Auth0 React Native Integration

Add authentication to React Native and Expo mobile applications using react-native-auth0.

---

Prerequisites

• React Native or Expo application
• Auth0 account and application configured as Native type
• If you don't have Auth0 set up yet, use the auth0-quickstart skill first

When NOT to Use

• Expo managed workflow - Use auth0-expo skill for Expo apps with config plugin
• React web applications - Use auth0-react skill for SPAs (Vite/CRA)
• React Server Components - Use auth0-nextjs for Next.js applications
• Non-React native apps - Use platform-specific SDKs (Swift for iOS, Kotlin for Android)
• Backend APIs - Use JWT validation libraries for your server language

---

Quick Start Workflow

1. Install SDK

Expo:

npx expo install react-native-auth0

React Native CLI:

npm install react-native-auth0
npx pod-install  # iOS only

2. Configure Environment

For automated setup with Auth0 CLI, see Setup Guide for complete scripts.

For manual setup:

Create .env:

AUTH0_DOMAIN=your-tenant.auth0.com
AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id

3. Configure Native Platforms

iOS - Update ios/{YourApp}/Info.plist:

<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
<array>
  <dict>
    <key>CFBundleTypeRole</key>
    <string>None</string>
    <key>CFBundleURLName</key>
    <string>auth0</string>
    <key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
    <array>
      <string>$(PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER).auth0</string>
    </array>
  </dict>
</array>

Android - Update android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml:

<activity
    android:name="com.auth0.android.provider.RedirectActivity"
    android:exported="true">
    <intent-filter>
        <action android:name="android.intent.action.VIEW" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.DEFAULT" />
        <category android:name="android.intent.category.BROWSABLE" />
        <data
            android:host="YOUR_AUTH0_DOMAIN"
            android:pathPrefix="/android/${applicationId}/callback"
            android:scheme="${applicationId}" />
    </intent-filter>
</activity>

Expo - Update app.json:

{
  "expo": {
    "scheme": "your-app-scheme",
    "ios": {
      "bundleIdentifier": "com.yourcompany.yourapp"
    },
    "android": {
      "package": "com.yourcompany.yourapp"
    }
  }
}

4. Add Authentication with Auth0Provider

Wrap your app with Auth0Provider:

import React from 'react';
import { Auth0Provider } from 'react-native-auth0';
import App from './App';

export default function Root() {
  return (
    <Auth0Provider
      domain={process.env.AUTH0_DOMAIN}
      clientId={process.env.AUTH0_CLIENT_ID}
    >
      <App />
    </Auth0Provider>
  );
}

5. Use the useAuth0 Hook

import React from 'react';
import { View, Button, Text, ActivityIndicator } from 'react-native';
import { useAuth0 } from 'react-native-auth0';

export default function App() {
  const { user, authorize, clearSession, isLoading } = useAuth0();

  const login = async () => {
    try {
      await authorize({
        scope: 'openid profile email'
      });
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Login error:', error);
    }
  };

  const logout = async () => {
    try {
      await clearSession();
    } catch (error) {
      console.error('Logout error:', error);
    }
  };

  if (isLoading) {
    return <ActivityIndicator />;
  }

  return (
    <View>
      {user ? (
        <>
          <Text>Welcome, {user.name}!</Text>
          <Text>{user.email}</Text>
          <Button title="Logout" onPress={logout} />
        </>
      ) : (
        <Button title="Login" onPress={login} />
      )}
    </View>
  );
}

6. Test Authentication

Expo:

npx expo start

React Native:

npx react-native run-ios
# or
npx react-native run-android

---

Detailed Documentation

• Setup Guide - Automated setup, native configuration, deep linking
• Patterns Guide - Secure storage, biometric auth, token refresh
• API Reference - Complete SDK API, methods, configuration options

---

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Forgot to wrap app with Auth0Provider	All components using useAuth0() must be children of Auth0Provider
Forgot to configure deep linking	Add URL scheme to iOS Info.plist and Android AndroidManifest.xml (see Step 3)
Callback URL mismatch	Ensure callback URL in Auth0 Dashboard matches your app's URL scheme (e.g., com.yourapp.auth0://YOUR_DOMAIN/ios/com.yourapp/callback)
iOS build fails after install	Run npx pod-install to link native dependencies
App created as SPA type in Auth0	Must be Native application type for mobile apps
Not handling auth errors	Wrap authorize/clearSession calls in try-catch blocks
Deep link not working on Android	Verify android:exported="true" is set on RedirectActivity

---

Related Skills

• auth0-quickstart - Basic Auth0 setup
• auth0-migration - Migrate from another auth provider
• auth0-mfa - Add Multi-Factor Authentication
• auth0-cli - Manage Auth0 resources from the terminal

---

Quick Reference

Core Hook API:

• useAuth0() - Main hook for authentication
• authorize() - Initiate login
• clearSession() - Logout
• user - User profile object
• getCredentials() - Get tokens for API calls
• isLoading - Loading state

Common Use Cases:

• Login/Logout → See Step 5 above
• Secure token storage → Automatic with Auth0Provider
• Biometric authentication → Patterns Guide
• API calls with tokens → Patterns Guide
• Token refresh → Automatic with getCredentials()

---

References

• Auth0 React Native SDK Documentation
• Auth0 React Native Quickstart
• SDK GitHub Repository