Elevate Your Next.js Security: Middleware Authorization with Userfront

Securing a Next.js application with Userfront involves implementing middleware-level authorization instead of component-level practices to enhance security and maintain user trust. Userfront offers a modern Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution that integrates seamlessly with Next.js and provides features like Single Sign-On, multi-tenancy, two-factor authentication, and custom JWTs. These features are available with a free tier, making them accessible to developers. The guide emphasizes the importance of middleware for authentication, as it centralizes security logic, ensures robust authorization through JWT verification, and optimizes performance by excluding public routes from checks. Component-level authorization can lead to security flaws due to unnecessary redirects, insecure logic, and performance issues. By using middleware, developers can protect sensitive routes and provide a seamless user experience while adhering to best practices for application security.