Every app needs authentication and authorization. Logto is an Auth0 alternative designed for modern apps and SaaS products.
In this article, we will go through the steps to quickly build the GitHub sign-in experience (user authentication) with React and Logto.
Prerequisites
- A running Logto instance. Check out the introduction page to get started.
- Basic knowledge of React.
- A usable GitHub account.
Create an application in Logto
In you browser, open a new tab and enter the link of Logto Admin Console.
Once the page is loaded, in the "Get Started" section click the View all
link to open the application framework list page.
Choose your application type
In the opening modal, scroll to the "Single page app" section or filter all the available " Single page app" frameworks using the quick filter checkboxes on the left.
Click the "React" framework card to start creating your application.
Enter application name
Enter the application name, e.g., "Bookstore," and click "Create application."
🎉 Ta-da! You just created your first application in Logto. You'll see a congrats page which includes a detailed integration guide. Follow the guide to see what the experience will be in your application.
Integrate Logto SDK
- The sample project is available on our SDK repository.
- The tutorial video is available on our YouTube channel.
Installation
Install Logto SDK via your favorite package manager:
- npm
- pnpm
- yarn
npm i @logto/react
pnpm add @logto/react
yarn add @logto/react
Init LogtoClient
Import and use LogtoProvider
to provide a Logto context to your app:
import { LogtoProvider, LogtoConfig } from '@logto/react';
const config: LogtoConfig = {
endpoint: '<your-logto-endpoint>', // E.g. http://localhost:3001
appId: '<your-application-id>',
};
const App = () => (
<LogtoProvider config={config}>
<YourAppContent />
</LogtoProvider>
);
Configure redirect URIs
Before we dive into the details, here's a quick overview of the end-user experience. The sign-in process can be simplified as follows:
- Your app invokes the sign-in method.
- The user is redirected to the Logto sign-in page. For native apps, the system browser is opened.
- The user signs in and is redirected back to your app (configured as the redirect URI).
Regarding redirect-based sign-in
- This authentication process follows the OpenID Connect (OIDC) protocol, and Logto enforces strict security measures to protect user sign-in.
- If you have multiple apps, you can use the same identity provider (Logto). Once the user signs in to one app, Logto will automatically complete the sign-in process when the user accesses another app.
To learn more about the rationale and benefits of redirect-based sign-in, see Logto sign-in experience explained.
In the following code snippets, we assume your app is running on http://localhost:3000/
.
Configure redirect URIs
Switch to the application details page of Logto Console. Add a redirect URI http://localhost:3000/callback
.
Just like signing in, users should be redirected to Logto for signing out of the shared session. Once finished, it would be great to redirect the user back to your website. For example, add http://localhost:3000/
as the post sign-out redirect URI section.
Then click "Save" to save the changes.
Handle redirect
Since we use http://localhost:3000/callback
as the redirect URI, now we need to handle it properly.
First let's create a callback page:
import { useHandleSignInCallback } from '@logto/react';
const Callback = () => {
const { isLoading } = useHandleSignInCallback(() => {
// Do something when finished, e.g. redirect to home page
});
// When it's working in progress
if (isLoading) {
return <div>Redirecting...</div>;
}
return null;
};
Finally insert the code below to create a /callback
route which does NOT require authentication:
// Assuming react-router
<Route path="/callback" element={<Callback />} />
Implement sign-in and sign-out
We provide two hooks useHandleSignInCallback()
and useLogto()
which can help you easily manage the authentication flow.
Before calling .signIn()
, make sure you have correctly configured Redirect URI
in Admin Console.
import { useLogto } from '@logto/react';
const Home = () => {
const { signIn, signOut, isAuthenticated } = useLogto();
return isAuthenticated ? (
<button onClick={signOut}>Sign Out</button>
) : (
<button onClick={() => signIn('http://localhost:3000/callback')}>Sign In</button>
);
};
Calling .signOut()
will clear all the Logto data in memory and localStorage if they exist.
Open your React app to test if the integration works. When you click the "Sign In" button, the page should be redirected to a Logto sign-in page, and you should be able to create a new account by entering username and password and complete the sign-in process.
Add GitHub connector
To add a social connector, go to the "Connector" tab in the Admin Console, then click on "Social connectors". From there, click "Add social connector".
In the openning modal, select "GitHub" and click "Next".
On the next page, you will see a two-column layout with the README content on the left and configuration on the right.
Feel free to follow the README file in place or read the following section to complete the configuration process. If you follow the in-place guide, you can skip the next section.
Set up GitHub OAuth app
Sign in with GitHub account
Go to the GitHub website and sign in with your GitHub account. You may register a new account if you don't have one.
Create and configure OAuth app
Follow the creating an OAuth App guide, and register a new application.
Name your new OAuth application in Application name and fill up Homepage URL of the app.
You can leave Application description field blank and customize Authorization callback URL as ${your_logto_origin}/callback/${connector_id}
. The connector_id
can be found on the top bar of the Logto Admin Console connector details page.
Note: If you encounter the error message "The redirect_uri MUST match the registered callback URL for this application." when logging in, try aligning the Authorization Callback URL of your GitHub OAuth App and your Logto App's redirect URL (of course, including the protocol) to resolve the issue.
We suggest not to check the box before Enable Device Flow, or users who sign in with GitHub on mobile devices must confirm the initial sign-in action in the GitHub app. Many GitHub users do not install the GitHub mobile app on their phones, which could block the sign-in flow. Please ignore our suggestion if you are expecting end-users to confirm their sign-in flow. See details of device flow.
Managing OAuth apps
Go to the OAuth Apps page and you can add, edit or delete existing OAuth apps.
You can also find Client ID
and generate Client secrets
in OAuth app detail pages.
Compose the connector JSON
Let's go back to Logto. Fill out the clientId
and clientSecret
field with Client ID and Client Secret you've got from OAuth app detail pages mentioned in the previous section.
Here is an example of GitHub connector config JSON.
{
"clientID": "<your-client-id>",
"clientSecret": "<your-client-secret>"
}
Config types
Name | Type |
---|---|
clientId | string |
clientSecret | string |
Save your configuration
Double check you have filled out necessary values in the Logto connector configuration area. Click "Save and Done" (or "Save changes") and the GitHub connector should be available now.
Enable GitHub connector in Sign-in Experience
Switch to the "Sign-in experience" tab, then click the "Sign-up and sign-in" tab.
If it's the first time you enter the tab, you will see a quick introduction about Sign-in Experience and its basic configuration.
Select "None" for the "Sign-up identifier" to provide minimum sign-up effort for GitHub sign-in, which may increase your conversion rate.
In the "Social sign-in" section, add "Add Social Connector" and choose "GitHub". Then you should be able to see a button with text "Continue with GitHub" in the preview section.
Finally, click "Save changes" on the bottom right corner.
Testing and Validation
Return to your React app. You should now be able to sign in with GitHub. Enjoy!
Further readings
Protect your API For native and single page apps, you'll need to call one or more API endpoints to retrieve and update data.
Learn more about identifying who's who and keeping your API secure.
User management We know you care about user management and activities, as we also do.
Learn more about how to know your users and see the figures like DAU and MAU graphically.
Localization From one regional business to a global corporate, the willingness to offer the best user experience won't change.
You can change current language phrases or add a new language without friction.
Customer IAM series Our serial blog posts about Customer (or Consumer) Identity and Access Management, from 101 to advanced topics and beyond.