Authentication in JS SDK

In this guide, you'll learn about the default authentication setup when using the JS SDK, how to customize it, and how to send authenticated requests to Medusa's APIs.

Default Authentication Settings in JS SDK#

The JS SDK facilitates authentication by storing and managing the necessary authorization headers or sessions for you.

There are three types of authentication:

JS SDK Authentication Configurations#

The JS SDK provides a set of configurations to customize the authentication method and storage. You can set these configurations when initializing the SDK.

Authentication Type#

By default, the JS SDK uses JWT token (jwt) authentication. You can change the authentication method or type by setting the auth.type configuration to session.

For example:

Code
1import Medusa from "@medusajs/js-sdk"2
3export const sdk = new Medusa({4  // ...5  auth: {6    type: "session",7  },8})

To use a secret API key instead, pass it in the apiKey configuration instead:

Code
1import Medusa from "@medusajs/js-sdk"2
3export const sdk = new Medusa({4  // ...5  apiKey: "your-api-key",6})

The provided API key will be passed in the headers of all requests to the Medusa API.

Change JWT Authentication Storage#

By default, the JS SDK stores the JWT token in the localStorage under the medusa_auth_token key.

Some environments or use cases may require a different storage method or localStorage may not be available. For example, if you're building a mobile app with React Native, you might want to use AsyncStorage instead of localStorage.

You can change the storage method by setting the auth.jwtTokenStorageMethod configuration to one of the following values:

Custom Authentication Storage in JS SDK

To use a custom storage method, you need to set the auth.jwtTokenStorageMethod configuration to custom and provide your own implementation of the storage method in the auth.storage configuration.

The object or class passed to auth.storage configuration must have the following methods:

• setItem: A function that accepts a key and value to store the JWT token.
• getItem: A function that accepts a key to retrieve the JWT token.
• removeItem: A function that accepts a key to remove the JWT token from storage.

For example, to use AsyncStorage in React Native:

Code
1import AsyncStorage from "@react-native-async-storage/async-storage"2import Medusa from "@medusajs/js-sdk"3
4let MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL = "http://localhost:9000"5
6if (process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL) {7  MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL = process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL8}9
10export const sdk = new Medusa({11  baseUrl: MEDUSA_BACKEND_URL,12  debug: process.env.NODE_ENV === "development",13  publishableKey: process.env.NEXT_PUBLIC_MEDUSA_PUBLISHABLE_KEY,14  auth: {15    type: "jwt",16    jwtTokenStorageMethod: "custom",17    storge: AsyncStorage,18  },19})

In this example, you specify the jwtTokenStorageMethod as custom and set the storage configuration to AsyncStorage. This way, the JS SDK will use AsyncStorage to store and manage the JWT token instead of localStorage.

Change Cookie Session Credentials Options#

By default, if you set the auth.type configuration in the JS SDK to session, the JS SDK will pass the credentials: include option in the underlying fetch requests.

However, some platforms or environments may not support passing this option. For example, if you're using the JS SDK in a server-side environment or a mobile app, you might want to set the credentials option to same-origin or omit.

You can change the credentials option by setting the auth.fetchCredentials configuration to one of the following values:

For example:

Code
1import Medusa from "@medusajs/js-sdk"2
3export const sdk = new Medusa({4  // ...5  auth: {6    type: "session",7    fetchCredentials: "same-origin",8  },9})

In this example, you set the fetchCredentials configuration to same-origin, which means the JS SDK will include cookies and authorization headers in the requests to the Medusa API only if the request is made to the same origin as the current page.

Sending Authenticated Requests in JS SDK#

The JS SDK has an auth.login method that allows you to login admin users, customers, or any actor type with any auth provider.

Not only does this method log in the user, but it also stores the JWT token or session cookie for you and automatically includes it in the headers of all requests to the Medusa API. This means you don't have to manually set the authorization header for each request.

For example:

In this example, you call the sdk.auth.login method passing it the actor type (for example, user), the provider (emailpass), and the credentials.

If the authentication is successful, there are two types of returned data:

• An object with a location property: This means the authentication requires more actions, which happens when using third-party authentication providers, such as Google. In that case, you need to redirect the customer to the location to complete their authentication.
  • Refer to the Third-Party Login in Storefront guide for an example implementation.
• A string: This means the authentication was successful, and the user is logged in. The JS SDK automatically stores the JWT token or session cookie for you and includes it in the headers of all requests to the Medusa API. All requests you send afterwards will be authenticated with the stored token or session cookie.

If the authentication fails, the catch block will be executed, and you can handle the error accordingly.

You can learn more about this method in the auth.login reference.

Manually Set JWT Token#

If you need to set the JWT token manually, you can use the sdk.client.setToken method. All subsequent requests will be authenticated with the provided token.

For example:

Code
1sdk.client.setToken("your-jwt-token")2
3// all requests sent after this will be authenticated with the provided token

You can also clear the token manually as explained in the Manually Clearing JWT Token section.

Logout in JS SDK#

The JS SDK has an auth.logout method that allows you to log out the currently authenticated user.

If the JS SDK's authentication type is jwt, the method will only clear the stored JWT token from the local storage. If the authentication type is session, the method will destroy the session cookie using Medusa's /auth/session API route.

Any request sent after logging out will not be authenticated, and you will need to log in again to authenticate the user.

For example:

Code
1sdk.auth.logout()2.then(() => {3  // user is logged out4})

You can learn more about this method in the auth.logout reference.

Manually Clearing JWT Token#

If you need to clear the JWT token manually, you can use the sdk.client.clearToken method. This will remove the token from the local storage and all subsequent requests will not be authenticated.

For example:

Code
1sdk.client.clearToken()2
3// all requests sent after this will not be authenticated