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

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

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()

auth0-react-native