diff --git a/loaders/express.js b/loaders/express.js
index d7ccec3..8341881 100644
--- a/loaders/express.js
+++ b/loaders/express.js
@@ -2,20 +2,21 @@ require('dotenv').config();
 const cors = require('cors');
 const { pool } = require('../db/Pool');
 const session = require('express-session');
-const { json, urlencoded } = require('express');
+// const { json, urlencoded } = require('express');
+const bodyParser = require('body-parser');
 
 module.exports = (app) => {
     app.use(cors());
-    app.use(json());
-    app.use(urlencoded({
-        extended: true
-    }));
+    app.use(bodyParser.json());
+    app.use(bodyParser.urlencoded({ extended: true }));
+
+    app.set('trust proxy', 1);``
 
     app.use(session({
         secret: process.env.EXPRESS_SECRET,
         cookie: { maxAge: 8 * 60 * 60 * 1000, secure: false },
-        resave: true,
-        saveUninitialized: true,
+        resave: false,
+        saveUninitialized: false,
         store: new (require('connect-pg-simple')(session))({
             pool: pool,
             createTableIfMissing: true,
diff --git a/loaders/index.js b/loaders/index.js
index 7ef64c2..7f5ef10 100644
--- a/loaders/index.js
+++ b/loaders/index.js
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@ const routes = require('../routes/API');
 
 module.exports = async (app) => {
     const express = await expressLoader(app);
-    const passport = await passportLoader(express);
-    await routes(app, passport);
+    await passportLoader(express);
+    await routes(app);
 
     console.log('loaders called');
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/loaders/passport.js b/loaders/passport.js
index d926d1f..90e731d 100644
--- a/loaders/passport.js
+++ b/loaders/passport.js
@@ -7,18 +7,22 @@ module.exports = (app) => {
     app.use(passport.session());
 
     passport.serializeUser((user, done) => {
-        done(null, user.id);
+        process.nextTick(() => {
+            done(null, user.id);
+        })
     });
 
-    passport.deserializeUser((id, done) => {
-        done(null, { id });
+    passport.deserializeUser((user, done) => {
+        process.nextTick(async () => {
+            const user = await LoginService({ email: user.email, password: user.password });
+            return (user) ? done(null, user) : done(null, false);
+        })
     });
 
-    /***
-    ** TO DO: FINISH CONFIGURING LOCAL STRATEGY
-    ***/
-
-    passport.use(new LocalStrategy(async (email, password, done) => {
+    passport.use(new LocalStrategy({
+        usernameField: 'email',
+        passwordField: 'password'
+    }, async (email, password, done) => {
         try {
             const response = await LoginService({ email: email, password: password });
             return done(null, response);
diff --git a/package-lock.json b/package-lock.json
index 3e961a9..6eca9fe 100644
--- a/package-lock.json
+++ b/package-lock.json
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@
         "bcrypt": "^5.0.1",
         "body-parser": "^1.20.0",
         "connect-pg-simple": "^7.0.0",
+        "cookie-parser": "^1.4.6",
         "cors": "^2.8.5",
         "dotenv": "^16.0.0",
         "express": "^4.17.3",
@@ -627,6 +628,26 @@
         "node": ">= 0.6"
       }
     },
+    "node_modules/cookie-parser": {
+      "version": "1.4.6",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/cookie-parser/-/cookie-parser-1.4.6.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-z3IzaNjdwUC2olLIB5/ITd0/setiaFMLYiZJle7xg5Fe9KWAceil7xszYfHHBtDFYLSgJduS2Ty0P1uJdPDJeA==",
+      "dependencies": {
+        "cookie": "0.4.1",
+        "cookie-signature": "1.0.6"
+      },
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">= 0.8.0"
+      }
+    },
+    "node_modules/cookie-parser/node_modules/cookie": {
+      "version": "0.4.1",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/cookie/-/cookie-0.4.1.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-ZwrFkGJxUR3EIoXtO+yVE69Eb7KlixbaeAWfBQB9vVsNn/o+Yw69gBWSSDK825hQNdN+wF8zELf3dFNl/kxkUA==",
+      "engines": {
+        "node": ">= 0.6"
+      }
+    },
     "node_modules/cookie-signature": {
       "version": "1.0.6",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/cookie-signature/-/cookie-signature-1.0.6.tgz",
@@ -3279,6 +3300,22 @@
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/cookie/-/cookie-0.4.2.tgz",
       "integrity": "sha512-aSWTXFzaKWkvHO1Ny/s+ePFpvKsPnjc551iI41v3ny/ow6tBG5Vd+FuqGNhh1LxOmVzOlGUriIlOaokOvhaStA=="
     },
+    "cookie-parser": {
+      "version": "1.4.6",
+      "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/cookie-parser/-/cookie-parser-1.4.6.tgz",
+      "integrity": "sha512-z3IzaNjdwUC2olLIB5/ITd0/setiaFMLYiZJle7xg5Fe9KWAceil7xszYfHHBtDFYLSgJduS2Ty0P1uJdPDJeA==",
+      "requires": {
+        "cookie": "0.4.1",
+        "cookie-signature": "1.0.6"
+      },
+      "dependencies": {
+        "cookie": {
+          "version": "0.4.1",
+          "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/cookie/-/cookie-0.4.1.tgz",
+          "integrity": "sha512-ZwrFkGJxUR3EIoXtO+yVE69Eb7KlixbaeAWfBQB9vVsNn/o+Yw69gBWSSDK825hQNdN+wF8zELf3dFNl/kxkUA=="
+        }
+      }
+    },
     "cookie-signature": {
       "version": "1.0.6",
       "resolved": "https://registry.npmjs.org/cookie-signature/-/cookie-signature-1.0.6.tgz",
diff --git a/routes/login.js b/routes/login.js
index c8e1674..edeb758 100644
--- a/routes/login.js
+++ b/routes/login.js
@@ -4,10 +4,20 @@ const { LoginService } = require('../services/Auth');
 module.exports = (app, passport) => {
     app.use('/api/login', loginRouter);
 
-    app.use('/api/login', passport.authenticate('local'));
+    // loginRouter.post('/', (req, res) =>
+    //     passport.authenticate('local', { successRedirect: '/', failureRedirect: '/login' })
+    //     (req, res => {
+    //         try {
+    //             const data = LoginService(email, password);
+    //             const { session, userProfile } = data;
+    //             res.status(200).send({ session, userProfile });
+    //         } catch(e) {
+    //             next(e);
+    //         }
+    //     }
+    // ));
 
     loginRouter.post('/', async (req, res, next) => {
-        console.log('login called');
         const { email, password } = req.body;
 
         /**
@@ -24,7 +34,6 @@ module.exports = (app, passport) => {
         try {
             const data = await LoginService(email, password);
             const { session, userProfile } = data;
-
             res.status(200).send({ session, userProfile });
         } catch(e) {
             next(e);