Code & Life: Through the Lens of S. Ali Mousavi

  • Continuing the Journey: Bringing JWT Authentication to Life in Laravel – Part 2

    In the previous part of this tutorial series, we built a clean foundation for JWT authentication in Laravel — completely from scratch and fully under our control.
    Now it’s time to put that foundation into action.

    In Part 2, we move from theory and token generation into real authentication flow: logging users in, validating tokens, binding authenticated users to requests, and protecting API routes the clean and modern way. This is where your API stops being just “JWT-capable” and becomes a complete, stateless authentication system.

    As always, my goal is to keep things simple while still going deep enough that you understand every step and can adapt the logic to real-world applications. Whether you’re a backend developer in PHP or any other language — or even a frontend/mobile developer curious about how JWT authentication works behind the scenes — this part will give you the clarity you need.

    Just like Part 1, I’ve published the full tutorial on Medium to make it accessible for a wider community.

    You can read the full article here:
    Mastering JWT Auth in Laravel from Zero – Part 2

  • Simple Start, Deep Dive: Implementing JWT Auth in Laravel Without Packages

    As I mentioned in my very first blog post, I plan to write about technology, development, and sometimes a bit of everyday life.
    This is my first post in the development category, and, as always, I’ve tried to start simple yet go deep.

    This time, the topic is implementing JWT authentication in Laravel from scratch — without using any packages.
    Even if you’re a backend developer in another language or a frontend developer curious about how JWT works, I highly recommend reading it. The concepts are valuable no matter what stack you use.

    I’ll be publishing my development tutorials on Medium so a wider community can benefit from them.
    You can read the full article here
    Mastering JWT Auth in Laravel from Zero – Part 1

  • The Beauty of Imperfection: A Glimpse into Wabi-Sabi

    If you, like me, are on a journey of discovery, self-control, and liberation from perfectionism, you’ll find the Japanese philosophy of Wabi-sabi deeply refreshing.

    Wabi-sabi is an aesthetic philosophy that finds beauty in impermanence, simplicity, and imperfection. It reminds us that everything in nature is inherently flawed and transient — like weathered wood, a dry leaf, or a cracked cup. Nothing is truly perfect, and that’s precisely where its beauty lies.

    The three core principles of Wabi-sabi are:

    1. Simplicity – Finding beauty in minimalism and authenticity.
    2. Impermanence – Embracing change and the passage of time.
    3. Imperfection – Valuing things that are incomplete or flawed.

    The essence of Wabi-sabi is clear:
    Nature isn’t perfect — so accept it as it is, and love it that way.

  • Do It Now — Time Is Slipping Away!

    It’s been quite a while since my last blog post. I could say I’ve been busy, didn’t have time, or that life got tough — and all of that might be true.

    But honestly, those are just excuses. The real reason, without a doubt, is procrastination — one of the hidden sides of perfectionism I’ve talked about before.

    In short: it’s better to do it now rather than wait for the “right time,” because the right time is now, and it won’t just happen on its own.

    Once you drop the excuses and stop procrastinating, you’ll realize how great this very moment truly is.

  • Another Limiting Side of Perfectionism

    One more limiting aspect of perfectionism is how it exaggerates the prerequisites for getting things done. Let me give you a personal example—right now, actually.

    Since last night, I’ve been wanting to publish a blog post, but my mind had created two major obstacles that, in reality, weren’t big at all.

    One of them I already mentioned in my previous post: “You have to publish something amazing.”

    The other was the idea that “You have to be on your computer and write it properly in a browser or in Word.”

    Well, I’ve now overcome both. In fact, there were no real obstacles—it was just my mind making them up.

    Just so you know, I’m writing this post on my phone, while waiting to board a flight.

  • Writing is Simple, But My Mind Makes It Hard

    One of the challenges perfectionism creates for us along the way — and I have to admit I’m dealing with it — is a lack of consistency. Even though I manage to start something simply, perfectionism still shows up when it comes to continuing.

    A clear example is writing for this blog. I know writing a post takes me less than 15 minutes, yet all kinds of excuses get in the way: “What you’re about to write isn’t valuable enough,” “It’s just an ordinary idea,” and so on.

    But the truth is, it’s not like that at all. It’s just my perfectionist mind making things harder with thoughts like: “You’re not ready to write, maybe later,” “It won’t turn out well like this, forget it,” “Now’s not the right time — wait for the perfect moment.”

    Of course, perfectionism isn’t always the reason behind a lack of consistency. Sometimes, it might be things like poor planning, mental fatigue, or other issues.

    Have you felt the same way before?

  • This Masnavi Was Delayed for a While

    Understanding the problem means you’re already halfway to solving it. At least it means you know there is a problem. Perfectionism is one of those problems we might be suffering from without even realizing it—until we finally do. In this post, I want to go back to the day I realized that I was dealing with this issue.

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  • Perfectionism: The Enemy of Starting and Continuing!

    Perfectionism makes you get so caught up in endless thoughts of starting that you never actually continue. That’s exactly what kept me away from writing for so long. You have to have really good content, your blog has to be unique, and a bunch of other “musts” that eventually lead to procrastination—and you just don’t do it.
    Procrastination doesn’t mean laziness; it means putting things off for “later,” when the right time comes—and well, there’s no guarantee when that time will show up!

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  • A Simple Start to a New Journey: Blogging at 34

    Today marks my 34th birthday, and I’ve decided to pursue one of my long-time interests: blogging. If someone asks me what my plan is for the new year, my answer is simple: “Letting go of perfectionism.” I’ve decided to gradually leave perfectionism behind and focus more on action instead.

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