Session

The Session middleware adds session management to Fiber apps through the Storage package, which offers a unified interface for multiple databases. By default, sessions live in memory, but you can plug in any storage backend.

Quick Start
Usage Patterns
Session Security
Session ID Extractors
Configuration
Migration Guide
API Reference
Examples

Quick Start

import (
    "fmt"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3/middleware/session"
)

// Basic usage
app.Use(session.New())

app.Get("/", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess := session.FromContext(c)

    // Get and update visits count
    var visits int
    if v := sess.Get("visits"); v != nil {
        // Use type assertion with an ok check to prevent a panic
        if vInt, ok := v.(int); ok {
            visits = vInt
        }
    }
    visits++
    sess.Set("visits", visits)
    return c.SendString(fmt.Sprintf("Visits: %d", visits))
})

Production Configuration

import (
    "time"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3/extractors"
    "github.com/gofiber/storage/redis/v3"
)

storage := redis.New(redis.Config{
    Host: "localhost",
    Port: 6379,
})

app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
    Storage:           storage,
    CookieSecure:      true,              // HTTPS only
    CookieHTTPOnly:    true,              // Prevent XSS
    CookieSameSite:    "Lax",             // CSRF protection
    IdleTimeout:       30 * time.Minute,  // Session timeout
    AbsoluteTimeout:   24 * time.Hour,    // Maximum session life
    Extractor:         extractors.FromCookie("__Host-session_id"),
}))

Notes:

- AbsoluteTimeout must be greater than or equal to IdleTimeout; otherwise, the middleware panics during configuration.
- If CookieSameSite is set to "None", the middleware automatically forces CookieSecure=true when setting the cookie.

Usage Patterns

Middleware Pattern (Recommended)

This pattern automatically manages the session lifecycle and is recommended for most applications.

// Setup middleware
app.Use(session.New())

// Use in handlers
app.Post("/login", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess := session.FromContext(c)

    // Session is automatically saved when handler returns
    sess.Set("user_id", 123)
    sess.Set("authenticated", true)

    return c.Redirect("/dashboard")
})

Benefits:

Automatic session saving
Automatic resource cleanup
No manual lifecycle management
Thread-safe operations

Store Pattern (Advanced)

Use the store pattern for background tasks or when you need direct access to sessions.

import (
    "context"
    "log"
    "time"
)

store := session.NewStore()

// In background tasks
func backgroundTask(sessionID string) {
    sess, err := store.GetByID(context.Background(), sessionID)
    if err != nil {
        return
    }
    defer sess.Release() // Important: Manual cleanup required

    // Modify session
    sess.Set("last_task", time.Now())

    // Manual save required
    if err := sess.Save(); err != nil {
        log.Printf("Failed to save session: %v", err)
    }
}

Requirements:

Must call sess.Release() when done
Must call sess.Save() to persist changes
Handle errors manually

Session Security

Authentication Flow

Understanding session lifecycle during authentication is crucial for security.

Basic Login/Logout

app.Post("/login", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess := session.FromContext(c)

    email := c.FormValue("email")
    password := c.FormValue("password")

    // Simple credential validation (use proper authentication in production)
    if email == "[email protected]" && password == "secret" {
        // Important: Regenerate the session ID to prevent fixation
        // This changes the session ID while preserving existing data
        if err := sess.Regenerate(); err != nil {
            return c.Status(500).SendString("Session error")
        }

        // Add authentication data to existing session
        sess.Set("user_id", 1)
        sess.Set("authenticated", true)

        return c.Redirect("/dashboard")
    }

    return c.Status(401).SendString("Invalid credentials")
})

app.Post("/logout", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess := session.FromContext(c)

    // Complete session reset (clears all data + new session ID)
    if err := sess.Reset(); err != nil {
        return c.Status(500).SendString("Session error")
    }

    return c.Redirect("/")
})

Cart Preservation During Login

app.Post("/login", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess := session.FromContext(c)

    // Validate credentials (implement your own validation)
    email := c.FormValue("email")
    password := c.FormValue("password")
    if !isValidUser(email, password) {
        return c.Status(401).JSON(fiber.Map{"error": "Invalid credentials"})
    }

    // Important: Regenerate the session ID to prevent fixation
    // This changes the session ID while preserving existing data
    if err := sess.Regenerate(); err != nil {
        return c.Status(500).JSON(fiber.Map{"error": "Session error"})
    }

