Architecture & Identity Architecture:
- Goal: Maintain secure user authentication and instant revocation capabilities across multiple cloud regions with zero single points of failure.
1. Token Strategy: Hybrid JWT + Opaque Session Reference:
- Pure Stateless JWTs cannot be revoked instantly without complex blocklists.
- Hybrid Architecture: Issue short-lived stateless JWTs (10-minute expiry) for fast local API verification, paired with a cryptographically random refresh token stored in a distributed datastore.
2. Distributed Session Datastore:
- Clustered Redis with cross-region active-active replication (Redis Enterprise or AWS ElastiCache Global Datastore) or distributed DynamoDB with Global Tables.
- Session record: { session_id, user_id, device_fingerprint, ip_address, created_at, last_active, is_revoked }.
3. Security & Revocation Mechanics:
- Instant Global Revocation: Setting is_revoked = true in the session store or updating a user's token_version invalidates all refresh attempts immediately.
- Sliding Expiration: Refresh token rotation issues a new refresh token upon every use, detecting token theft and automatic session hijacking.
- Cookie Security: Store tokens in HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite=Strict cookies to eliminate XSS and CSRF exposure.