Implementing JWT Auth in Laravel and React with Secure Token Rotation: Intro

In this series, we’ll walk through setting up JWT authentication with refresh token rotation using Laravel Passport. And implement it in our react js application with secure token rotation.

What will our flow look like?

1. User logs in
   The client sends login credentials to the server.

2. Server responds with tokens
   The server generates an accessToken and a refreshToken, and sets them in cookies (HttpOnly for refresh token to prevent XSS attacks).

3. Redux stores accessToken in memory
   For fast access and to avoid exposing it in localStorage.

4. Attach token to every request
   On each API call, Redux middleware or interceptor appends the accessToken as a Bearer token in the Authorization header.

5. Handle unauthorized (401) responses
   If the access token has expired, the client uses the refreshToken to request a new accessToken.

6. Token rotation
   If the refreshToken is valid, the server sends back a new pair of tokens (access + refresh) — rotating the refreshToken to minimize abuse if stolen.

7. Redirect on failure
   If the refreshToken is invalid or expired, the user is logged out and redirected to the login page.