Vue Login and Handling the JWT Token

When building a full stack application with Vue.js, one of the common tasks is to implement user authentication and handle JWT tokens from an API. In this article, we will go over how to create a login feature in a Vue application and handle the JWT token that is returned from the API.

Creating a Login Form

The first step in implementing user authentication is to create a login form in your Vue application. You can use HTML and Vue’s data binding to create a simple form that accepts a username and password:

        <template>
          <div>
            <form @submit="login">
              <input type="text" v-model="username" placeholder="Username">
              <input type="password" v-model="password" placeholder="Password">
              <button type="submit">Login</button>
            </form>
          </div>
        </template>

        <script>
          export default {
            data() {
              return {
                username: '',
                password: ''
              };
            },
            methods: {
              login(e) {
                e.preventDefault();
                // Call API to authenticate user
              }
            }
          };
        </script>
    

Handling the JWT Token

Once the user submits the login form, you will need to make a request to the API to authenticate the user. If the user is authenticated successfully, the API will return a JWT token, which can be stored in the browser’s local storage for subsequent API requests:

        <script>
          export default {
            methods: {
              async login(e) {
                e.preventDefault();

                try {
                  const response = await fetch('https://api.example.com/login', {
                    method: 'POST',
                    headers: {
                      'Content-Type': 'application/json'
                    },
                    body: JSON.stringify({ 
                      username: this.username, 
                      password: this.password 
                    })
                  });

                  const data = await response.json();
                  if (data.token) {
                    localStorage.setItem('token', data.token);
                    // Redirect user to dashboard or homepage
                  } else {
                    // Display error message to user
                  }
                } catch (error) {
                  console.error(error);
                }
              }
            }
          };
        </script>
    

Conclusion

Implementing user authentication and handling JWT tokens in a Vue application is an important part of building a full stack application. By creating a login form and handling the JWT token returned from an API, you can ensure that your application is secure and only allows authenticated users to access protected resources.

If you are interested in learning more about full stack development with Vue.js, be sure to check out our comprehensive Full Stack Courses where you can learn everything you need to know about building full stack applications with Vue.js and other modern technologies.