Integrating Redux with a third-party authentication provider (e.g., OAuth, OpenID)

14 Sep 2023

In modern web applications, integrating third-party authentication providers such as OAuth or OpenID has become a common practice. These providers offer a secure and convenient way for users to login to your application using their existing accounts.

In this blog post, we will explore how we can integrate a third-party authentication provider with Redux, the popular JavaScript library for managing application state.

Why use Redux?

Redux provides a predictable state container for JavaScript applications. It allows us to manage the application state in a centralized manner, making it easier to debug and test our code. By integrating Redux with a third-party authentication provider, we can store the user’s authentication state and make it available throughout our application.

Step 1: Install the required dependencies

Before we begin, let’s install the dependencies we need for this integration:

npm install redux react-redux redux-thunk

We will be using redux-thunk middleware to handle asynchronous actions in Redux.

Step 2: Create the Redux actions

In Redux, actions are plain JavaScript objects that describe changes to the application state. Let’s create some actions for handling the authentication flow:

// actions.js

export const loginRequest = () => ({
  type: 'LOGIN_REQUEST'
});

export const loginSuccess = (user) => ({
  type: 'LOGIN_SUCCESS',
  payload: user
});

export const loginFailure = (error) => ({
  type: 'LOGIN_FAILURE',
  payload: error
});

export const logout = () => ({
  type: 'LOGOUT'
});

Step 3: Define the Redux reducer

Reducers specify how the application’s state changes in response to actions. Let’s define a reducer to handle the authentication actions we created:

// reducer.js

const initialState = {
  user: null,
  loading: false,
  error: null
};

export const authReducer = (state = initialState, action) => {
  switch (action.type) {
    case 'LOGIN_REQUEST':
      return {
        ...state,
        loading: true,
        error: null
      };
    case 'LOGIN_SUCCESS':
      return {
        ...state,
        user: action.payload,
        loading: false,
        error: null
      };
    case 'LOGIN_FAILURE':
      return {
        ...state,
        loading: false,
        error: action.payload
      };
    case 'LOGOUT':
      return {
        ...state,
        user: null
      };
    default:
      return state;
  }
};

Step 4: Implement the authentication flow

Now that we have our actions and reducer in place, let’s implement the actual authentication flow. We will assume that we have already set up the necessary configurations and API endpoints for the third-party authentication provider.

// auth.js

import { loginRequest, loginSuccess, loginFailure } from './actions';

const authenticateUser = (username, password) => {
  return async (dispatch) => {
    dispatch(loginRequest());

    try {
      const response = await fetch('/api/login', {
        method: 'POST',
        body: JSON.stringify({ username, password }),
        headers: {
          'Content-Type': 'application/json'
        }
      });

      if (response.ok) {
        const user = await response.json();
        dispatch(loginSuccess(user));
      } else {
        const error = await response.text();
        dispatch(loginFailure(error));
      }
    } catch (error) {
      dispatch(loginFailure(error.message));
    }
  };
};

export { authenticateUser };

Step 5: Connect Redux to your components

To make the authentication state available to your components, you need to connect them to the Redux store. Use the connect function from react-redux to achieve this:

// Login.js

import React, { useState } from 'react';
import { connect } from 'react-redux';
import { authenticateUser } from './auth';

const Login = ({ loading, error, authenticateUser }) => {
  const [username, setUsername] = useState('');
  const [password, setPassword] = useState('');

  const handleLogin = () => {
    authenticateUser(username, password);
  };

  return (
    <div>
      <input
        type="text"
        value={username}
        onChange={(e) => setUsername(e.target.value)}
      />
      <input
        type="password"
        value={password}
        onChange={(e) => setPassword(e.target.value)}
      />
      <button onClick={handleLogin} disabled={loading}>
        {loading ? 'Loading...' : 'Login'}
      </button>
      {error && <p>{error}</p>}
    </div>
  );
};

const mapStateToProps = (state) => ({
  loading: state.loading,
  error: state.error
});

export default connect(mapStateToProps, { authenticateUser })(Login);

Conclusion

Integrating a third-party authentication provider with Redux can greatly enhance the authentication experience in your web application. By following the steps outlined in this blog post, you can implement a robust authentication flow that leverages the power of Redux to manage the application state.

#ReduxIntegration #ThirdPartyAuthentication