Stop Using JWTs
4 hours ago
- #Authentication
- #Web Development
- #Security
- JWTs are unsuitable for maintaining user login sessions due to security vulnerabilities and design limitations.
- Regular cookie sessions are recommended over JWTs for authentication, as they are more secure and purpose-built.
- Avoid using localStorage or sessionStorage for storing authentication credentials, including JWTs.
- JWTs are intended for short-lived tokens (under 5 minutes), whereas sessions require longer lifespans.
- Stateless authentication is not feasible securely; state management via a database is necessary for robust sessions.
- The JWT specification has security flaws and is not trusted by experts, making it risky for authentication purposes.
- Google uses JWTs only for Single Sign-On (SSO) transports, not for browser sessions, relying on cookie sessions instead.
- PASETO is a secure alternative to JWTs for short-lived, signed tokens, but it should not be used for sessions.
- Sessions can be implemented easily in most web frameworks, such as using express-session middleware in Node.js.
- Having stateful services with a database enables effective session management, even in APIs.