// middleware.js
import { NextResponse, NextRequest } from "next/server";
import { cookies } from "next/headers";

export async function middleware(request) {
  const url = `${process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_BACKLINK}/dashboard/auth`;
  
  console.log(request.cookies.getAll()); //returns []

  try {
    const res = await fetch(url, {
      credentials: 'include',
    });

    if (res.ok) {
      // Continue to the next middleware
      return NextResponse.next();
    } else {
      console.log('Authentication failed:');
      // Redirect to login if authentication fails
      // return NextResponse.redirect(new URL('/login', request.nextUrl));
    }
  } catch (error) {
    // Handle fetch errors
    console.error("Fetch error:", error);
    // You may want to redirect to an error page or handle the error differently
    return NextResponse.error(new Error("Internal Server Error"));
  }
}

export const config = {
  matcher: ["/dashboard/:path*"],
};

Cookies are missing here. I have tried everything but this NextJS middleware does not worked.
Perfectly working on localhost.
Other routes are sending cookies as well.