How can I secure REST APIs using JWT authentication in Node.js and Express?

Hi,

In what product that you would like to build that with? You are posting on Networking board, I assume you're looking into the switches?

Or are you referring in general?

To secure REST APIs using JWT in Node.js and Express:

1. Install dependencies:
   express, jsonwebtoken, bcryptjs, and dotenv.

2. User login:
   On login, verify credentials and generate a JWT using jwt.sign().

3. Send token:
   Return the token to the client (usually stored in localStorage or cookie).

4. Protect routes:
   Use middleware to check the token with jwt.verify() before allowing access.

5. Example Middleware:

   const jwt = require('jsonwebtoken');

   function verifyToken(req, res, next) {
     const token = req.headers['authorization']?.split(' ')[1];
     if (!token) return res.sendStatus(401);
     try {
       req.user = jwt.verify(token, process.env.JWT_SECRET);
       next();
     } catch {
       res.sendStatus(403);
     }
   }
   
   This ensures only authenticated users can access protected API routes.

Try storing your JWTs in HTTP-only cookies, use short-lived access tokens with refresh tokens to maintain sessions securely, and always validate tokens on incoming requests in your Express API.