Updating authorization header in websocket graphql

Question

I am trying to implement authentication in Graphql using firebase and websockets (on react native).

The client uses the firebase to authenticate and gets a token. It then sends the token to the server over a websocket client, which validates the user using the admin sdk.

I am facing two problems:

When the app boots up, it establishes a ws connection which by that time, it has no authorization header. The user gets a token after a while using firebase.
The token expires after some time, so after a while I need to update the authorization header in the websocket connection, and re-run the query, mutation or subscription which got rejected because of the expired token.

Is there a way to update the authorization header and re-run the query?

Do I need to close the previous connection and open a new one using the new token in the authorization header? How is this done?

I am using apollo-server, apollo-client, apollo-link, subscriptions-transport-ws.

You can have a look at these 2 open issues: [link] (github.com/apollographql/subscriptions-transport-ws/issues/171) [link] (github.com/apollographql/subscriptions-transport-ws/issues/293) currently these are the only solutions. You basically need to restart the connection in order to pass the new token @JavascriptHuppTechnologies — perrosnk
– perrosnk, Commented Feb 18, 2018 at 10:28
@JavascriptHuppTechnologies are you developing for android too? — perrosnk
– perrosnk, Commented Feb 19, 2018 at 11:15
No i am developing it on reactjs framework and i faced issue with token, because apollo connected to link before authentication but now fixed. — Javascript Hupp Technologies
– Javascript Hupp Technologies, Commented Feb 19, 2018 at 13:03

Jason · Accepted Answer · 2021-12-28 15:06:47Z

7

I haven't run into your exact issue before, but you should check out connectionParams field. If on startup a new websocket client is created, you can fetch a new token asynchronously in the connectionParams.

import { createClient } from 'graphql-ws';

export const createWebsocketClient = (user) => createClient({
  url: 'ws://localhost:8080/v1/graphql',
  connectionParams: async () => {
    const token = await user.getToken();
    return {
      headers: {
        Authorization: `Bearer ${token}`,
      },
    };
  },
});

The token is only sent when initializing the connection, so even if the token expires after the initializing, it shouldn't be a problem.

answered Dec 28, 2021 at 15:06

Jason

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1 Comment

fDruga Over a year ago

In this example getToken is assumed to emit a new token once the old one expires? In my app the problem is that the old token expires and i need to update the connectionParams's authToken field. I have a Subject that emits an event when the token expires, I can use that instead?

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