Secure Session Architecture
Implementing multi-role authorization requires secure cookie storage, double-submit CSRF configurations, and automatic access token rotations to secure enterprise business sessions against XSS and interception attacks.
HttpOnly Cookies vs LocalStorage
Storing JWTs in LocalStorage exposes them to XSS attacks (malicious JavaScript reading the token). The industry standard for enterprise apps is to store the Access Token in memory, and a Refresh Token in an HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite=Strict cookie.
- User logs in -> Server issues HttpOnly Refresh Token.
- Frontend calls /refresh endpoint on load -> Server issues short-lived Access Token to memory.
- Axios interceptors automatically retry failed 401 requests by calling /refresh.
Enforcing Role Hierarchies
To prevent privilege escalation, the backend must mathematically evaluate roles. A 'SuperAdmin' (Level 5) can create an 'Admin' (Level 4), but an Admin cannot create a SuperAdmin. We encode these level hierarchies into the user model and validate them on every POST/PUT request.