Skill
Authentication for the web
Sessions, cookies, OAuth. Know what you are trusting.
Do these first
What you will be able to do
- Explain why passwords are hashed
- Describe an OAuth authorization code flow
- List what belongs in an HTTP-only cookie
Curated resources
Start with the pick, then branch out
Scores are LearnPath editorial opinions (clarity, cost, freshness, project density) — not an objective ranking. Every YouTube item is embedded officially after a click-to-load facade.
Official docs
LearnPath pickcheatsheetintermediate
OWASP Authentication Cheat Sheet
OWASP40 min
Required reading before you roll your own auth — which you should not.
Score 94
Open
15 minFastest pathQuick pathyoutube videobeginner
What Is JWT and Why Should You Use JWT
Web Dev Simplified15 min
Fifteen minutes that explain what a JWT actually contains, how the signature proves the payload has not been tampered with, and when a plain session cookie is the better design. The right first watch before implementing token auth, and a useful correction for the 'JWT everywhere' habit.
Score 69
Watch
3h 3mProject-basedProject-orientedyoutube videointermediate
Backend Complete Course | NodeJS, ExpressJS, JWT, PostgreSQL, Prisma...
PedroTech3h 3m
A 2025 backend course that assembles the real stack — Express, JWT authentication, PostgreSQL, Prisma — into a working service. Published recently enough that the library versions are the ones you will actually install.
Score 87
Watch
28 minMore curatedyoutube videointermediate
JWT Authentication Tutorial - Node.js
Web Dev Simplified28 min
A thirty-minute implementation of JWT authentication in Node, including refresh tokens and the security trade-offs of each storage choice. Short, correct and directly reusable.
Score 79
Watch