cookie-session 2.0.0

Cookie-Session is a simple, yet efficient Node.js module that facilitates the creation of cookies for session handling in web applications. It is primarily used as session middleware that stores session data on the client-side within a cookie. This approach is in contrast to traditional session handling methods where only a session identifier is stored within the cookie and the actual session data is stored server-side, typically in a database. With Cookie-Session, there is no need for server-side database resources for session handling, thus making it an ideal solution for lightweight applications, and for simplifying load-balanced scenarios.

To use Cookie-Session, you first need to install it via the Node Package Manager (npm) by running "npm install cookie-session" in your terminal. Once installed, you can require it in your application and use it as middleware with Express. Set your options such as the cookie name, and secret keys, and cookie options like maxAge. Here's a basic example of how to use it:

var cookieSession = require('cookie-session')
var express = require('express')

var app = express()

app.use(cookieSession({
  name: 'session',
  keys: ['secret_key1', 'secret_key2'],

  // Cookie Options
  maxAge: 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000 // 24 hours
}))

app.get('/', function (req, res, next) {
  // Update views
  req.session.views = (req.session.views || 0) + 1

  // Write response
  res.end(req.session.views + ' views')
})

app.listen(3000)

In the above example, a session cookie gets created whenever a client makes a request to the root route ('/') the server. The session cookie stores the number of views for the user and this number keeps increasing with every request.

The comprehensive documentation of the Cookie-Session npm package can be found on the official GitHub page - https://github.com/expressjs/cookie-session. It includes an API reference guide, options explanations, and several useful examples of usage scenarios. Detailed information about the methods, properties, and usage limitations of the package are readily available for developers to refer to.