How to Build Free PHP Login System with Google OAuth - EP1

The authentication layer every PHP project needs, written without Composer and without a single external library. Login, signup, Google OAuth, OTP email, password reset, an admin dashboard — drop it in and start building the thing you actually wanted to build.

Two ways in

Username and password, or Sign in with Google through OAuth 2.0 — both routes landing in the same account. The Google setup is the part that usually stalls people, so a step-by-step guide covers creating the credentials and the redirect URI properly. A remember-me token keeps a user signed in for thirty days.

Email with no PHPMailer

SMTP is implemented in pure PHP. No Composer, no vendor folder, nothing to install on a shared host that will not let you run a package manager. It drives OTP verification at signup and OTP password reset, and there is an SMTP settings page with a test-email button so you can confirm delivery before going live.

Built to survive the internet

Every form carries CSRF protection, login attempts are rate-limited against brute force, and sessions are managed with a force-logout that ends a user's session from the admin side. These are the parts a tutorial login system leaves out and a real one cannot.

The admin side

A dashboard with statistics, full user management, in-app notifications, database backup and restore, maintenance mode, custom theme colours and site branding — with a responsive sidebar and mobile menu. Use it as a finished admin base or as the front door to your own project.