Manage tokens in Next.js apps
2 min

Token Management in the Application

In this application, tokens are managed using the next-auth library, which provides a robust and flexible authentication solution for Next.js applications.

Authentication Flow

The application uses the CredentialsProvider from next-auth/providers/credentials to handle OAuth2 authentication with Asgardeo. When a user attempts to sign in, the authorize function is called with the user's credentials, including:

• An authorization code
• A flag indicating whether Google Authenticator is used

The authorize function then calls the fetchOAuth2Token utility function to exchange the authorization code for an access token and user details. The access token and user details are returned and stored in the session, allowing the user to be authenticated across different pages of the application.

Logout Process

Additionally, the logoutFromAsgardeo utility function is used to handle the logout process, ensuring that the user's session is properly terminated including cookies.

Other Ways to Manage Tokens in Next.js

Session-Based Authentication

This method involves creating a session for the user on the server upon successful authentication. The session ID is stored in a cookie on the client side, and the server uses this session ID to retrieve the user's session data on subsequent requests.

Pros: - Secure and allows easy token revocation - Suitable for applications that require server-side session management

Cons: - Requires maintaining session state on the server

Custom Token Management

You can implement custom token management by generating and verifying tokens using libraries like jsonwebtoken. This method provides flexibility and control over the authentication process.

Pros: - Provides complete control over token generation and validation - Scalable for stateless authentication

Cons: - Requires careful handling to ensure security and prevent token leaks