Session vs JWT Auth in Express.js: Which Wins?

🔐 Session vs JWT Authentication: Express.js Showdown

Session auth stores user state server-side, while JWT uses client-side tokens. But which is better for your Express.js app? Full comparison with code examples here.

🧩 Key Differences at a Glance

// Session Authentication
app.use(session({ secret: 'key', cookie: { maxAge: 3600000 } }));

// JWT Authentication
const token = jwt.sign({ userID: 123 }, 'secret', { expiresIn: '1h' });

	Session Auth	JWT Auth
State	Server-side storage	Client-side token
Scalability	Needs session sharing	Stateless by design
Security	CSRF risks	XSS risks

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🚀 When to Use Which?

Choose Sessions When:

• You need instant logout capability
• Handling sensitive financial transactions
• Using server-side templates (EJS/Pug)

Go JWT When:

• Building microservices architecture
• Developing mobile/SPA frontends
• Needing stateless authentication

🛡️ Critical Security Tips

• 🔒 Always use httpOnly and Secure cookie flags
• 🛡️ Implement CSRF protection for sessions
• ⏳ Set reasonable token expiration times
• 🔄 Rotate encryption secrets regularly

👉 Full Step-by-Step Guide with Express.js Code

Includes:

• ✅ Complete middleware setup
• 🛠️ Production-ready configurations
• 🚨 Common security pitfalls
• 📊 Real-world performance benchmarks