How to handle JWT authentication and authorization in Sanity CMS?

Not a silly question at all! This is a common point of confusion for folks new to Sanity.

The short answer: Sanity does not provide end-user authentication for your front-end application users. You'll need to use a third-party authentication service for handling JWT authentication and authorization for your React app users.

Here's what you need to understand:

Two types of "users" in Sanity:

1. Sanity Studio users - These are content editors and administrators who access the Sanity Studio to manage content. Sanity handles authentication for these users.

2. Your application's end users - These are the people logging into your React app to access data. Sanity does not handle authentication for these users.

What you should use instead:

For end-user authentication with JWT, you'll want to integrate a third-party auth service like:

• Auth0
• Firebase Authentication
• Supabase Auth
• Magic.link (passwordless)
• Clerk
• NextAuth.js (if using Next.js)

How it works together:

Once you have your auth system in place, you can:

• Authenticate users with your chosen auth provider
• Generate and validate JWTs through that service
• Use those authenticated sessions to control access to your Sanity content
• Optionally, give authenticated users write access to Sanity for features like comments or user-generated content

Can you technically store user data in Sanity? Yes, but it's strongly not recommended for sensitive authentication data. Sanity is built for content publishing and sharing, not as a secure authentication system. Keep your user credentials, passwords, and sensitive auth data in dedicated authentication services.

Think of it this way: Use Sanity for your content (articles, products, etc.) and a dedicated auth service for your users (login, permissions, sessions).