When a user logs in, i send back a HttpOnly cookie in the response.

However when i try to read the cookies when i make a subsequent call to the API, there is nothing

Here is how i made the cookie:

var signOptions = {
    expiresIn: '30d',
    algorithm: 'RS256'
  }
  var CurrentDate = new Date()
  CurrentDate.setMonth(CurrentDate.getMonth() + 1)
  var cookieOptions = {
    httpOnly: true,
    expires: CurrentDate
  }

  const token = jwt.sign({ _id: user._id },
    fs.readFileSync(path.resolve('routes/keys/private.key'), 'utf8'),
    signOptions)

  res.status(200).cookie('stickyAccessJwt', token, cookieOptions).send('well done')

Route ('/test'):

const express = require('express')
const router = express.Router()
const { CheckAuthorisation } = require('./middleware/checkAuthorisation')

router.get('/', CheckAuthorisation, async (req, res) => {
  res.send(':)')
})

module.exports = router

Middleware (the 401 is reached here):

let checkAuthorisation = (req, res, next) => {
  var userJWT = req.cookies.stickyAccessJwt
  if (!userJWT) {
    res.status(401).send('Invalid or missing authorization token')
  } else {
    // 2. There's a token; see if it is a valid one and retrieve the payload

    var verifyOptions = {
      expiresIn: '30d',
      algorithm: ['RS256']
    }

    const userJWTPayload = jwt.verify(
      userJWT,
      fs.readFileSync(path.resolve('routes/keys/private.key'), 'utf8'),
      verifyOptions)

    if (!userJWTPayload) {
      // Kill the token since it is invalid
      res.clearCookie('stickyAccessJwt')
      res.status(401).send('Kill the token since it is invalid')
    } else {
      // 3. There's a valid token...see if it is one we have in the db as a logged-in user
      User.findOne({ '_id': userJWTPayload._id })
        .then(function (user) {
          if (!user) {
            res.status(401).send('User not currently logged in')
          } else {
            console.log('Valid user:', user.email)
            next()
          }
        })
    }
  }
}

Here is my index.js

const Joi = require('joi')
Joi.objectId = require('joi-objectid')(Joi)
const bodyParser = require('body-parser')
const cors = require('cors')
const cookieParser = require('cookie-parser')
const mongoose = require('mongoose')
const express = require('express')
const app = express()
const register = require('./routes/register')
const login = require('./routes/login')
const test = require('./routes/test')

mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost/stickywall', { useNewUrlParser: true })
  .then(() => console.log('Now connected to MongoDB!'))
  .catch(err => console.error('Something went wrong', err))
mongoose.set('useCreateIndex', true)

app.use(cors())
app.use(cookieParser())
app.use(express.json())
app.use(bodyParser.json())
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }))
app.use('/register', register)
app.use('/login', login)
app.use('/test', test)

const port = process.env.PORT || 4000
app.listen(port, () => console.log(`Listening on port ${port}...`))

I do not understand why req.cookies is empty, is there something i am missing?

When a user logs in, i send back a HttpOnly cookie in the response.

However when i try to read the cookies when i make a subsequent call to the API, there is nothing

Here is how i made the cookie:

var signOptions = {
    expiresIn: '30d',
    algorithm: 'RS256'
  }
  var CurrentDate = new Date()
  CurrentDate.setMonth(CurrentDate.getMonth() + 1)
  var cookieOptions = {
    httpOnly: true,
    expires: CurrentDate
  }

  const token = jwt.sign({ _id: user._id },
    fs.readFileSync(path.resolve('routes/keys/private.key'), 'utf8'),
    signOptions)

  res.status(200).cookie('stickyAccessJwt', token, cookieOptions).send('well done')

