Route Handler Cookies // Auth in the Next.js App Directory

When building a Next.js app, handling authentication and managing cookies for route handlers is an important part of the development process.

Setting Up Route Handler Cookies

First, you’ll need to set up a route handler in your Next.js app. This can be done using the built-in routing system or a third-party library such as React Router. Once you have a route handler in place, you can start implementing cookies for authentication.

Storing and Retrieving Cookies

To store a cookie in Next.js, you can use the js-cookie library or the built-in document.cookie API. Here’s an example of how you can set a cookie for authentication:

        
document.cookie = "authToken=yourAuthToken; path=/;";
        
    

And to retrieve the cookie in your route handler, you can use the following code:

        
const authToken = document.cookie.replace(/(?:(?:^|.*;s*)authTokens*=s*([^;]*).*$)|^.*$/, "$1");
        
    

Handling Authentication with Cookies

Once you have set up the cookies in your route handler, you can use them to handle authentication. For example, you can check if the user has a valid authentication token in the cookie and redirect them to the login page if they don’t. Here’s an example of how you can handle authentication in your route handler:

        
if (!authToken) {
    window.location.href = "/login";
}
        
    

Conclusion

Handling route handler cookies and authentication in a Next.js app directory is an important aspect of building a secure and user-friendly application. By following the steps outlined in this article, you can effectively set up and manage cookies for authentication in your Next.js app.