    // Add authentication data to existing session
    sess.Set("user_id", getUserID(email))
    sess.Set("authenticated", true)
    sess.Set("login_time", time.Now())

    return c.JSON(fiber.Map{"status": "logged in"})
})

Security Methods Comparison

Method	Session ID	Session Data	Use Case
`Regenerate()`	✅ Changes	✅ Preserved	Login, privilege escalation
`Reset()`	✅ Changes	❌ Cleared	Logout, security breach
`Destroy()`	⚪ Unchanged	❌ Cleared	Clear data only

Common Security Mistakes

❌ Session Fixation Vulnerability:

// DANGEROUS: Keeping same session ID after login
app.Post("/login", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess := session.FromContext(c)
    // Validate user...
    sess.Set("user_id", userID) // Attacker can hijack this session!
    return c.Redirect("/dashboard")
})

✅ Secure Implementation:

// SECURE: Always regenerate session ID after authentication
app.Post("/login", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess := session.FromContext(c)
    // Validate user...
    if err := sess.Regenerate(); err != nil { // Prevents session fixation
        return err
    }
    sess.Set("user_id", userID)
    return c.Redirect("/dashboard")
})

Authentication Middleware

This is a basic example of an authentication middleware that checks if a user is logged in before accessing protected routes.

// Authentication check middleware
func RequireAuth(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess := session.FromContext(c)
    if sess == nil {
        return c.Redirect("/login")
    }

    // Check if user is authenticated
    if sess.Get("authenticated") != true {
        return c.Redirect("/login")
    }

    return c.Next()
}

// Usage
app.Use("/dashboard", RequireAuth)
app.Use("/admin", RequireAuth)

Automatic Session Expiration

Sessions automatically expire based on your configuration:

app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
    IdleTimeout:     30 * time.Minute, // Auto-expire after 30 min of inactivity
    AbsoluteTimeout: 24 * time.Hour,   // Force expire after 24 hours regardless of activity
}))

How it works:

IdleTimeout: Storage automatically removes sessions after inactivity period
- Any route that uses the middleware will reset the idle timer
- Calling sess.Save() will also reset the idle timer
AbsoluteTimeout: Sessions are forcibly expired after maximum duration
No manual cleanup required - the storage layer handles this

Session ID Extractors

This middleware uses the shared extractors module for session ID extraction. See the Extractors Guide for more details.

Built-in Extractors

// Cookie-based (recommended for web apps)
extractors.FromCookie("session_id")

// Header-based (recommended for APIs)
extractors.FromHeader("X-Session-ID")

// Authorization header (read-only)
extractors.FromAuthHeader("Bearer")

// Form data
extractors.FromForm("session_id")

// URL query parameter
extractors.FromQuery("session_id")

// URL path parameter
extractors.FromParam("id")

Session Response Behavior:

Cookie extractors: set cookie in the response
Header extractors (non-Authorization): set header in the response
Authorization header, Query, Form, Param, Custom: read-only (no response values are set)

Multiple Sources with Fallback

app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
    Extractor: extractors.Chain(
        extractors.FromCookie("session_id"),    // Try cookie first
        extractors.FromHeader("X-Session-ID"),  // Then header
        extractors.FromQuery("session_id"),     // Finally query
    ),
}))

Response Behavior with Chained Extractors:

Only cookie and non-Authorization header extractors contribute to response setting. Others are read-only.

Cookie + Header (non-Auth) extractors: both cookie and header are set
Only Cookie extractors: only cookie is set
Only Header (non-Auth) extractors: only header is set
Any mix that includes Authorization/Query/Form/Param/Custom: those sources are read-only

// This will set both cookie and header in response
extractors.Chain(
    extractors.FromCookie("session_id"),
    extractors.FromHeader("X-Session-ID")
)

// This will set only cookie in response
extractors.Chain(
    extractors.FromCookie("session_id"),
    extractors.FromQuery("session_id")   // Ignored for response
)

// This will set nothing in response (read-only mode)
extractors.Chain(
    extractors.FromQuery("session_id"),
    extractors.FromForm("session_id")
)

Custom Extractors (Session-specific)

Prefer the helper constructors from the extractors module. See the Extractors Guide for the full API; below are session-specific examples and notes.

