SameSite Cookies in Node.js and JavaScript

SameSite cookies are a security feature that can help protect against certain types of cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks. In this tutorial, we will explore how to use SameSite cookies in Node.js and JavaScript.

What are SameSite Cookies?

SameSite cookies are a type of cookie that can be set with an attribute that tells the browser whether or not to send the cookie in cross-site requests. Cross-site requests are requests made to a different origin than the current page.

By default, cookies are sent in cross-site requests. This can allow an attacker to perform a CSRF attack by tricking the user's browser into making a request to a third-party site with the user's credentials.

SameSite cookies help protect against this type of attack by allowing the server to specify whether or not the cookie should be sent in a cross-site request. This can help prevent the attacker from being able to use the user's credentials to perform actions on the user's behalf.

How to Use SameSite Cookies in Node.js and JavaScript

To set a SameSite cookie in Node.js, you can use the set-cookie header with the SameSite attribute set to either Strict or Lax. The Strict option will prevent the cookie from being sent in any cross-site request, while the Lax option will allow the cookie to be sent in cross-site requests that are initiated by a top-level navigation.

Here is an example of setting a SameSite cookie with the Strict option in Node.js:

res.setHeader('Set-Cookie', `my-cookie=my-value; SameSite=Strict`);

To set a SameSite cookie in JavaScript, you can use the document.cookie property with the SameSite attribute set to either Strict or Lax. Note that setting cookies with JavaScript may not work for all browsers, as some browsers may not allow cookies to be set from JavaScript.

Here is an example of setting a SameSite cookie with the Lax option in JavaScript:

document.cookie = 'my-cookie=my-value; SameSite=Lax';

Summary

In this tutorial, we explored how to use SameSite cookies in Node.js and JavaScript. SameSite cookies can help protect against CSRF attacks by allowing the server to specify whether or not the cookie should be sent in cross-site requests. By default, cookies are sent in cross-site requests, which can allow an attacker to use the user's credentials to perform actions on the user's behalf. With SameSite cookies, the server can help prevent this type of attack by controlling whether or not the cookie can be sent in cross-site requests.