Скачать или смотреть How to Use Refresh Tokens to Obtain New Access Tokens in React and Node.js JWT Authentication

In this guide, we explore how to handle token refresh in a React and Node.js application. Learn how to implement a robust authentication flow using JWTs and avoid infinite loops caused by expired refresh tokens.
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Handling Token Expiry: A Guide to Using Refresh Tokens in React and Node.js

In today's digital age, secure user authentication is critical for protecting user data and ensuring a seamless user experience. However, managing token lifecycles can become a hassle, especially when dealing with expired tokens. If you’re working with a Node.js backend and a React frontend, you might encounter issues where access tokens expire too quickly. This can lead to complications such as infinite reload loops when handles refreshment improperly. In this post, we’ll tackle how to efficiently manage access tokens using refresh tokens.

The Problem Explained

You’ve set up a JWT-based authentication system in your Node.js API, and your React app is handling user login and data requests. The main issue arises when your access tokens expire — leading to a 401 Unauthorized response from your server. Upon receiving this response, your client attempts to refresh the token, but if the refresh token also expires, you're left with no valid tokens and stuck in a reload loop. This not only frustrates users but also impacts their experience on your application.

The Solution: Implementing Refresh Tokens

1. Adjusting Token Expiry in Your Node.js API

The first step toward a solution is to ensure that your token expiration settings are appropriate. By default, JWTs can be set with a specific expiration time when they are issued. You should increase the lifespan of your refresh tokens to prevent premature expiration. You can do this by modifying the code in your token issuance route. Here’s how:

When issuing tokens, make sure to set an appropriate expiration time. For instance, consider a longer lifespan for refresh tokens compared to access tokens. A good practice is to set access tokens to expire in 15 minutes while refresh tokens might last for a few days or weeks.

2. Implementing Rolling Refresh Tokens

Instead of merely retrieving a new access token when a refresh token is used, you can issue new refresh tokens with extended expiration times each time the /api/auth/refreshtoken endpoint is hit. This practice is known as a "rolling refresh token."

How It Works:

Each time the client requests a new access token using the refresh token, also generate a new refresh token with a new expiration time.

Send the new refresh token back to the client in an HTTP-only cookie.

3. Example Code for Refresh Token Handling

Assuming you have the following API route set up for refreshing tokens, here’s a refined version that illustrates the rolling refresh strategy:

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

4. Handling 401 and 403 Status Codes

In your existing logic, when you hit a 401 response, ensure that you only trigger the refresh if the response includes an expired access token (not refresh). A simple conditional check around your catch block can help with this:

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

Conclusion

Implementing refresh tokens in your application can greatly enhance your user authentication experience. By adjusting the expiration times for both access and refresh tokens and implementing a rolling refresh strategy, you can ensure your users remain authenticated without running into token expiry issues. This not only enhances security but also improves user satisfaction. By following the steps outlined in this post, you should be able to handle token expiry gracefully in your React and Node.js applications.

If you're looking for more details or have questions about specific parts of the implementation, feel free to leave a comment. Happy coding!