JWT Authentication - Node JS and Express Tutorials for Beginners

This beginner tutorial shows how to secure Node.js and Express REST API routes with JWT access and refresh tokens. It covers token verification middleware, protected routes, HTTP-only cookies, refresh and logout endpoints, CORS credentials, and browser cookie settings.

Syllabus

Intro
Welcome
JWT Authentication
Set up
Installing new dependencies
Creating environment variables
Creating JWT tokens at authorization
Creating JWT verification middleware
Applying JWT token verification to specific routes
Applying JWT token verification to many routes
Adding cookie-parser middleware
Creating a refresh token controller
Creating the refresh route
Adding the refresh route to the server
Testing the refresh route
Creating a logout controller
Creating the logout route
Adding the logout route to the server
A Quick Debug
Testing the logout route
Frontend: fetch needs the credentials option
Backend: CORS needs Access-Control-Allow-Credentials
Chrome requires specific cookie options