Beginner LevelExpress JS
How do you read and set HTTP cookies in Express using cookie-parser?
❓ Interview Prompt: Explain cookie-parser middleware, reading req.cookies, setting cookies with res.cookie(), and HttpOnly / Secure flags.
By default, Express does not parse incoming HTTP cookies. Installing 'cookie-parser' populates 'req.cookies'.
Operations:
1
Setting Cookies: Use 'res.cookie(name, value, options)'. Set 'httpOnly: true' to prevent JavaScript XSS access, and 'secure: true' for HTTPS.
2
Reading Cookies: Access parsed cookies via 'req.cookies.cookieName'.
3
Clearing Cookies: Use 'res.clearCookie(name)'.
Code Implementation Example
javascript
import express from 'express';
import cookieParser from 'cookie-parser';
const app = express();
app.use(cookieParser());
app.get('/set-cookie', (req, res) => {
res.cookie('session_id', 'abc123xyz', {
httpOnly: true, // XSS protection!
secure: true, // HTTPS only!
maxAge: 3600000 // 1 hour
});
res.send('Cookie set securely');
});
app.get('/read-cookie', (req, res) => {
const sessionId = req.cookies.session_id;
res.json({ sessionId });
});💡Reading and setting secure HTTP cookies with cookie-parser.
🎯 Interview Key Takeaway
Use cookie-parser to populate req.cookies. Always set httpOnly: true and secure: true on res.cookie().
#cookie-parser#res.cookie#Cookies#Beginner
Back to all Express JS Questions→