, because we need to maintain email services
• Bad, because 2FA isn't as easy to add