Laravel session cookies with API token

In Laravel, you can use both session cookies and API tokens for authentication and authorization. Session cookies are typically used for web applications, while API tokens are commonly used for stateless APIs that serve mobile apps, single-page applications (SPAs), or other client applications.

Here's how you can implement session cookies and API tokens together in Laravel:

1. Session Cookies for Web Application: Laravel provides built-in support for session management using cookies. When a user logs in to your web application, you can create a session for that user and store their authentication information in the session. Laravel takes care of managing the session data and setting the session cookie on the client side.

   To enable session support, make sure the web middleware group is applied to your routes or controllers. This middleware group includes the StartSession middleware, which is responsible for managing sessions.

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   // Example routes with the web middleware group
   Route::group(['middleware' => ['web']], function () {
       // Your routes here
   });
   

2. API Tokens for API Authentication: For API authentication, you can implement API tokens using Laravel's built-in Passport package or a third-party package like Laravel Sanctum (formerly Laravel Airlock).

   Passport: https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/passport Sanctum: https://laravel.com/docs/8.x/sanctum

   API tokens are typically generated for authenticated users and sent along with each API request as a bearer token in the Authorization header. The server can then verify the token and authenticate the user for API routes.

3. Differentiate API Routes from Web Routes: To differentiate between web routes (using session cookies) and API routes (using API tokens), you can apply the appropriate middleware to your routes.

   For web routes (session-based authentication), use the web middleware group:

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   Route::group(['middleware' => ['web']], function () {
       // Your web routes here
   });
   

   For API routes (API token authentication), use the auth:api middleware group:

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   Route::group(['middleware' => ['auth:api']], function () {
       // Your API routes here
   });
   

4. Stateless vs. Stateful Authentication: It's important to note that session cookies are stateful, meaning the server needs to maintain the session state for each user. In contrast, API tokens are stateless, and each request must include the authentication token for the server to authenticate the user.

   Depending on your application's needs, you can choose to use session cookies, API tokens, or a combination of both for authentication and authorization in Laravel. For web applications, session cookies are often more suitable, while for APIs serving mobile apps or SPAs, API tokens are commonly used for stateless authentication.