What Is a JWT? How to Decode and Inspect JSON Web Tokens

What Is a JWT (JSON Web Token)?

JSON Web Token (JWT) is an open standard (RFC 7519) for securely transmitting information between parties as a JSON object. JWTs are commonly used for authentication and authorization in modern web applications, particularly in stateless API architectures.

A JWT consists of three parts separated by dots: Header, Payload, and Signature. Visually, a JWT looks like this:

eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJzdWIiOiIxMjM0NTY3ODkwIiwibmFtZSI6IkpvaG4gRG9lIiwiaWF0IjoxNTE2MjM5MDIyfQ.SflKxwRJSMeKKF2QT4fwpMeJf36POk6yJV_adQssw5c

JWT Structure Breakdown

1. Header

The header typically consists of two parts: the type of token (JWT) and the signing algorithm being used, such as HMAC SHA256 or RSA.

{
  "alg": "HS256",
  "typ": "JWT"
}

2. Payload

The payload contains the claims — statements about an entity (typically the user) and additional data. There are three types of claims: registered, public, and private claims.

Common registered claims include: - iss (issuer) - exp (expiration time) - sub (subject) - aud (audience) - iat (issued at)

{
  "sub": "1234567890",
  "name": "John Doe",
  "iat": 1516239022
}

3. Signature

To create the signature, you take the encoded header, encoded payload, a secret, and the algorithm specified in the header, and sign it.

HMACSHA256(
  base64urlEncode(header) + "." + base64urlEncode(payload),
  secret
)

Why You Need to Decode JWTs

Developers often need to decode JWTs during development and debugging for several reasons:

1. Verify Claims: Ensure the token contains the expected user information and permissions
2. Check Expiration: Validate that exp and other time-based claims are correct
3. Debug Authentication Issues: When login or API access fails, inspecting the JWT reveals what went wrong
4. Security Auditing: Verify that sensitive data isn't improperly stored in the payload
5. Test API Endpoints: Manually craft requests with decoded/modified tokens (in development only)

How to Decode a JWT

JWTs are encoded in Base64URL format. To decode a JWT, you need to:

1. Split the token at each dot separator
2. Base64URL-decode the first part to get the header
3. Base64URL-decode the second part to get the payload
4. The third part is the signature (verification requires the secret key)

Manual Decoding Steps

You can decode the header and payload in your browser's console:

// Decode JWT in browser console
function decodeJWT(token) {
  const parts = token.split('.');
  const header = JSON.parse(atob(parts[0]));
  const payload = JSON.parse(atob(parts[1]));
  return { header, payload };

const token = "your.jwt.token.here"; console.log(decodeJWT(token)); `

Important: The atob() function handles standard Base64, but JWT uses Base64URL (which replaces + with -, / with _, and removes padding =). For proper decoding, you'd need to convert Base64URL to standard Base64 first.

Using FreeToolJet's JWT Decoder

Our JWT Decoder tool simplifies this process:

1. Paste your JWT into the input field
2. Instantly see the decoded header and payload in a readable JSON format
3. View all claims with proper formatting and syntax highlighting
4. Check token expiration status at a glance
5. No data leaves your browser — everything runs client-side

Step-by-Step Guide

1. Open the JWT Decoder tool
2. Copy your JWT from your application (usually from localStorage, sessionStorage, or Authorization header)
3. Paste it into the decoder
4. Review the decoded header and payload
5. Verify claims, expiration, and structure

Security Considerations

⚠️ NEVER share JWTs containing real user data publicly. JWTs are bearer tokens — anyone who has the token can use it to access protected resources (until it expires).

Best Practices:

• Only decode JWTs in secure, private environments
• Don't log full JWTs in production applications
• Use JWT decoding tools only for development and debugging
• Remember: decoding a JWT does NOT verify its signature — verification requires the secret key
• Treat JWTs like passwords

Common JWT Debugging Scenarios

"Why is my API returning 401 Unauthorized?"

Decode the JWT and check: - Is the exp (expiration) claim in the past? - Is the iat (issued at) claim valid? - Does the aud (audience) match your API?

"The user permissions look wrong"

Check the payload claims: - Are the roles/permissions claims present? - Are they in the expected format? - Is the scope claim correct?

"The token works in development but not production"

Compare decoded JWTs from both environments: - Are the iss (issuer) claims different? - Are the signing algorithms (alg) the same? - Are the audience (aud) values configured correctly?

JWT Signing Algorithms

Understanding the alg claim in the header is important:

⚠️ Security Alert: The alg: "none" vulnerability allows attackers to bypass signature verification. Always validate the algorithm on the server side.

When NOT to Use JWT Decoding Tools

• Production debugging: Use proper logging and monitoring instead
• Sensitive production tokens: Decode in your local development environment only
• Tokens from unknown sources: Don't decode JWTs you don't understand

Related Tools

• JWT Decoder — Decode and inspect JSON Web Tokens
• JSON Formatter — Format and validate JSON data
• Base64 Encoder — Encode and decode Base64 strings
• Hash Generator — Generate secure hashes for tokens