How do we check if a user is logged in

0 votes
I’m building an application where I need to verify a user's login status across pages. What are the best practices for maintaining a user’s session state and checking if they’re logged in? Should I use cookies, local storage, or session tokens, and how do I handle this securely?

If there’s a straightforward method for validating login status in web applications, I’d love to hear about it.
Nov 11 in Cyber Security & Ethical Hacking by Anupam
• 5,390 points
50 views

1 answer to this question.

0 votes

Here are a few common techniques for determining whether a person is logged in and safely preserving their session between pages:

1. Use JWT (JSON Web Tokens)

  • Store the token in a secure, HTTP-only cookie or in memory.
  • Check login status by verifying the presence and validity of the token on each request.
  • Best practice: Avoid storing tokens in localStorage to protect against XSS attacks. Instead, HTTP-only cookies are more secure.

2. Session Cookies

  • Set a session cookie when the user logs in; the server can check this cookie on each request.
  • Check if the session exists on each page load by calling an API endpoint like /auth/check-session.
  • Best practice: Use the Secure and HttpOnly flags on cookies and enable SameSite to prevent CSRF attacks.

3. Server-side Session Management

  • Store session data (like user ID or token) in the server memory or a database.
  • Verify session by checking a session ID cookie against the server's session store. If the session ID is valid, the user is logged in.
  • Best practice: Use secure session management libraries like express-session (for Node.js) with a database-backed session store for persistence.

4. Check Login Status in Frontend

  • On page load, call an endpoint like /auth/status to confirm the user’s login status. If the token or session is valid, proceed; otherwise, redirect them to the login page.
  • Best practice: Implement a single point of verification (e.g., middleware) to check the login status server-side for all routes that require authentication.
answered Nov 12 by CaLLmeDaDDY
• 6,540 points

Related Questions In Cyber Security & Ethical Hacking

0 votes
1 answer

How do i check a ip address range whether it falls in Class A,Class B,Class C

class NetworkId{ static String findClass(String str){ int index = ...READ MORE

answered Feb 16, 2022 in Cyber Security & Ethical Hacking by Edureka
• 13,620 points
910 views
0 votes
0 answers

How can I check if a private key and certificate match in OpenSSL with ECDSA?

I’m working with ECDSA certificates and private ...READ MORE

1 day ago in Cyber Security & Ethical Hacking by Anupam
• 5,390 points
11 views
0 votes
1 answer
+1 vote
1 answer

How do you decrypt a ROT13 encryption on the terminal itself?

Yes, it's possible to decrypt a ROT13 ...READ MORE

answered Oct 17 in Cyber Security & Ethical Hacking by CaLLmeDaDDY
• 6,540 points
114 views
+1 vote
1 answer
+1 vote
1 answer
+1 vote
1 answer
+1 vote
1 answer
+1 vote
1 answer
webinar REGISTER FOR FREE WEBINAR X
REGISTER NOW
webinar_success Thank you for registering Join Edureka Meetup community for 100+ Free Webinars each month JOIN MEETUP GROUP