I am currently working on a Next.js application where I have implemented user authentication using cookies and Redux. I've encountered an issue where protected routes remain accessible immediately after the user logs out, but they become inaccessible after a full page refresh. I would appreciate some guidance on how to address this issue effectively.

Problem Description:

1: Authentication Process: When a user logs in, an authentication token is stored in a cookie and the client-side authentication state is updated (e.g., in Redux). and the server return the token which is stored in the browser.

2: Logging Out: When the user clicks the "Logout" button, I am making a DELETE request to the server to clear the authentication token from the cookie. I also dispatch an action to clear the client-side authentication state. After logging out, I redirect the user to the login page.

3: Issue: After logging out, I can still access protected routes without being redirected to the login page. However, when I manually refresh the page, the protected routes become inaccessible, which is the desired behavior.

1: Why are protected routes accessible immediately after logging out, and how can I prevent this behavior? What could be causing this issue, especially considering that a page refresh resolves it?

2: Are there any best practices or additional steps I should follow when implementing user authentication and protected routes in Next.js to avoid such issues?

Code Overview:

Client-Side Logout Handling:

const handleLogout = () => {
  const logout = async () => {
    try {
      await axios.delete(`${config.baseUrl}/users/logout`, {
        withCredentials: true,
      });
      dispatch(logoutUser());
      router.push("/login");
    } catch (error) {
      console.error("Logout failed:", error);
    }
  };

  logout();
};

Next.js Middleware:

import { NextResponse } from "next/server";
import type { NextRequest } from "next/server";

export function middleware(request: NextRequest) {
  const path = request.nextUrl.pathname;

  const isPublicPath = path === "/login" || path === "/signup";

  const token = request.cookies.get("token")?.value || "";

  if (isPublicPath && token) {
    return NextResponse.redirect(new URL("/", request.nextUrl));
  }

  if (!isPublicPath && !token) {
    return NextResponse.redirect(new URL("/login", request.nextUrl));
  }
}

Server-Side Logout Endpoint:

exports.LogoutUser = catchAsyncErrors(async (req, res, next) => {

  clearCookie(res, "token");

  if (!req.cookies.token) {
    return next(new ErrorHandler("Login First to Logout", 200));
  }

  res.status(200).json({
    success: true,
    message: "User logged out successfully",
  });
});

I would appreciate any insights, suggestions, or guidance on how to ensure that protected routes are consistently protected immediately after logging out.

Thank you for your assistance.