Authentication Examples with GraphQL API

Introduction

Authentication is a crucial part of APIs, ensuring that only authorized users can access specific resources. In the context of GraphQL APIs, authentication can be implemented in various ways, depending on the needs of your application. This article presents three practical examples for authenticating with a GraphQL API, providing clear use cases and code snippets to illustrate the concepts.

Example 1: JWT Authentication

Context

JSON Web Tokens (JWT) are widely used for authentication in web applications. This example demonstrates how to authenticate a user and retrieve a user profile using a GraphQL API with JWT.

The user will first log in, receiving a JWT that will be used in subsequent requests to access protected resources.

## Mutation for user login
mutation Login(\(email: String!, \)password: String!) {
  login(email: \(email, password: \)password) {
    token
  }
}

## Query to get user profile
query GetProfile($token: String!) {
  userProfile(token: $token) {
    id
    name
    email
  }
}

In this example, the Login mutation accepts user credentials and returns a JWT token. The GetProfile query uses this token to retrieve the user’s profile data.

Notes

• Ensure that the server is set up to validate the JWT token.
• Token expiration and refresh mechanisms should be considered for enhanced security.

Example 2: OAuth 2.0 Authentication

Context

OAuth 2.0 is a common protocol for authorizing third-party applications without exposing user credentials. This example illustrates how to authenticate a user using OAuth 2.0 with a GraphQL API.

In this case, the user will authenticate via a third-party provider (e.g., Google), and the application will receive an access token to use in subsequent API requests.

## Mutation for OAuth login
mutation OAuthLogin(\(provider: String!, \)token: String!) {
  oauthLogin(provider: \(provider, token: \)token) {
    accessToken
    user {
      id
      name
      email
    }
  }
}

## Example query after authentication
query GetUserData($accessToken: String!) {
  userData(accessToken: $accessToken) {
    id
    preferences
  }
}

Here, the OAuthLogin mutation accepts the provider’s name and the received token, returning an access token for the application. The subsequent GetUserData query uses this access token to fetch user-specific data.

Notes

• This method requires setting up an OAuth client with the provider.
• Keep in mind token scopes to limit access to only necessary resources.

Example 3: API Key Authentication

Context

API keys provide a simple way to authenticate requests. This example shows how to use API keys for authenticating a GraphQL API request. API keys are often used in server-to-server communications or for public APIs.

In this scenario, the client will send an API key as part of the request headers to access a protected resource.

## Query for accessing a resource with API key
query GetData {
  data {
    id
    value
  }
}

To use this query, the API key should be included in the request headers:

headers: {
  'Authorization': 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY'
}

Notes

• Ensure that your server verifies the API key with every request.
• Rotate API keys regularly to ensure security, and consider rate limiting to prevent abuse.

By understanding these examples of authentication with GraphQL API, developers can implement robust security measures in their applications, safeguarding user data while ensuring seamless access to resources.