Certainly! Adding authentication to your Next.js and Express.

js application using JWT (JSON

Web Tokens) and bcrypt is a crucial step for securing your app. Let’s break it down into
steps:
1. Setting Up Your Next.js Frontend:
o First, ensure you have a Next.js project set up. If not, create one using npx
create-next-app.
o Create a login form where users can input their credentials (email and
password). You can use a Next.js page (e.g., pages/login.tsx).
o Here’s a basic example of a login form:
2. // pages/login.tsx
3. import { FormEvent } from 'react';
4. import { useRouter } from 'next/router';
5.
6. export default function LoginPage() {
7. const router = useRouter();
8.
9. async function handleSubmit(event: FormEvent<HTMLFormElement>) {
10. event.preventDefault();
11. const formData = new FormData(event.currentTarget);
12. const email = formData.get('email');
13. const password = formData.get('password');
14.
15. // Send a request to your Express.js API route for user
authentication
16. const response = await fetch('/api/auth/login', {
17. method: 'POST',
18. headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
19. body: JSON.stringify({ email, password }),
20. });
21.
22. if (response.ok) {
23. router.push('/profile'); // Redirect to a protected page upon
successful login
24. } else {
25. // Handle login errors
26. }
27. }
28.
29. return (
30. <form onSubmit={handleSubmit}>
31. <input type="email" name="email" placeholder="Email"
required />
32. <input type="password" name="password" placeholder="Password"
required />
33. <button type="submit">Login</button>
34. </form>
35. );
36. }
37. Express.js Backend Setup:
o Set up your Express.js server.
o Create an API route (e.g., /api/auth/login) to handle user authentication.
o In this route, validate the user’s credentials (email and password) against your
database (e.g., MongoDB).
o Use bcrypt to hash and compare passwords securely.
o If authentication is successful, generate a JWT token and send it back to the
client.
 38. JWT (JSON Web Tokens):
o Install the jsonwebtoken package (npm install jsonwebtoken).
o In your Express.js route, create a JWT token with relevant user information
(e.g., user ID, email).
o Sign the token using a secret key.
o Send the token to the client (usually as a cookie or in the response body).
39. Protecting Routes:
o Create middleware to verify JWT tokens on protected routes.
o For example, if a user tries to access a profile page (/profile), check if their
token is valid.
o If valid, allow access; otherwise, redirect them to the login page.
40. Logout:
o Implement a logout mechanism by clearing the JWT token (e.g., removing the
cookie).
41. Error Handling:
o Handle errors gracefully (e.g., invalid credentials, expired tokens).
42. Additional Considerations:
o Explore more advanced authentication strategies like OAuth or passwordless
logins.
o Consider using libraries like passport.js for authentication middleware.
Remember that this is a simplified example. In a production environment, you’d want to
enhance security, handle refresh tokens, and manage user sessions effectively. Feel free to
explore additional resources and tutorials to dive deeper into JWT authentication with Next.js
and Express.js:
 Next.js Authentication Tutorial with Example App
 NextAuth.js Tutorials
 Express.js JWT Authentication Tutorial
Happy coding! 🚀