Resolving API Slowdowns with axios.defaults.withCredentials = true in Laravel and Nuxt.js

Discover how to fix the slowdown issues in your API responses when using `axios.defaults.withCredentials = true` with Laravel Sanctum and Nuxt.js.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/68763608/ asked by the user 'Lynx' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/14336165/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/70824771/ provided by the user 'TonyWtrd' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/18011058/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Understanding the Problem

In the world of web development, connecting to APIs across different subdomains can lead to some unexpected challenges, especially when handling user authentication. If you've encountered slow API responses or timeouts after setting the option axios.defaults.withCredentials = true, you're not alone. This setting is essential for transmitting cookies and session data across cross-origin requests, but it can cause performance issues in certain configurations.

Background on the Setup

You might have a scenario similar to this:

Development Environment: Laravel for the backend (API) and Nuxt.js for the frontend (client).

Deployment: Hosted on different subdomains (e.g., api.example.com for the API and beta.example.com for the client).

Using: Laravel Sanctum for API authentication and the -nuxtjs/proxy module to route requests.

When the configuration includes axios.defaults.withCredentials = true, you start to notice two behaviors:

API calls become slow or timeout when made through the Nuxt.js application.

Direct API calls work quickly: e.g., accessing https://api.example.com/api/v1/categories returns results instantly.

Why Does This Happen?

The slowdown often occurs due to complications related to CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) and how credentials are handled between the different subdomains. When withCredentials is set to true, the browser sends cookies with every request, which may introduce latency if not configured correctly.

Addressing the Issue

To clear the bottleneck and improve API response times while keeping your authentication intact, consider the following steps and configurations:

1. Check Axios Configuration

Make sure the Axios instance is set up properly. Instead of directly setting it in your bootstrap.js, ensure it's configured to work seamlessly with your proxy:

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2. Review Nuxt.js Configuration

In your nuxt.config.js, ensure that you're managing credentials and proxying correctly:

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3. Optimize CORS Settings in Laravel

Check your CORS configuration (config/cors.php). Ensure that your settings allow for credentials and verify that the paths include all necessary routes:

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4. Session and Domain Configuration

Make sure your .env file has the correct settings for session management across subdomains:

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5. Test and Monitor

After recalibrating these configurations, test the API requests from the Nuxt.js application once again. Monitor the network requests in your browser's developer console to see if the performance improves.

Conclusion

By fine-tuning your configurations with the insights provided in this post, you should be able to overcome the slow API response issue related to the axios.defaults.withCredentials = true. Proper handling of CORS and session settings are critical in ensuring that your application functions smoothly across subdomains. If you continue to experience issues, consider deeper debugging or seek community support for more intricate scenarios.

With these adjustments, you can maintain user authentication seamlessly while enhancing the performance of your API requests.

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