// Authorization Bearer tokens (read-only for sessions)
// The session middleware will NOT set Authorization back in the response.
app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
    Extractor: extractors.FromAuthHeader("Bearer"),
}))

// Custom read-only header via FromCustom (read-only for sessions)
app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
    Extractor: extractors.FromCustom("X-Custom-Session", func(c fiber.Ctx) (string, error) {
        v := c.Get("X-Custom-Session")
        if v == "" { return "", extractors.ErrNotFound }
        return v, nil
    }),
}))

Configuration

Storage Options

import (
    "github.com/gofiber/storage/redis/v3"
    "github.com/gofiber/storage/postgres/v3"
)

// Redis (recommended for production)
redisStorage := redis.New(redis.Config{
    Host:     "localhost",
    Port:     6379,
    Password: "",
    Database: 0,
})

// PostgreSQL
pgStorage := postgres.New(postgres.Config{
    Host:     "localhost",
    Port:     5432,
    Database: "sessions",
    Username: "user",
    Password: "pass",
})

app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
    Storage: redisStorage,
}))

Production Security Settings

import (
    "log"
    "time"
    "github.com/gofiber/utils/v2"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3/extractors"
)

app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
    // Storage
    Storage: redisStorage,

    // Security
    CookieSecure:      true,    // HTTPS only (required in production)
    CookieHTTPOnly:    true,    // No JavaScript access (prevents XSS)
    CookieSameSite:    "Lax",   // CSRF protection

    // Session Management
    IdleTimeout:       30 * time.Minute,  // Inactivity timeout
    AbsoluteTimeout:   24 * time.Hour,    // Maximum session duration

    // Cookie Settings
    CookiePath:        "/",
    CookieDomain:      "example.com",
    CookieSessionOnly: false,   // Persist across browser restarts

    // Session ID
    Extractor:         extractors.FromCookie("__Host-session_id"),
    KeyGenerator:      utils.SecureToken,

    // Error Handling
    ErrorHandler: func(c fiber.Ctx, err error) {
        log.Printf("Session error: %v", err)
    },
}))

Custom Types

Session data supports basic Go types by default:

string, int, int8, int16, int32, int64
uint, uint8, uint16, uint32, uint64
bool, float32, float64
[]byte, complex64, complex128
interface{}

For custom types (structs, maps, slices), you must register them for encoding/decoding:

import "fmt"

type User struct {
    ID   int    `json:"id"`
    Name string `json:"name"`
    Role string `json:"role"`
}

// Method 1: Using NewWithStore
func main() {
    app := fiber.New()

    sessionMiddleware, store := session.NewWithStore()
    store.RegisterType(User{}) // Register custom type

    app.Use(sessionMiddleware)

    app.Get("/", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
        sess := session.FromContext(c)

        // Use custom type
        sess.Set("user", User{ID: 123, Name: "John", Role: "admin"})

        user, ok := sess.Get("user").(User)
        if ok {
            return c.JSON(fiber.Map{"user": user.Name, "role": user.Role})
        }
        return c.SendString("No user found")
    })

    app.Listen(":3000")
}

// Method 2: Using separate store
store := session.NewStore()
store.RegisterType(User{})

app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
    Store: store,
}))

// Usage in handlers
sess.Set("user", User{ID: 123, Name: "John", Role: "admin"})
user, ok := sess.Get("user").(User)
if ok {
    fmt.Printf("User: %s (Role: %s)", user.Name, user.Role)
}

Important Notes:

Custom types must be registered before using them in sessions
Registration must happen during application startup
All instances of the application must register the same types
Types are encoded using Go's gob package

Migration Guide

v2 to v3 Breaking Changes

Function Signature: session.New() now returns middleware handler, not store
Session ID Extraction: KeyLookup replaced with Extractor functions
Lifecycle Management: Manual Release() required for store pattern
Timeout Handling: Expiration split into IdleTimeout and AbsoluteTimeout

