In this session, we will explore how to extend session stores beyond just persisting authentication. By centralizing the session state (potentially de-coupled from user records) in a database it is possible to provide user experience enhancements, deep analytics, notifications, and personalization. Techniques examined in this talk will be using session-linked Bloom filters to surface fresh content, site-wide or group-based notifications and bitfield-based activity pattern monitoring.

Demos and code in this session will be in Node.js and Redis, although the patterns and techniques are widely applicable to any HTTP-based platform or stack. The techniques will be illustrated in an e-commerce example environment, but any user-base environment could benefit (CMS, social network, gaming, etc). While this talk examines the more advanced sides of session storage, the approach aims to be both practical and approachable.