Well, today we are talking about the concept of "Session Expiry", especially when you use NextAuth.js in your project. Understand in simple and friendly language, so that there is no confusion. ,

So, first of all let's understand the meaning of "Your session has expired" error. This is an

authentication related error, which occurs when the user's login session is terminated. For example, you logged in to a website or app, used it for a while, then left for a while. When I came back, the message appeared on the screen "Session expired, please log in again." Meaning, the permission that previously granted you access to the app has expired, and you will need to re-login to be authenticated again. , , , An example to understand: , Imagine, you walked into a mall and the security guard gave you a

visitor card

---

for entry. From the moment your visitor card is valid, you can roam around the mall, do shopping, watch movies. But if the visitor card is valid only for one hour and you cross one hour, you will have to exit or take permission from the security again. Exactly like this, session is also a

temporary permission

, which can expire.

, , How does NextAuth mein Session work? , Now if we implement NextAuth.js, there are some rules there as well. When a user logs in, NextAuth tracks the user's identity using JWT (JSON Web Tokens)

or

---

session cookies

. , , ,

JWT

is a token that is sent encoding the user's credentials, and is sent with every request to verify whether the user is valid or not. , Session Cookies are stored in the browser, through which the backend knows which user is currently logged in. , But, they have an expiry time

, which you set through

configuration
• . Like: , export const authOptions = { session: { strategy: "jwt", // JWT or session-based approach maxAge: 30 * 60, // session timeout of 30 minutes , // Other authentication providers are mentioned here , ,
Here maxAge means that the session will remain active only for 30 minutes. If the user takes any action (like page refresh or any request) after 30 minutes, the session will expire and the user will have to login back.
• , , Method to Avoid Session Expiry , , , Silent Refresh: You can implement a
refresh token

, which silently refreshes the session in the background, so the user doesn't have to manually login every time.

, For example, in NextAuth you can do session polling so that the session refreshes automatically: ,
useSession({ required: true, onUnauthenticated() { signIn(); // Redirect to login page if session expires , , , ,

export const authOptions = {
  session: {
    strategy: "jwt", // JWT ya session-based approach
    maxAge: 30 * 60, // 30 minutes ka session timeout
  },
  // baaki authentication providers yahan mention karte hain
}

Stay Logged In

: Some apps give the user the option to "Stay Logged In", which extends the session expiry time. This can be done using

token rotation

---

, where a new token is obtained on every request.

1. Auto Logout Mechanism: In some cases, due to security reasons, apps intentionally let the session expire early. Like in banking apps, you will notice that if you are inactive for some time, then the session gets logged out. You can also add this to your NextAuth config if you want to maintain high security.

, , , Real-Life Scenario in Apps: ,

Imagine, you are on an e-commerce app and have added some cheeses to your cart. If the session expires, you will login again, but the items in the cart will remain as they are. This is possible because the cart data may have been saved in
local storage

. But some sensitive apps like email or banking apps have to force logout

   useSession({
     required: true,
     onUnauthenticated() {
       signIn(); // Redirect to login page agar session expire ho jaaye
     },
   });

,

So friends, this is the complete foundation of session expiry, and how NextAuth.js handles it in your project. This concept may seem confusing initially, but when you implement it in the real-world, everything becomes clear gradually. If you have any doubt and want to know in detail about any specific part, then feel free to ask! , , ,