diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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+# Helper Colletion
+
+A bunch of useful functions and constants
+
+## Usage
+
+```js
+const {auth,crypto,util,encoding,http_consts} = require('@scode/helper-collection');
+
+// auth is a express middleware that uses a knex database conenction to authorize users
+const authentication = auth(knex);
+
+// add cookieParser to allow session management via cookies
+app.use(cookieParser());
+app.use(authentication.handler);
+
+```
+
+to create the necessary users table, add the following to your migrations
+
+```js
+function up(knex) {
+  await knex.schema.createTable ('users', (table) => {
+    table.increments ('id');
+    table.string ('name');
+    table.string ('email');
+    table.string ('password');
+    table.string ('salt');
+    table.boolean ('deleted')
+      .default (false);
+  });
+}
+```
+
+```js
+
+// additionally it offers functions like create_user
+const salt = crypto.create_salt();
+const hash = crypto.hash_sha512('1234', salt);
+authentication.create_user('test', 'test@example.com', hash, salt);
+
+// helper functions include a bunch of different quick functions
+
+// util
+const json = util.try_parse_json('}!!invalid json') // returns null instead of throwing an error
+const n = util.truncate_decimal(23.45678, 2); // n = 23.45
+
+// crypto
+const rand_hex = crypto.random_hex(16); // outputs 16 byte random hex
+const rand_salt = crypto.create_salt(); // same as random_hex, but with fixed length of 32 bytes
+const random_string = crypto.random_string(16) // output 16 character long random string
+const hash = crypto.hash_sha512(random_string, random_hex); // returns sha 512 hex
+const check = crypto.checksum('foo'); // returns a sha 256 hex
+const argon = crypto.argon_hash(random_string); // returns an argon hash
+const is_argon_valid = crypto.argon_verify(argon, random_hex); // returns false because a different input was used
+
+// encoding
+const hex = encoding.to_hex('abc'); // convert any encoding to hex, default is utf-8
+const b64 = encoding.to_b64(hex, 'hex'); // convert any encoding to base64, default is utf-8
+const utf8 = encoding.to_utf8(hex, 'hex'); // convert any encoding to utf-8, no default
+
+// jwt like object signing
+const signed = crypto.sign_object({foo: 'bar'}, 'secret');
+const dec = crypto.decode_signed(signed); // decode a signed object without verifying the signature
+const ver = crypto.verify_signature(signed, 'secret', 10000); // verifies the signature and returns the contents. the timeout is in milliseconds and optional, timing will be ignored if omitted.
+
+// http consts contain useful constants like response codes
+
+http_consts.status_ok // easier to understand than '200'
+```
+
+## Breaking Changes
+
+### v2.0
+
+- functions.random_string is now synchronous
+- functions.random_hex
+  - is now synchronous
+  - uses length for the actual string length instead of the contained bytes
+- functions.create_salt is now synchronous
+
+### v3.0
+
+- functions.hash has been removed
+  - replaced by hash_sha512 (different hash algorithm)
+- all functions are now only accessible via their module
+- new module structure:
+  - crypto:
+    - checksum
+    - create_salt
+    - decode_signed
+    - get_signature_info
+    - hash_sha512
+    - random_hex
+    - random_string
+    - sign_object
+    - verify_signature
+  - util
+    - try_parse_json
+    - truncate_decimal
+  - encoding
+    - to_b64
+    - to_hex
+    - to_utf8
+  - auth {...}
+  - http_consts {...}
+
+## Deprecations
+
+### v2.4
+
+- functions.hash has been deprecated since it was using pbkdf2
+  - replaced by hash_sha512
diff --git a/mock_server.js b/mock_server.js
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+/* eslint-disable no-magic-numbers */
+// @ts-nocheck
+'use strict';
+
+const express = require ('express');
+const cookie_parser = require ('cookie-parser');
+const auth = require ('./index');
+const knex = require ('knex');
+const path = require ('path');
+const fs = require ('fs-extra');
+
+
+/**
+ * start the server
+ */
+async function start_server () {
+  const db_path = path.join (__dirname, 'db.sqlite');
+
+  if (await fs.exists (db_path))
+    await fs.unlink (db_path);
+
+  const db = knex ({
+    client:           'sqlite',
+    connection:       { filename: db_path },
+    useNullAsDefault: true
+  });
+
+  await db.schema.createTable ('users', (table) => {
+    table.increments ('id');
+    table.string ('name');
+    table.string ('email');
+    table.string ('password');
+    table.string ('salt');
+    table.boolean ('deleted')
+      .default (false);
+  });
+
+  const app = express ();
+
+  const authentication = auth (db);
+
+  const salt = crypto.create_salt ();
+  const hash = crypto.hash_sha512 ('foo', salt);
+
+  await authentication.create_user ('test', 'asd@example.com', hash, salt);
+
+  app.use (cookie_parser ());
+  app.use (authentication.handler);
+
+  app.get ('/', (req, res) => {
+    res.status (http_consts.status_ok)
+      .end ('foo');
+  });
+
+  app.listen (3000);
+
+  return app;
+}
+
+module.exports = { start_server };