JSON Web Token (JWT) Guide 📚

JWT is a compact, URL-safe means of representing claims to be transferred between two parties. It's widely used for authentication and authorization in web applications. Here's a quick breakdown:

1. What is JWT? 🔍

JWT consists of three parts:

  • Header 🧾 (e.g., {"alg": "HS256", "typ": "JWT"})
  • Payload 📦 (contains claims like sub, exp, iat)
  • Signature ⚙️ (verifies the token's integrity)

⚠️ Note: JWTs are not encrypted, but signed. Always use HTTPS to secure token transmission!

2. Key Benefits ✅

  • Stateless ⚙️: No need for server-side session storage
  • Self-contained 📦: All necessary info in the token
  • Interoperable 🌐: Works across different platforms and languages

3. Common Use Cases 🌐

  • User authentication 🔐
  • API access control 🛡️
  • Real-time data sharing 📈
JSON_Web_Token

4. How to Use JWT? 🧑‍💻

  1. Generate a token using a secret key 🔑
  2. Send it to the client via HTTP headers or cookies 📡
  3. Verify on subsequent requests with the same secret 🔍

For deeper understanding, check our JWT Implementation Guide 📘.