Ensuring user authentication and managing inactivity are crucial components of my Nodejs application, where I leverage cookie-session and passport.js.
app.use(require("cookie-session")({
secret:keys.session.secret,
resave:false,
saveUninitialized:false
}));
To handle user inactivity on the frontend, I have implemented JavaScript code that monitors keyboard and mouse events, logging users out after 20 minutes of idleness:
var idleTime = 0;
//Increment the idle time counter every minute.
var idleInterval = setInterval(timerIncrement, 60000);
//Reset the idle timer on mouse movement or key press.
$(this).mousemove(function (e) {
idleTime = 0;
});
$(this).keypress(function (e) {
idleTime = 0;
});
function timerIncrement() {
idleTime = idleTime + 1;
if (idleTime > 19) { // 20 minutes
window.location.href = '../logout';
}
}
An issue arises when users have multiple tabs open on the website, leading to unexpected logouts without their awareness until they interact with a particular tab. Moreover, with a complex form submitting only post requests, users may lose unsaved data due to inadvertent logout.
To address these challenges, should I employ backend mechanisms for monitoring inactivity as well? Perhaps a combination of frontend and backend solutions is necessary to ensure a seamless and secure user experience.