Скачать или смотреть Resolving Express Session Cookie Issues in Chrome During Development

Learn how to tackle the issue of session cookies not being set in Chrome while developing applications with Node.js, Express, and React. Follow our step-by-step guide to ensure smooth operation in your development environment.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/77153706/ asked by the user 'Carlos Sosa' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/4585097/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/77155434/ provided by the user 'Nazrul Chowdhury' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/16298054/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Express Session Cookie not set in Chrome in development mode

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Troubleshooting Express Session Cookie Issues in Chrome

If you’re a developer working with Node.js, Express, and React, you may have come across a frustrating issue where express-session cookies are not being set in Google Chrome during development. This can hinder your ability to test session-based features, especially when it works flawlessly in other browsers like Safari and Firefox. In this guide, we’ll explore the problem and provide actionable solutions to ensure that your session cookies are set correctly in Chrome.

Understanding the Problem

When you attempt to set session cookies in Chrome, you might experience the following:

The session cookie does not appear in Chrome's Developer Tools under Storage.

The same code functions as expected in Firefox and Safari without issues.

This issue often stems from the handling of cookies between development settings and Chrome's security measures.

Why Session Cookies Aren't Being Set

The most significant reason you might encounter problems in Chrome is its stricter security policies around cookies, specifically relating to the SameSite attribute.

Key Points to Note:

SameSite Cookies - Chrome requires explicit settings for how cookies should behave in relation to cross-origin requests. The SameSite=None attribute combined with secure cookies (HTTPS) is necessary for third-party cookies.

Development vs. Production - In development, serving your application over HTTP instead of HTTPS may trigger these settings, causing the cookies to be rejected.

Solutions

Solution 1: Use HTTPS in Development

To handle the SameSite=None attribute in Chrome, you need to serve your application over HTTPS in a development environment.

Set up a local SSL Certificate: Use tools like mkcert to generate a local SSL certificate.

Modify your Cookie Settings:

Set secure: true in your cookie configuration:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Solution 2: Adjust Cookie Options Conditionally

If you prefer not to set up HTTPS for local development, consider conditionally modifying the SameSite attribute to suit your environment.

You can choose to set SameSite=Lax for development or remove the SameSite option entirely:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Solution 3: Trust Proxy Configuration

If your application isn’t running behind a reverse proxy that handles HTTPS termination, you don't need to set app.set('trust proxy', 1).

Instead, use a conditional check:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion

By implementing these solutions, you can effectively address the issue of session cookies not being set in Chrome during your development phase. Whether you choose to set up HTTPS or modify cookie attributes conditionally, you'll ensure that your application behaves consistently across all browsers.

Testing session management is critical to building a reliable web application, so don’t let cookie issues hold you back. If you encounter any more challenges, feel free to reach out for further assistance!