Refresh Token Guide: Access Tokens and Refresh Flow
How access and refresh token pairs work, the right expiry windows for each, and how to implement silent token refresh.
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Tags: security, authentication, tokens
Refresh Token Guide: Long-Lived Credentials Done Right Access tokens that last for hours are dangerous. Refresh tokens that last forever are worse. Yet applications need to keep users logged in without demanding credentials every fifteen minutes. Refresh tokens solve this tension — but only if you implement them correctly. Done wrong, they become long-lived credentials that attackers can steal and abuse silently. The Two-Token System The refresh token pattern separates authentication into two complementary credentials: Access token: Short-lived (5–15 minutes), stateless JWT that authorizes each API request. When it expires, the client requests a new one using the refresh token. Refresh token: Long-lived (days or weeks), opaque credential stored server-side. Used exclusively to obtain new…
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