JWTs vs. sessions: which authentication approach is right for you?

Session cookies and JSON Web Tokens (JWTs) are two prominent methods for maintaining authentication states in stateless HTTP environments, each with unique pros and cons. Session-based authentication, or cookie-based authentication, relies on the server storing user session records, providing reliability and security, but can introduce latency due to frequent database interactions. Conversely, JWTs are self-contained tokens that embed all necessary user information, allowing for faster authorization without server dependency, yet they pose challenges in terms of invalidation and updating claims. Stytch offers a hybrid approach, combining the performance of JWTs with the security of session cookies, enabling developers to customize authentication processes to meet specific application needs, balancing between security and performance.