JWT Authentication With Refresh Token as HTTP-only Cookie using NodeJS

A simple Node.js app that implements JWT-based authentication, including handling both access and refresh tokens via HttpOnly cookies. The project serves a static HTML file and manages secure backend routes.

Usage

Download repo, install dependency npm i and run node app.js

Access the App

Open a browser and navigate to http://localhost:3000

Project Structure

│
├── app.js # Node.js server file
├── index.html # HTML file for frontend operations

Functionality:

Backend:

• Static File Serving: Serves static files (HTML, JS, CSS) from the public directory.
• API Routes:
  • Register: Allows users to register with a username and password.
  • Login: Validates credentials and issues access and refresh tokens, stored as HttpOnly cookies.
  • Token Refresh: Generates a new access token if the current one expires, using the refresh token.
  • Logout: Clears tokens and removes them from in-memory storage.
• Middleware:
  • Token Verification: Checks for a valid access token, and attempts to renew it using the refresh token if it fails.

Frontend:

• HTML Interface: Provides forms for registration, login, accessing protected routes, and logging out.
• JavaScript Logic: Handles communication with the backend via fetch requests, including:
  • Handling Credentials: Uses credentials: 'include' to include cookies in requests.
  • Error Handling: Alerts users for unsuccessful actions and renews tokens if needed.

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