5 Authentication Patterns Every Web Developer Should Know in 2026

Web authentication has evolved dramatically. What used to be "just hash the password and store a session" now spans half a dozen distinct patterns, each with real trade-offs. After building auth systems across multiple projects, here's my breakdown of the five patterns that matter most in 2026. 1. Session-Based Authentication The OG. Server creates a session, stores it (usually in Redis or a database), and hands the client a cookie. // Express.js session setup import session from 'express-session'; import RedisStore from 'connect-redis'; import { createClient } from 'redis'; const redisClient = createClient({ url: 'redis://localhost:6379' }); await redisClient.connect(); app.use(session({ store: new RedisStore({ client: redisClient }), secret: process.env.SESSION_SECRET, resave: false, saveUninitialized: false, cookie: { secure: true, httpOnly: true, sameSite: 'lax', maxAge: 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000 // 24 hours } })); Pros: Simple mental model, easy revocation (just delete the session), bui