React Native Authentication Made Easy: A Reusable Flow

Unlock Seamless Authentication in Your React Native App

When building a new React Native project, getting the authentication flow right from the start can save you a tremendous amount of time and effort down the line. In this tutorial, we’ll explore how to create a reusable authentication flow that you can easily integrate into your next project.

Setting Up Your Development Environment

Before we dive in, make sure you have the following configuration:

• Node version ≥10.x.x installed
• A package manager like npm or Yarn
• react-native-cli installed on your local machine
• React Native version ≥0.60.x (we’re using version 0.64.0 in this tutorial)

If you need help setting up a development environment for React Native, check out the official documentation.

Creating a New React Native Project

Let’s create a new React Native project. First, create a directory for your code and navigate into it. We’ll use the name “RNauthflow” throughout this tutorial, but feel free to choose your own name. Run the following command to create the basic project files and configuration:

npx react-native init RNauthflow

Installing Dependencies and Setting Up React Navigation

Once the project setup is complete, install the required dependencies:

npm install or yarn install

To finalize the installation on iOS, install pods using CocoaPods.

Storing Tokens with Async Storage

We’ll use the react-native-async-storage/async-storage npm package to store tokens. Install it using:

npm install @react-native-async-storage/async-storage or yarn add @react-native-async-storage/async-storage

Then, create a utility function to store tokens:

“`js
import { AsyncStorage } from ‘@react-native-async-storage/async-storage’;

const storeToken = async (token) => {
try {
await AsyncStorage.setItem(‘token’, token);
} catch (error) {
console.error(‘Error storing token:’, error);
}
};
“`

Creating the Auth Context

We’ll use the React Context API to manage our project state. Create a simple auth context and implement the provider components:

“`js
import { createContext, useReducer, useMemo } from ‘eact’;

const AuthContext = createContext();

const authReducer = (state, action) => {
switch (action.type) {
case ‘SIGNIN’:
return {…state, authToken: action.token };
case ‘SIGNOUT’:
return {…state, authToken: null };
default:
return state;
}
};

const AuthProvider = ({ children }) => {
const [state, dispatch] = useReducer(authReducer, { authToken: null });

const signIn = (token) => dispatch({ type: ‘SIGNIN’, token });
const signOut = () => dispatch({ type: ‘SIGNOUT’ });

const authActions = useMemo(() => ({ signIn, signOut }), []);

return (

);
};
“`

Adding Screens and Navigation

Create two new screens, HomeScreen and LoginScreen, inside the src/screens/ directory. These screens will handle login and authentication. We’ll use React Navigation v5, which follows a component-based approach:

“`js
import { createStackNavigator } from ‘@react-navigation/stack’;
import { NavigationContainer } from ‘@react-navigation/native’;

const Stack = createStackNavigator();

const App = () => {
return (






);
};
“`

Using the Reusable Auth Flow

Wrap your Root(App) component with the AuthProvider, and you’re ready to use your reusable auth flow:

“`js
import React from ‘eact’;
import { AuthProvider } from ‘./AuthProvider’;

const App = () => {
return (



);
};
“`

With this generic solution, you can easily integrate authentication with Firebase, Okta, Auth0, and more. Check out the complete code used in this demo on GitHub.

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