Route ('/test'):

const express = require('express')
const router = express.Router()
const { CheckAuthorisation } = require('./middleware/checkAuthorisation')

router.get('/', CheckAuthorisation, async (req, res) => {
  res.send(':)')
})

module.exports = router

Middleware (the 401 is reached here):

let checkAuthorisation = (req, res, next) => {
  var userJWT = req.cookies.stickyAccessJwt
  if (!userJWT) {
    res.status(401).send('Invalid or missing authorization token')
  } else {
    // 2. There's a token; see if it is a valid one and retrieve the payload

    var verifyOptions = {
      expiresIn: '30d',
      algorithm: ['RS256']
    }

    const userJWTPayload = jwt.verify(
      userJWT,
      fs.readFileSync(path.resolve('routes/keys/private.key'), 'utf8'),
      verifyOptions)

    if (!userJWTPayload) {
      // Kill the token since it is invalid
      res.clearCookie('stickyAccessJwt')
      res.status(401).send('Kill the token since it is invalid')
    } else {
      // 3. There's a valid token...see if it is one we have in the db as a logged-in user
      User.findOne({ '_id': userJWTPayload._id })
        .then(function (user) {
          if (!user) {
            res.status(401).send('User not currently logged in')
          } else {
            console.log('Valid user:', user.email)
            next()
          }
        })
    }
  }
}

Here is my index.js

const Joi = require('joi')
Joi.objectId = require('joi-objectid')(Joi)
const bodyParser = require('body-parser')
const cors = require('cors')
const cookieParser = require('cookie-parser')
const mongoose = require('mongoose')
const express = require('express')
const app = express()
const register = require('./routes/register')
const login = require('./routes/login')
const test = require('./routes/test')

mongoose.connect('mongodb://localhost/stickywall', { useNewUrlParser: true })
  .then(() => console.log('Now connected to MongoDB!'))
  .catch(err => console.error('Something went wrong', err))
mongoose.set('useCreateIndex', true)

app.use(cors())
app.use(cookieParser())
app.use(express.json())
app.use(bodyParser.json())
app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }))
app.use('/register', register)
app.use('/login', login)
app.use('/test', test)

const port = process.env.PORT || 4000
app.listen(port, () => console.log(`Listening on port ${port}...`))

I do not understand why req.cookies is empty, is there something i am missing?

• javascript
• node.js
• express
• cookies

• Why not upload images of code on SO when asking a question? – str Commented Mar 12, 2019 at 19:38
• @James please forgive me – srysry Commented Mar 12, 2019 at 20:15
• @srysry Can u show the piece of code which actually sets the cookie – Anand Undavia Commented Mar 13, 2019 at 9:31
• @AnandUndavia added now :) – srysry Commented Mar 13, 2019 at 20:02
• did you find how to do it? – user12163165 Commented Jul 10, 2021 at 20:14

2 Answers 2

  res.cookie([`JWT_TOKEN=Bearer ${token}; secure; httponly; 
  samesite=Strict;`,])

1. The first thing is to install the cookie-parser library, which is a middleware, so Express somehow can manage cookies:

npm install cookie-parser

2. Then go where you configure your Express application and add the cookie-parser library as a middleware

   const express = require('express');
   const cookieParser = require('cookie-parser');
   app.use(cookieParser());```
   
   

3. Now our Express application can do all of the cookie parsing stuff for us!

   req.cookies.JWT_TOKEN

4. In the front if you use axios you must always set in the configuration "withCredentials: true,"

const config = {
 headers: {
    'Content-Type': 'application/json',
   },
  withCredentials: true
}; 
          
    axios
      .post(
        'http://localhost:3008/api/auth/login',
        {
          username: target.username.value,
          password: target.password.value,
        },
        config
      )
      .then((data) => JSON.stringify(data, null, 2))
      .then((result) => console.log(result))
      .catch((err) => console.log('[Control Error ]', err))
  }

!!! HTTP cookies are sent automatically in all requests to the server. THE END

const token = req.body.token ||
    req.query.token ||
    req.headers['x-access-token'] ||
    req.cookies.token;

if (!token) {
   res.sendStatus(401)
}