Migration Examples

v2 Code:

store := session.New(session.Config{
    KeyLookup: "cookie:session_id",
})

app.Get("/", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess, err := store.Get(c)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    // Session automatically saved and released
    sess.Set("key", "value")
    return nil
})

v3 Middleware Pattern (Recommended):

app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
    Extractor: extractors.FromCookie("session_id"),
}))

app.Get("/", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess := session.FromContext(c)
    // Session automatically saved and released
    sess.Set("key", "value")
    return nil
})

v3 Store Pattern (Advanced):

store := session.NewStore(session.Config{
    Extractor: extractors.FromCookie("session_id"),
})

app.Get("/", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
    sess, err := store.Get(c)
    if err != nil {
        return err
    }
    defer sess.Release() // Manual cleanup required

    sess.Set("key", "value")
    return sess.Save() // Manual save required
})

KeyLookup to Extractor Migration

v2 KeyLookup	v3 Extractor
`"cookie:session_id"`	`extractors.FromCookie("session_id")`
`"header:X-Session-ID"`	`extractors.FromHeader("X-Session-ID")`
`"query:session_id"`	`extractors.FromQuery("session_id")`
`"form:session_id"`	`extractors.FromForm("session_id")`
`"cookie:sid,header:X-Sid"`	`extractors.Chain(extractors.FromCookie("sid"), extractors.FromHeader("X-Sid"))`

API Reference

Middleware Methods (Recommended)

sess := session.FromContext(c)

// Data operations
sess.Get(key any) any
sess.Set(key, value any)
sess.Delete(key any)
sess.Keys() []any

// Session management
sess.ID() string
sess.Fresh() bool
sess.Regenerate() error  // Change ID, keep data
sess.Reset() error       // Change ID, clear data
sess.Destroy() error     // Keep ID, clear data

// Store access
sess.Store() *session.Store

FromContext accepts a fiber.CustomCtx, fiber.Ctx, a *fasthttp.RequestCtx, or a context.Context.

Store Methods

store := session.NewStore()

// Store operations
store.Get(c fiber.Ctx) (*session.Session, error)
store.GetByID(ctx context.Context, sessionID string) (*session.Session, error)
store.Reset(ctx context.Context) error
store.Delete(ctx context.Context, sessionID string) error

// Type registration
store.RegisterType(interface{})

Session Methods (Store Pattern)

sess, err := store.Get(c)
defer sess.Release() // Required!

// Same methods as middleware, plus:
sess.Save() error              // Manual save required
sess.SetIdleTimeout(duration)  // Per-session timeout
sess.Release()                 // Manual cleanup required

Extractor Functions

// Built-in extractors (import "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3/extractors")
extractors.FromCookie(key string) extractors.Extractor
extractors.FromHeader(key string) extractors.Extractor
extractors.FromQuery(key string) extractors.Extractor
extractors.FromForm(key string) extractors.Extractor
extractors.FromParam(key string) extractors.Extractor

// Chaining
extractors.Chain(extractors ...extractors.Extractor) extractors.Extractor

Config Properties

Property	Type	Description	Default
`Store`	`*session.Store`	Pre-built session store (use when you need to share/register types)	`nil` (auto-created)
`Storage`	`fiber.Storage`	Session storage backend (used when creating a store if `Store` is nil)	`memory.New()`
`Extractor`	`extractors.Extractor`	Session ID extraction	`extractors.FromCookie("session_id")`
`KeyGenerator`	`func() string`	Session ID generator	`utils.SecureToken`
`IdleTimeout`	`time.Duration`	Inactivity timeout	`30 * time.Minute`
`AbsoluteTimeout`	`time.Duration`	Maximum session duration	`0` (unlimited)
`CookieSecure`	`bool`	HTTPS only	`false`
`CookieHTTPOnly`	`bool`	No JavaScript access	`false`
`CookieSameSite`	`string`	SameSite attribute	`"Lax"`
`CookiePath`	`string`	Cookie path	`""`
`CookieDomain`	`string`	Cookie domain	`""`
`CookieSessionOnly`	`bool`	Session cookie	`false`
`Next`	`func(fiber.Ctx) bool`	Skip middleware when returns true	`nil`
`ErrorHandler`	`func(fiber.Ctx, error)`	Error callback	`DefaultErrorHandler`

Examples

E-commerce with Cart Persistence

import (
    "time"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3/middleware/session"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3/extractors"
    "github.com/gofiber/storage/redis/v3"
)

func main() {
    app := fiber.New()

