Building a Secure Authentication System in MERN Stack: My Experience with JWT, Refresh Tokens, RBAC, and CORS

Introduction Hey everyone! If you've ever worked on a full-stack project, you know that authentication and authorization can be a real headache. When I first started working with the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js), I struggled with setting up a solid authentication system. Debugging token issues, handling user sessions, and dealing with CORS errors were some of the most frustrating parts. But after digging deep and trying out different approaches, I finally figured out how to do it the right way. In this blog, I'll share my experience building a secure authentication system using JWT (JSON Web Tokens), Refresh Tokens, and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). I'll also cover CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) and how to configure it properly. Let's get started!

Mar 11, 2025 - 19:34

Building a Secure Authentication System in MERN Stack: My Experience with JWT, Refresh Tokens, RBAC, and CORS

Introduction

Hey everyone! If you've ever worked on a full-stack project, you know that authentication and authorization can be a real headache. When I first started working with the MERN stack (MongoDB, Express.js, React.js, Node.js), I struggled with setting up a solid authentication system. Debugging token issues, handling user sessions, and dealing with CORS errors were some of the most frustrating parts. But after digging deep and trying out different approaches, I finally figured out how to do it the right way.

In this blog, I'll share my experience building a secure authentication system using JWT (JSON Web Tokens), Refresh Tokens, and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC). I'll also cover CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) and how to configure it properly. Let's get started!