Why I Recommend Avoiding JWT? and Alternative Authentication Solutions

In my journey of working on various web and mobile applications, I’ve had the opportunity to work with different authentication methods. One of the popular choices has been JSON Web Tokens (JWT). While JWT has its benefits, I’ve come to realize that it might not always be the best choice, especially in certain scenarios. Here’s why I recommend avoiding JWT, based on my personal experience.

What is JSON Web Token?

JSON Web Token (JWT) is an open standard (RFC 7519) that defines a compact and self-contained way for securely transmitting information between parties as a JSON object. This information can be verified and trusted because it is digitally signed. JWTs can be signed using a secret (with the HMAC algorithm) or a public/private key pair using RSA or ECDSA.

Although JWTs can be encrypted to also provide secrecy between parties, we will focus on signed tokens. Signed tokens can verify the integrity of the claims contained within it, while encrypted tokens hide those claims from other parties. When tokens are signed using public/private key pairs, the signature also certifies that only the party holding the private key is the one that signed it.

When should you use JSON Web Tokens?

Here are some scenarios where JSON Web Tokens are useful:

• Authorization: This is the most common scenario for using JWT. Once the user is logged in, each subsequent request will include the JWT, allowing the user to access routes, services, and resources that are permitted with that token. Single Sign On is a feature that widely uses JWT nowadays, because of its small overhead and its ability to be easily used across different domains.
• Information Exchange: JSON Web Tokens are a good way of securely transmitting information between parties. Because JWTs can be signed for example, using public/private key pairs — you can be sure the senders are who they say they are. Additionally, as the signature is calculated using the header and the payload, you can also verify that the content hasn’t been tampered with.

Why I Avoid use of JWT?

1. Complexity in Token Management

Managing JWTs can become cumbersome, especially as the application scales. In a project I worked on, storing and refreshing tokens across different devices and platforms became a nightmare. JWTs are typically stored on the client-side, and if not managed carefully, they can lead to issues with token expiry and revocation. Handling refresh tokens and dealing with various expiration times for access tokens added unnecessary complexity.

2. Security Concerns

Despite JWT’s popularity, the security risks associated with it cannot be ignored. If the private key used to sign the token is compromised, it can lead to major vulnerabilities. In one of my projects, despite following best practices, we faced a security breach because an attacker managed to forge a JWT, impersonating an authorized user. This incident highlighted the potential risks when tokens are stored on the client side and not handled securely.

3. Lack of Fine-Grained Access Control

Another issue I encountered was JWT’s inability to provide fine-grained access control. In many scenarios, I needed to give different levels of access based on various user roles or permissions, but JWT doesn’t offer a robust built-in way to handle such fine-grained access management. This forced me to create complex middleware for role-based access control, which added unnecessary complexity to the system.

4. Token Size and Overhead

JWTs can become quite large, especially when they contain a lot of claims. In the application I worked on, the token size became a problem as the number of claims grew, resulting in additional overhead when sending requests between the client and server. This impacted performance and made network requests slower, particularly in mobile applications with limited bandwidth.

5. Token Expiry and Revocation

One of the main drawbacks of JWT is the difficulty in managing token expiration and revocation. Once a JWT is issued, it remains valid until its expiration time, which can be problematic if you need to revoke a token before it expires. In my case, revoking tokens during user logout or after a security breach required extra mechanisms like storing blacklisted tokens in the database, which defeated the purpose of using JWT in the first place.

6. Scaling Challenges

As applications grow, scaling becomes a challenge with JWT. Since JWTs are stateless, the server does not have to store session information, but this can become problematic when you need to scale out. In my experience, managing JWT across multiple instances and ensuring that tokens are valid on all servers led to synchronization issues and unexpected bugs.

While JWTs can be useful in certain contexts, my personal experience has shown that the challenges often outweigh the benefits. The complexity in managing tokens, security concerns, lack of fine-grained access control, and performance issues are significant drawbacks that can complicate development, especially in larger applications. For many projects, I recommend considering other authentication methods, such as session-based authentication or OAuth, depending on the specific requirements of your system.

Tools to Consider Instead of JWT in my case

Based on my experience and the challenges I faced with JWT, here are some alternative authentication and authorization tools that might better suit your needs:

1. OAuth 2.0

• What It Is: OAuth 2.0 is a popular open standard for authorization, offering more granular control over permissions and access.
• Why Use It: OAuth allows you to delegate authentication to a trusted provider (like Google, Facebook, or a custom identity provider), which can be more secure and manageable than JWT in some scenarios. It also allows for token expiration and revocation without the complexities of JWT.
• Use Case: Ideal for applications requiring delegated access (e.g., social logins, third-party integrations).

2. Session-Based Authentication (Stateful Sessions)

• What It Is: In session-based authentication, the server creates a session for the user and stores it on the server-side, using a session ID (often stored in a cookie) to authenticate requests.
• Why Use It: This is a more traditional and secure approach. Since session data is stored on the server, it’s easier to manage access control, expiration, and revocation. It also reduces the risk of token hijacking since the session data is not exposed on the client-side.
• Use Case: Useful for applications that require strong security and easy management of user sessions, especially in web applications.

3. Firebase Authentication

• What It Is: Firebase Authentication is a comprehensive solution provided by Google for handling authentication in web and mobile apps.
• Why Use It: Firebase provides ready-to-use tools for implementing user authentication, including social logins, email/password, and anonymous authentication. It handles token generation, management, and revocation automatically, reducing complexity for developers.
• Use Case: Great for mobile apps and small to medium-sized web applications that need quick and simple authentication solutions.

4. Auth0

• What It Is: Auth0 is an identity-as-a-service platform that provides authentication and authorization services for applications.
• Why Use It: Auth0 simplifies the process of implementing secure authentication with pre-built solutions for single sign-on (SSO), multi-factor authentication (MFA), social login, and more. It offers secure session management, token revocation, and more advanced features.
• Use Case: Ideal for applications requiring enterprise-grade authentication and access control, or when working with teams and needing customizable authentication flows.

5. Keycloak

• What It Is: Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management solution for modern applications and services.
• Why Use It: Keycloak provides centralized authentication and supports features like SSO, social logins, role-based access control (RBAC), and token management. It handles OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, and SAML protocols natively, making it a robust alternative to JWT for large-scale applications.
• Use Case: Excellent for enterprises or organizations needing comprehensive security and access control features for their applications.

6. Passport.js

• What It Is: Passport.js is a flexible and modular authentication middleware for Node.js, designed to handle different types of authentication strategies.
• Why Use It: Passport.js supports more than 500 different strategies, including traditional login, OAuth, OpenID, and more. It’s easy to integrate into your app, and its extensibility allows you to implement custom authentication methods as needed.
• Use Case: Best for Node.js applications that require flexibility and multiple authentication strategies.

7. Okta

• What It Is: Okta is a cloud-based identity and access management service that offers authentication, authorization, and user management features.
• Why Use It: Okta is ideal for large-scale enterprises requiring single sign-on, user management, and security compliance. It offers robust integrations with various identity providers and supports features like multi-factor authentication, lifecycle management, and access policies.
• Use Case: Perfect for enterprise applications or large systems that need secure user authentication and detailed access controls.

While JWT is widely used for token-based authentication, it can add complexity and security risks in certain scenarios. Depending on the needs of your application, consider switching to more secure, manageable, and scalable tools like OAuth 2.0, session-based authentication, or one of the specialized identity management solutions like Firebase, Auth0, or Keycloak. These tools simplify authentication, enhance security, and provide better control over user access.

Feel Free to Reach me on LinkedIn : Ashish Misal