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# JWT Best Practices Checklist

JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) are widely used for authentication and authorization, but they come with security considerations that developers must address carefully.

## Key Management

- **Use strong secrets**: Minimum 256-bit keys for HS256; 2048-bit RSA for RS256
- **Rotate secrets regularly**: Implement key rotation with the `kid` header claim
- **Never hardcode secrets**: Store in environment variables or a secrets manager
- **Use separate keys per environment**: Development, staging, and production must use different keys

## Token Design

- **Set short expiration times**: Access tokens should expire in 15–60 minutes
- **Include only necessary claims**: Don't embed sensitive data in the payload
- **Validate the `aud` claim**: Ensure tokens are intended for your service
- **Always specify the algorithm**: Never use `alg: none`

## Transmission & Storage

- **Use HTTPS exclusively**: Never transmit tokens over unencrypted connections
- **Store in httpOnly cookies**: Prevents JavaScript access and XSS attacks
- **Implement CSRF protection**: When using cookie storage
- **Don't store in localStorage**: Vulnerable to XSS attacks

## Validation

- **Verify the signature**: Always validate before trusting any claim
- **Check expiration (`exp`)**: Reject expired tokens immediately
- **Validate `iss` and `aud`**: Confirm token issuer and audience
- **Use a well-maintained library**: Don't implement JWT parsing yourself

## Revocation

- **Implement token blacklisting**: For immediate revocation needs
- **Use refresh token rotation**: Issue new refresh tokens on each use
- **Monitor for anomalies**: Track unusual usage patterns

Following these practices will significantly reduce your JWT security risk surface.

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