Express Authentication

Token verification, protected endpoints, roles, and API tokens for your Node.js and Express API. Paste one prompt into your AI agent, or wire it yourself with one middleware call.

Quickstart in minutes

Enterprise-grade & compliant by default

Add auth to my Express API using The Bridge.

Your Express API, wired in

Endpoints locked by defaultapp.use(bridge.auth()) protects every route; you list what is public.
Tokens verified for youSigned session tokens checked against published public keys on every request.
The user on the requestreq.bridgeUser carries the verified user in every handler.
Machines welcome tooScripted callers authenticate with revocable API tokens.

The fastest way to integrate

Auth by asking.

The Bridge is agent-native. Install the Bridge CLI, paste one prompt, and your coding agent wires authentication into your Express API.

✦ CLI-nativeClaude CodeCursorAny coding agent

Your agent does the wiring, you ship the product

Install the Bridge CLI, then paste the prompt below into your agent. It authorizes the CLI in your browser (creating your account right there if you are new), detects Express, installs the SDK, wires the middleware, and registers the settings your API needs.

Prefer to wire it yourself? See the SDK and CLI paths below.

Why The Bridge for Express

Everything after login, already there

Verifying a token is the visible part. The wins are everything you no longer have to build around it.

Endpoints locked by default

One middleware call protects every route; public paths are the ones you declare.
Security
Every sign-in method

Email, passkeys, magic link, and Google, hosted or in your own UI, toggled with no redeploy.
UX
Authorization built in

Roles and privileges ride the verified token, so a route can require a role in one line.
RBAC
Enterprise SSO ready

When the security questionnaire arrives, connect their identity provider and keep your architecture.
Enterprise
Built for teams

Multi-tenant user management out of the box: workspaces, invites, and roles included.
B2B
Session management

Sessions issued, renewed, and revoked centrally. Block a user and they are out on the next request.
Control
MFA included

Multi-factor authentication ships with the platform, no extra vendor to integrate.
Trust
API tokens for machines

External services and scripted callers authenticate with API tokens you can revoke at any time.
M2M

Prefer to wire it yourself?

Pick the workflow that matches how you build.

SDK

// server.ts
import { createBridge } from '@nebulr-group/bridge-express';

const bridge = createBridge({
  appId: process.env.BRIDGE_APP_ID,
});

app.use(bridge.auth());

// req.bridgeUser is the verified user
app.get('/me', (req, res) => res.json(req.bridgeUser));

Read the full quickstart in the docs →

And of course

First-class SDKs for every stack

Type-safe, batteries-included SDKs with drop-in components, and the same clean user object everywhere.

Next.js

Svelte

Astro

Node

FastAPI

Laravel

Flutter

React

Angular

Nuxt

Deno

Python

Rust

Ruby

Kotlin

Vue

SolidJS

Remix

Bun

Django

PHP

.NET

NestJS

…and 24+ frameworks & languages supported. Hover to pause, drag or swipe to explore.

Check out our Express SDK on GitHub

Hand-Rolled Express Authentication vs. The Bridge

What a hand-built Node.js auth stack actually costs you, versus one middleware call.

Building it yourself

Pick and configure Passport strategies, or write JWT middleware yourself
Stand up login, session, refresh, and logout endpoints
Manage signing keys, rotation, and token revocation
Add SSO, more sign-in methods, and user management when customers ask

With The Bridge

One middleware call, endpoints locked by default
Login hosted for you or dropped into your UI, nothing to stand up
Tokens verified against published keys, revocation included
SSO and multi-tenant user management on the same user object

Common questions

How do I protect routes in Express?

With The Bridge you mount one middleware ahead of your routes. Every endpoint then requires a valid session token by default, and you declare the few public paths in the guard rules. That default-closed posture is the best practice a hand-rolled setup usually misses. The route guards docs show the exact setup.

Do I need Passport.js?

No. The Bridge middleware verifies signed session tokens against published public keys directly, so there are no strategies to pick, configure, or keep updated. Your handlers just read the verified user straight from the request.

Does this use JWT authentication?

Yes. The middleware verifies standard signed JSON Web Tokens from the Authorization header against The Bridge's published public keys. To see what lives inside a token and how verification works, read JWT authentication explained.

Where does login happen if Express only verifies tokens?

In your frontend, in the flavor you choose: use The Bridge's hosted login page, or build the login into your own UI with the frontend SDK components (React, Angular, Next.js, and Svelte). Either way The Bridge issues the session, the client sends the signed token with each request, and your Express API stays a clean verifier: no login, refresh, or logout endpoints to build.

How do I check roles in an Express route?

In one line on the route: require a role and the handler only runs for callers that have it. Roles are configured in the Control Center and arrive as claims on the verified token, so the API and the frontend authorize from the same source. The roles docs cover the setup end to end.

Do I still need express-session?

Not for authentication. Sessions are stateless signed tokens verified on each request, so there is no server-side session store to run, scale, or clean up. Revocation is handled centrally by The Bridge rather than by deleting rows from a session table.

How do machines and scripts authenticate?

With API tokens. A scripted caller sends its token in a request header, the middleware verifies it, and you can scope routes to specific privileges. Tokens are revocable at any time from the Control Center. The API token docs show the setup.

Which Express versions does the SDK support?

The published @nebulr-group/bridge-express line supports Express 4 and 5. Check the Express quickstart for the currently supported range before adding it to a newer project.