diff --git a/.env b/.env
index 23679d0c..424129fe 100644
--- a/.env
+++ b/.env
@@ -27,4 +27,4 @@ JWT_SECRET_KEY=
 # This setting can influence the application's behavior, enabling or disabling certain features based on the environment.
 # For example, in 'development' mode, more verbose logging might be enabled, whereas 'production' might focus on performance optimizations and error handling.
 # Default: development (if not specified)
-NODE_ENVIRONMENT=
+NODE_ENVIRONMENT=
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/controllers/authController.js b/src/controllers/authController.js
index 0efb284a..69a21861 100644
--- a/src/controllers/authController.js
+++ b/src/controllers/authController.js
@@ -14,9 +14,9 @@ export async function registerUser(req, res) {
       return res.status(400).json({ message: "User already exists" });
     }
     // Hash the password before saving it
-    const hashed = await hashPassword(password);
-    // Create a new user instance with the hashed password and save it to the database
-    user = new User({ email, password: hashed });
+    const hashedPassword = await hashPassword(password);
+    // Create a new user instance and save it to the database
+    user = new User({ email, password: hashedPassword });
     await user.save();
     // Respond with the generated token
     res.status(201).json({ message: "User created successfully" });
diff --git a/src/middlewares/authMiddleware.js b/src/middlewares/authMiddleware.js
index a5acb786..b1211069 100644
--- a/src/middlewares/authMiddleware.js
+++ b/src/middlewares/authMiddleware.js
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import jwt from "jsonwebtoken";
+import { jwtSecret } from "../config/initialConfig.js";
 
 // Middleware to validate JWT tokens
 export default function auth(req, res, next) {
@@ -12,7 +13,7 @@ export default function auth(req, res, next) {
 
   try {
     // Verify the token using the secret key
-    const decoded = jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET);
+    const decoded = jwt.verify(token, jwtSecret);
     req.user = decoded.userId; // Attach the user ID to the request object
     next(); // Proceed to the next middleware or route handler
   } catch (error) {
diff --git a/src/models/User.js b/src/models/User.js
index 4addba8a..8275826a 100644
--- a/src/models/User.js
+++ b/src/models/User.js
@@ -1,6 +1,5 @@
 // Import required modules and configuration
 import mongoose from "mongoose";
-import bcrypt from "bcrypt";
 
 // Define a schema for the user with email and password fields
 const UserSchema = new mongoose.Schema({