Should I automatically log out when closing a tab or browser?

Discussion on the login mechanism of the mall website

The login mechanism of e-commerce websites is crucial. Recently, the team discussed whether to log out automatically when closing a tab or browser. Backend engineers recommend: Unless the user checks "Remember me", closing the browser or tab should clear the session and force the user to log in again.

Industry status and thoughts

However, tests show that large e-commerce platforms such as Taobao and Amazon do not force users to log out when closing the tab. This raises my question: Is this a common practice in the industry? Are there other key factors?

Session and Cookie Mechanism Analysis

The backend engineer explains that the session life cycle is associated with cookies. By default, closing the browser clears session cookies, which means the user is actually logged out. For closing a single tab, given that users may use the same account on multiple tabs at the same time, they will not usually be forced to log out unless there are special needs.

Special application scenarios

It is worth noting that I have been exposed to a product whose login mechanism restricts users from logging in on one browser tab. This shows that in certain scenarios, it is feasible to force log out after closing the tab, but this is not a common practice.

in conclusion

There is no standard answer about whether to log out automatically when closing the tab page or browser. Different products will choose the appropriate implementation method based on their own needs and user experience.

The above is the detailed content of Should I automatically log out when closing a tab or browser?. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!