    // Session middleware
    app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
        Storage:           redis.New(),
        CookieSecure:      true,
        CookieHTTPOnly:    true,
        CookieSameSite:    "Lax",
        IdleTimeout:       30 * time.Minute,
        AbsoluteTimeout:   24 * time.Hour,
        Extractor:         extractors.FromCookie("__Host-cart_session"),
    }))

    // Add to cart (anonymous user)
    app.Post("/cart/add", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
        sess := session.FromContext(c)

        cart, _ := sess.Get("cart").([]string)
        cart = append(cart, c.FormValue("item_id"))
        sess.Set("cart", cart)

        return c.JSON(fiber.Map{"items": len(cart)})
    })

    // Login (preserve session data)
    app.Post("/login", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
        sess := session.FromContext(c)

        // Simple validation (implement proper authentication)
        email := c.FormValue("email")
        password := c.FormValue("password")
        if email != "[email protected]" || password != "password" {
            return c.Status(401).JSON(fiber.Map{"error": "Invalid credentials"})
        }

        // Regenerate session ID for security
        // This changes the session ID while preserving existing data
        if err := sess.Regenerate(); err != nil {
            return c.Status(500).JSON(fiber.Map{"error": "Session error"})
        }

        sess.Set("user_id", 1)
        sess.Set("authenticated", true)

        return c.JSON(fiber.Map{"status": "logged in"})
    })

    // Logout (clear everything)
    app.Post("/logout", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
        sess := session.FromContext(c)

        // Reset clears all data and generates new session ID
        if err := sess.Reset(); err != nil {
            return c.Status(500).JSON(fiber.Map{"error": "Session error"})
        }

        return c.JSON(fiber.Map{"status": "logged out"})
    })

    app.Listen(":3000")
}

// Helper functions (implement these properly in production)
func isValidUser(email, password string) bool {
    return email == "[email protected]" && password == "password"
}

func getUserID(email string) int {
    return 1 // Return actual user ID from database
}

API with Header-based Sessions

import (
    "time"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3/middleware/session"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3/extractors"
    "github.com/gofiber/storage/redis/v3"
)

func main() {
    app := fiber.New()

    // API session middleware with header extraction
    app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
        Storage:     redis.New(),
        Extractor:   extractors.FromHeader("X-Session-Token"),
        IdleTimeout: time.Hour,
    }))

    // API endpoint
    app.Post("/api/data", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
        sess := session.FromContext(c)

        // Track API usage
        count, _ := sess.Get("api_calls").(int)
        count++
        sess.Set("api_calls", count)
        sess.Set("last_call", time.Now())

        return c.JSON(fiber.Map{
            "data":  "some data",
            "calls": count,
        })
    })

    app.Listen(":3000")
}

Multi-source Session ID Support

import (
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3/middleware/session"
    "github.com/gofiber/fiber/v3/extractors"
)

func main() {
    app := fiber.New()

    // Support multiple sources with priority
    app.Use(session.New(session.Config{
        Extractor: extractors.Chain(
            extractors.FromCookie("session_id"),    // 1st: Cookie (web)
            extractors.FromHeader("X-Session-ID"),  // 2nd: Header (API)
            extractors.FromQuery("session_id"),     // 3rd: Query (fallback)
        ),
    }))

    app.Get("/", func(c fiber.Ctx) error {
        sess := session.FromContext(c)

        // Works with any of the above methods
        return c.JSON(fiber.Map{
            "session_id": sess.ID(),
            "source":     "multi-source",
        })
    })

    app.Listen(":3000")
}

Session

Session

Table of Contents

Quick Start

Production Configuration

Usage Patterns

Middleware Pattern (Recommended)

Store Pattern (Advanced)

Session Security

Authentication Flow

Basic Login/Logout

Cart Preservation During Login

Security Methods Comparison

Common Security Mistakes

Authentication Middleware

Automatic Session Expiration

Session ID Extractors

Built-in Extractors

Multiple Sources with Fallback

Custom Extractors (Session-specific)

Configuration

Storage Options

Production Security Settings

Custom Types

Migration Guide

v2 to v3 Breaking Changes

Migration Examples

KeyLookup to Extractor Migration

API Reference

Middleware Methods (Recommended)

Store Methods

Session Methods (Store Pattern)

Extractor Functions

Config Properties

Examples

E-commerce with Cart Persistence

API with Header-based Sessions

Multi-source Session ID Support