What is the best way to pass and save information across different routes in Express using Node.js?

Question

What is the best way to pass and save information across different routes in Express using Node.js?

Let's delve into the specific functionalities I envision for my server. Essentially, my project involves user registration and login processes.

The URLs for these routes are as follows - localhost:3000/login and localhost:3000/register

Upon successful login using their credentials (POST), users should be directed to localhost:3000/home, a personalized page. Instead of passing data via templating engines, I aim to make this data accessible across all routes for flexible usage.

The challenge I'm facing currently is regarding session storage. The user data, stored in a session upon logging in, isn't transferable between routes. This means that the session set up for the /login route is not usable for the /home route or any other route, for that matter. Is there a feasible way to save a session whenever a user logs in (using POST) and ensure that the session data is accessible throughout all routes?

server.js


var express = require('express');
const path = require('path');
const fs = require('fs');
const session = require('express-session');
const { v4: uuidv4 } = require('uuid');
const app = express();

app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, 'public')));
app.use(express.static(path.join(__dirname, 'public/auth-pages')));

// Additional code and route handling methods as per requirements

javascript node.js express authentication routes

Answer 1

Answer №1

One way to maintain user data between routes is by utilizing cookies.

If you prefer not to store all the data in the browser, you can save the user id in cookies and keep the rest of the data in a repository object.

For instance: create a class that manages the state of logged-in users and make it accessible across routes. Instantiate this class and export its object.

(Note that this method only keeps the state in memory and will be lost upon service restart/shutdown. To preserve the state after such events, consider storing it in a database like Redis or MongoDB).

Repository class:

class UserRepo {
   constructor() {
       this.users = {};
   }

   set(user) {
       this.users[user.id] = user;
   }

   get(userId) {
       return this.users[userId];
   }
}

let repo = new UserRepo();
module.exports = repo;

Route handler:

const express = require('express');
const router = express.Router();
const repo = require('./userrepository.js');

router.post('/login', (req, res, next) => {
  // Perform login logic here and obtain user id
  let user = ...
  let loggedIn = ...

  if (loggedIn) {
      res.cookie('userId', user.id)
      repo.set(user)
  }
});

route.get('/home', (req, res, next) => {
      let userId = req.cookies.userId 
      let user = repo.get(userId);
});

Answer 2

One way to maintain user data between routes is by utilizing cookies.

If you prefer not to store all the data in the browser, you can save the user id in cookies and keep the rest of the data in a repository object.

For instance: create a class that manages the state of logged-in users and make it accessible across routes. Instantiate this class and export its object.

(Note that this method only keeps the state in memory and will be lost upon service restart/shutdown. To preserve the state after such events, consider storing it in a database like Redis or MongoDB).

Repository class:

class UserRepo {
   constructor() {
       this.users = {};
   }

   set(user) {
       this.users[user.id] = user;
   }

   get(userId) {
       return this.users[userId];
   }
}

let repo = new UserRepo();
module.exports = repo;

Route handler:

const express = require('express');
const router = express.Router();
const repo = require('./userrepository.js');

router.post('/login', (req, res, next) => {
  // Perform login logic here and obtain user id
  let user = ...
  let loggedIn = ...

  if (loggedIn) {
      res.cookie('userId', user.id)
      repo.set(user)
  }
});

route.get('/home', (req, res, next) => {
      let userId = req.cookies.userId 
      let user = repo.get(userId);
});

Answer 3

Answer №2

To tackle this issue, consider implementing a system where user data is stored in a centralized database rather than relying on individual server instances. By creating a class to manage user information across servers, you can avoid the pitfalls of potential failures and scalability limitations. For example, if multiple servers are handling requests with load balancing, having a shared repository for user data ensures consistency and availability regardless of which server processes each request.

Answer 4

To tackle this issue, consider implementing a system where user data is stored in a centralized database rather than relying on individual server instances. By creating a class to manage user information across servers, you can avoid the pitfalls of potential failures and scalability limitations. For example, if multiple servers are handling requests with load balancing, having a shared repository for user data ensures consistency and availability regardless of which server processes each request.

What is the best way to pass and save information across different routes in Express using Node.js?

Answer №1

Answer №2

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