Stateless (JWT):
- Token contains all needed data
- No database lookup per request
- Can't revoke individual tokens instantly
- Token size grows with claims
Stateful (Session):
- Token is just a reference ID
- Server looks up session data
- Instant revocation by deleting session
- Requires session storage infrastructure
Hybrid approach: Use short-lived JWTs ( min) with refresh tokens stored server-side. This gives you stateless performance with revocation capability.