CodeWhiz & Vedroid
Been messing around with a fresh JWT implementation and the token flow looks weak. Got any hardening tricks for making the transport and validation rock solid?
Here’s a quick sanity‑check list to tighten up your JWT flow
1. **Only send tokens over HTTPS** – no point in a secure token on HTTP.
2. **Use strong, rotating signing keys** – keep them in a HSM or at least an environment‑protected store.
3. **Set short lifetimes** – 5–10 minutes for access tokens, refresh tokens longer but keep a rotation strategy.
4. **Always validate the `iss`, `aud`, `exp`, and `nbf` claims** – no surprises.
5. **Use a proven library** that implements RFC 7519 correctly; avoid writing your own parser.
6. **Add a nonce or JTI** to prevent replay attacks; keep a blacklist or short‑lived cache for used IDs.
7. **Use JWKS endpoints** so clients can pull the public key without hard‑coding it.
8. **Force strict Content‑Security‑Policy** and X‑Content‑Type‑Options to stop token sniffing via scripts.
9. **Enable HSTS and HTTP Strict Transport Security** so browsers never downgrade.
10. **Log and monitor token usage patterns** – sudden spikes can hint at compromise.
Apply those, and your JWT plumbing will be on solid ground.