JSON Web Tokens vs Sessions
2 min readJun 27, 2024
Sessions
Session-based authentication stores user information on the server in a session cookie or some other persistent storage mechanism. This information is used to verify the user’s identity on subsequent requests. Sessions have several drawbacks:
- Session hijacking: Session cookies can be stolen by malicious actors, allowing them to impersonate the user.
- Session storage overhead: Session data needs to be stored and managed on the server, which can add to the server’s load.
- Cross-site scripting (XSS) vulnerabilities: Sessions can be vulnerable to XSS attacks, which can allow attackers to steal session cookies and compromise user accounts.
JSON Web Tokens (JWTs)
JWTs are a JSON-based standard for securely transmitting information between parties. They consist of three segments:
- Header: Contains metadata about the token, such as the token type and algorithm used to sign it.
- Payload: Contains claims about the user, such as their identity and expiration time.
- Signature: Used to verify the authenticity and integrity of the token.
JWTs offer several advantages over sessions:
- Security: JWTs are…