Build Secure Healthcare App With JWT: Hire NodeJS Developers

Since the healthcare sector deals with such huge amounts of sensitive data and confidential information, it requires a strong and reliable system where all the information can be documented, stored, and managed securely. To achieve this, the development process needs to ensue with equal attention given to both the frontend and backend aspects of the app as a whole.

NodeJS is a perfect choice for developing such dynamic and scalable solutions as it follows an asynchronous model which is ideal for developing applications that are highly data-intensive and need real-time updates. It is an open-source JavaScript-based framework that is essentially used for building server-side web applications but can be utilized for front-end development as well.

If you hire NodeJS developers for your projects, you can utilize all the features to an optimum level and build digital solutions for your healthcare institutes that can augment operations in an agile and secure environment especially if you hire an expert who has thorough experience working with JWT as well.

JSON Web Token (JWT) is essentially used as an authentication and authorization method for mechanisms for APIs. The two technologies combined allow the developer to have the flexibility and enough resources to provide a solution that is secure, reliable, and scalable. 

What Is JSON Web Token?

JSON web token is an open standard that allows the exchange of information between the client (frontend) and the server (backend) using the JSON format. It is simple and compact that uses cryptography and ensures that the data entered cannot be altered by any hacker or malicious party.

To enhance security, the information entered doesn’t reach the server plainly but is transmitted in the form of tokens after it is encrypted and concealed.

A token is basically a string that contains all the data in the form of alphanumeric characters which can be verified securely. Essentially used for protecting passwords and IDs, it can be incorporated into the healthcare industry to ensure that all the information shared can stay encrypted unless verified by the user for better security.

JWT is made up of three parts, namely header, payload, and signature. 

• Header - It consists of two parts; the signing algorithm and the token type. JWT’s header uses the JOSE standard for specifying the token type and cryptographic information. The commonly used token type is “JWT”
• Payload - It is the encoded content that is shared between the two parties. It contains a set of claims or JSON objects. It is represented by the name-value pair that contains the meaningful portion of the transmitted message. The payload is sealed with the token’s signature for enhanced security.
• Signature - The signature function is added to maintain security. It is like a secret key that is used to verify whether the issuer of JWT is the actual user or some hacker. The function of the signature is dependent on the header and payload parts that are passed to the algorithm.  It can be run independently to compare it with the JWT signature and see whether the signature match or not.

To leverage the JWT to the fullest and make the application fully secured, you need to hire NodeJS developers with in-depth knowledge and understanding of JWT, its function, benefits, and how to integrate it proficiently.  
 

How Integrating JWT and NodeJS Enhances Security

The healthcare industry works on massive amounts of private data which if made public or leaked to the wrong source can cause huge issues and problems.

This is why it is important for healthcare software development services providers to consider that the solutions designed are highly secure and ensure the maintenance of confidentiality.  

A combination of NodeJS and JWT can be seen as a beneficial move for NodeJS will provide a scalable and reliable framework while JWT will take care of the security of the system. Also, it would be a cost-effective solution as you just need to hire NodeJS developers who have worked with JWT along with NodeJS.  

This is how integrating the two technologies would be beneficial:  

JWT structure: As mentioned in the above section, JWT consists of three components, namely a header, a payload and a signature. The header and payload combined generate an encrypted token based on the information that is being shared between the two parties (probably clients and servers). There is a signature that is generated on the basis of payload and header which maintains the security aspect of the token. It is verifiable and keeps the confidential data secure.

Authentication: The signature is like a secret key that is supposed to stay on the server side of the app. After the signature is generated, user authentication can be done using JWT which would be generated whenever the user logs in. When the user requests access it generates the JWT which is then compared with the existing ones to authenticate the user. The authenticity can be verified using the secret key that is already present on the server.

Authorization: In some cases, the user gets access to certain features or pieces of information based on the verification of JWT which is generated and verified by the server’s protected routes. It performs all the necessary checks and allows access to sensitive data or operations based on the information available by the JWT.

This authorization is all the more necessary in the case of the healthcare industry; as selective access creates a filter even within the organization to ensure that not everyone gets permission to view or gather information on anything.    

Token Expiration: Setting up a limited timeline for the JWT’s validity adds another layer of security. This will ensure that the token will expire after a certain amount of time has passed. Implementing a  mechanism to refresh expired tokens involves issuing new tokens and granting access post-verification. This will also make the users re-authenticate the tokens on a regular basis. 

Incorporating this feature will enhance the security of the application as regularly updating the token will make older information irrelevant and getting hold of new information difficult.  

Secure Token Storage: Implementing secure storage mechanisms for storing tokens on the client style is equally important to ensure proper security on both client’s end and the server’s end. It is advised to use secure HTTP-only cookies to encrypt communications between client and server. This will prevent any unauthorized interception of sensitive data that is generally shared in medical institutions.  

Other Good Practices: When you invest in healthcare software development services for building applications and websites or even to automate certain tasks, you must ensure that you implement comprehensive security and transformation. This includes implementing strong password policies. Include the password hashing and salting practice as well. This will safeguard the users and their accounts against cross-site scripting and SQL injection attacks.

Password hashing and salting is a technique where random data is added that is unique to every password (salting) and then converted into a fixed-length string of characters (hashing). This ensures that even if the password file gets into the wrong hands, the actual password is not revealed. Hashing and salting add an extra level of security and make it difficult for the hacker to access the passwords.

This technique is now well-adopted by many during the app development process to ensure that the end product is secure for users to share their information. Similarly, it can be used to encrypt the sensitive data that is stored in the hospital’s database as well.

For this, however, you must hire NodeJS developers who are well adept with JWT and can implement all these features effectively. It is essential to update all the digital and security systems regularly to ensure that the institution is safe, and data confidentiality is maintained. 

To Sum Up

Updating or digitalizing systems is a complex task, it gets even more complicated if you are from the healthcare industry. Massive amounts of data, across different systems and platforms, and the majority of it being sensitive, private patient details add layers of complications.

This is why, when you look for healthcare software development services, you need to ensure that you hire the right experts with the right knowledge and technical skillset to build you a secure and robust solution.

JWT combined with NodeJS API gives you access to a vast range of libraries and optimized results while minimizing the developer’s efforts. Both the technologies being feature-rich and developer friendly allows the developers to bring out their best outcomes without much hassle.

However, to implement the JWT security efficiently and avoid having any loopholes in the end product, you need to hire NodeJS developers who have the expertise and ample amount of experience with both NodeJS and JWT.  

JWT provides a high level of security and NodeJS is one of the most popular frameworks thus making them the ideal combination for building secure, scalable, and reliable applications. Since JWT is a part of NodeJS, it also reduces the learning curve for developers thus providing faster results and innovative solutions.