Using session storage for managing user session timeout in JavaScript

21 Sep 2023

webdevelopment

Managing user session timeouts is an important aspect of web application development. It ensures that users are automatically logged out after a period of inactivity to maintain security and privacy. In this article, we will explore how to use session storage in JavaScript to implement session timeout functionality.

What is Session Storage?

Session storage is a web storage mechanism in modern browsers that allows developers to store key-value pairs locally on the client-side. Unlike cookies, data stored in session storage is not automatically sent to the server with every request. Instead, it remains available only to the current session and is cleared when the session ends or the browser is closed.

Implementing Session Timeout using Session Storage

To implement session timeout functionality using session storage, we can follow these steps:

First, we need to decide on a suitable timeout duration (e.g., 15 minutes) for our sessions.
When a user logs in or interacts with the application, we need to store the current timestamp in session storage.
```
sessionStorage.setItem('lastActiveTime', Date.now());
```

We can then periodically check the session storage to determine if the session has timed out.

setInterval(() => {
  const lastActiveTime = Number(sessionStorage.getItem('lastActiveTime'));
  const currentTime = Date.now();
  const sessionTimeoutDuration = 15 * 60 * 1000; // 15 minutes

  if (currentTime - lastActiveTime > sessionTimeoutDuration) {
    // Session timeout logic here
    sessionStorage.clear(); // Clear session storage on timeout
    window.location.href = '/logout'; // Redirect the user to the logout page
  }
}, 1000); // Check every second

Whenever the user interacts with the application (e.g., clicks a button, makes an AJAX request), we need to update the last active time in session storage.
```
function updateLastActiveTime() {
  sessionStorage.setItem('lastActiveTime', Date.now());
}
```
Now, we can call the updateLastActiveTime function whenever there is user activity.

Conclusion

By using session storage and JavaScript, we can easily manage user session timeouts in web applications. By periodically checking the last active time stored in session storage, we can determine whether a session has timed out, and take the necessary actions accordingly. This ensures the security and privacy of our users’ data.

#webdevelopment #JavaScript