--- title: Secure NestJS + Next.js API Proxy Starter: The Ultimate... description: A full-stack starter template implementing secure cookie-based authentication between Next.js App Router and NestJS backend. Features include HTTP-only... canonical: https://daily.dev/posts/secure-nestjs-next-js-api-proxy-starter-the-ultimate-guide-to-cookie-based-auth-wgkpfghqp twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:site: @dailydotdev og:type: website og:site_name: daily.dev og:title: Secure NestJS + Next.js API Proxy Starter: The Ultimate Guide to Cookie-Based Auth | daily.dev og:description: A full-stack starter template implementing secure cookie-based authentication between Next.js App Router and NestJS backend. Features include HTTP-only... og:url: https://daily.dev/posts/secure-nestjs-next-js-api-proxy-starter-the-ultimate-guide-to-cookie-based-auth-wgkpfghqp og:image: https://api.daily.dev/og/posts/wgkPfGhQp.png og:image:alt: Secure NestJS + Next.js API Proxy Starter: The Ultimate Guide to Cookie-Based Auth og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 630 og:locale: en --- > ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://daily.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Secure NestJS + Next.js API Proxy Starter: The Ultimate Guide to Cookie-Based Auth **[Kiss Tamás](https://daily.dev/sources/ymexwsv7diulfl9mdfbgs)** · [@kisstamas](https://daily.dev/kisstamas) · 2 min read · 0 upvotes · 0 comments ## Summary A full-stack starter template implementing secure cookie-based authentication between Next.js App Router and NestJS backend. Features include HTTP-only encrypted session cookies using JWE, automatic token refresh with race condition handling, multi-device session support with device tracking, CSRF protection, and streaming capabilities for file uploads and downloads. The architecture uses a Next.js API proxy route handler to intercept 401 errors and refresh tokens server-side, keeping access tokens away from client JavaScript. Built with modern tooling including Drizzle ORM, PostgreSQL, Zod validation, and Docker Compose for local development. ## Content Hey devs! 👋 I just built a robust starter template that solves one of the most common headaches in full-stack development: securely connecting a Next.js App Router frontend with a NestJS backend. If you've ever struggled with where to store JWTs (localStorage vs. cookies), how to handle token refreshing on the server-side, or how to proxy requests without exposing sensitive data, this project is for you. 🌟 The Core Solution: Universal API Proxy At the heart of this project is a Next.js Route Handler (/api/(api-proxy)/[...path]) that acts as a secure gateway. It intercepts 401s, refreshes access tokens automatically using HTTP-only cookies, and retries requests—all without the client-side code ever knowing. 🛡️ Security First Architecture * **Zero Client-Side Tokens**: Access and Refresh tokens are stored in encrypted, HTTP-only, Secure, SameSite cookies. They never touch the browser's JavaScript. * **Session Encryption**: We use jose (JWE) with HS256 to encrypt the entire session payload inside the cookie. * **CSRF Protection**: By using SameSite=Lax cookies and server-side proxying, we mitigate CSRF risks naturally. 🔄 Smart Proxy & Advanced Session Management * **Multi-Device Support**: The backend supports multiple active sessions per user. You can be logged in on your phone, laptop, and tablet simultaneously without one kicking the other out. * **Device Tracking**: Every session automatically captures and stores the user's IP Address and User-Agent, giving you full visibility into active sessions for security auditing. * **Concurrent Token Rotation**: The backend implements a Grace Period mechanism. If multiple requests trigger a refresh simultaneously, the backend temporarily accepts the "old" refresh token to prevent race conditions and "Token Revoked" errors. * **Streaming Support**: Full support for file uploads (multipart/form-data) and binary downloads through the proxy. 🏗️ The Tech Stack Deep Dive **Frontend: Modern & Type-Safe** * Next.js 16 (App Router): Leveraging React Server Components for performance and SEO. * Shadcn-ui * Zod: Strict schema validation for forms and API responses. **Backend: Scalable & Robust** * NestJS 11: Enterprise-grade architecture with modules, guards, and interceptors. * Drizzle ORM: The new standard for TypeScript ORMs—lightweight, edge-ready, and fully type-safe. * PostgreSQL: Reliable relational data storage. * Passport.js & Argon2: Industry-standard authentication strategies and secure password hashing. 🐳 DevOps Ready * Docker Compose: Includes a complete setup for the PostgreSQL database, making local development a breeze. Check out the code and let me know what you think! [[Link to Repository]](https://github.com/kisstamasj/nestjs-nextjs-api-proxy.git) ## Similar posts on daily.dev - [Handling Auth in Next.js 16 with Server Actions and Middleware](https://daily.dev/posts/handling-auth-in-next-js-16-with-server-actions-and-middleware-isvz1eirv) · Auth0 · 11 upvotes · 0 comments - [Minting Next.js Authentication Cookies · Embrace The Red](https://daily.dev/posts/minting-next-js-authentication-cookies-embrace-the-red-yw0jvsl0q) · Embrace The Red · 1 upvotes · 0 comments - [What's the best way to do authentication in modern applications](https://daily.dev/posts/what-s-the-best-way-to-do-authentication-in-modern-applications-7iho9es5q) · Neciu Dan · 25 upvotes · 0 comments - [Protecting Next.js Applications in the Era of Server Actions](https://daily.dev/posts/protecting-next-js-applications-in-the-era-of-server-actions-wqyz3uq9e) · JS Dev Space · 2 upvotes · 0 comments - [JWT Authentication in React: Secure Routes, Context, and Token Handling](https://daily.dev/posts/jwt-authentication-in-react-secure-routes-context-and-token-handling-p4wzm8hta) · Syncfusion · 1 upvotes · 0 comments --- Tags: [#security](https://daily.dev/tags/security), [#typescript](https://daily.dev/tags/typescript), [#authentication](https://daily.dev/tags/authentication), [#nextjs](https://daily.dev/tags/nextjs), [#nestjs](https://daily.dev/tags/nestjs) [View this post on daily.dev](https://daily.dev/posts/secure-nestjs-next-js-api-proxy-starter-the-ultimate-guide-to-cookie-based-auth-wgkpfghqp) ```json {"@context":"https://schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization","name":"daily.dev","url":"https://daily.dev","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://daily.dev/apple-touch-icon.png","width":180,"height":180},"sameAs":["https://twitter.com/dailydotdev","https://github.com/dailydotdev","https://www.linkedin.com/company/daily-dev-ltd"]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https://daily.dev/#website","url":"https://daily.dev","name":"daily.dev","publisher":{"@id":"https://daily.dev/#organization"},"potentialAction":{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https://daily.dev/search?q={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}}]} {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"DiscussionForumPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https://daily.dev/posts/secure-nestjs-next-js-api-proxy-starter-the-ultimate-guide-to-cookie-based-auth-wgkpfghqp","headline":"Secure NestJS + Next.js API Proxy Starter: The Ultimate Guide to Cookie-Based Auth","text":"A full-stack starter template implementing secure cookie-based authentication between Next.js App Router and NestJS backend. 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