Implementing JWT Authentication with Refresh Tokens in Django Rest Framework
I'm relatively new to this, so bear with me. I've looked through the documentation and I'm still confused about Currently developing an open-source project that requires a secure user authentication mechanism. I decided to implement JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for session management using Django Rest Framework. My initial implementation worked, but I realized I need to add refresh tokens for improved security and user experience. Here's what I've done so far: 1. Installed the necessary libraries: ```bash pip install djangorestframework-simplejwt ``` 2. Set up my REST framework to use JWT in `settings.py`: ```python REST_FRAMEWORK = { 'DEFAULT_AUTHENTICATION_CLASSES': ( 'rest_framework_simplejwt.authentication.JWTAuthentication', ) } ``` 3. Created the views for obtaining and refreshing tokens: ```python from rest_framework_simplejwt.views import TokenObtainPairView, TokenRefreshView urlpatterns = [ path('api/token/', TokenObtainPairView.as_view(), name='token_obtain_pair'), path('api/token/refresh/', TokenRefreshView.as_view(), name='token_refresh'), ] ``` 4. Implemented the User model and serializers to handle user data securely. While this is functioning for issuing access tokens, Iām uncertain how to best handle token expiration. The access token is valid for 5 minutes by default, but I want users to be able to refresh it easily without needing to log in again. For the refresh token, I'm thinking about extending its validity period, but how do I securely implement that in a production environment? Should I store the refresh tokens in the database, or is there an alternative method that avoids potential security risks? Another question that arises is about blacklisting refresh tokens. If a user logs out or if their account is compromised, how can I ensure the refresh token becomes invalid? I've looked at the `django-rest-framework-simplejwt` documentation but it lacks detailed examples on securely managing refresh tokens. Any insights or recommendations on best practices for implementing this kind of authentication flow would be greatly appreciated! Any help would be greatly appreciated! I'm developing on Debian with Python. Thanks for your help in advance!