Hristo Georgiev

Token-based authentication with Ruby on Rails 5 API

With API-only applications so popular and Rails 5 right around the corner, the most common methods of authentication are now becoming token-based. In this tutorial, a short overview of token-based authentication will be given and implemented into a Rails 5 API-only application.

## What is token-based authentication?
 
 Token-based authentication (also known as [JSON Web Token authentication](https://jwt.io/)) is a new way of handling authentication of users in applications. It is an alternative to [session-based authentication](http://security.stackexchange.com/questions/81756/session-authentication-vs-token-authentication). 
 
 The most notable difference between the session-based and token-based authentication is that former relies heavily on the server. A record is created for each logged-in user. 
 
 Token-based authentication is stateless -- it does not store anything on the server but creates a unique encoded token that gets checked every time a request is made. 
 
 Unlike session-based authentication, a token approach would not associate a user with login information but with a unique token that is used to carry client-host transactions. Many applications, including Facebook, Google, and GitHub, use the token-based approach.

### Benefits of token-based authentication
There are several benefits to using such approach:
 * Cross-domain / CORS
  * Cookies and CORS don't mix well across different domains. A token-based approach allows you to make AJAX calls to any server, on any domain because you use an HTTP header to transmit the user information.

- Stateless
 * Tokens are stateless. There is no need to keep a session store, since the token is a self-contained entity that stores all the user information in it.

- Decoupling
 * You are no longer tied to a particular authentication scheme. Tokens may be generated anywhere, so the API can be called from anywhere with a single authenticated command rather than multiple authenticated calls.

- Mobile ready
 - Cookies are a problem when it comes to storing user information on native mobile applications. Adopting a token-based approach simplifies this saving process significantly.

- CSRF (Cross Site Request Forgery)
 - Because the application does not rely on cookies for authentication, it is invulnerable to such cross site request attacks.

- Performance
 - In terms of server-side load, a network roundtrip (e.g. finding a session on database) is likely to take more time than calculating an HMACSHA256 code to validate a token and parsing its contents, making token-based authentication faster than the traditional alternative.

### How does it work?
The way token-based authentication works is simple: The user enters his/her credentials and sends a request to the server. If the credentials are correct, the server creates a unique HMACSHA256 encoded token also known as JSON web token (JWT). The client stores the JWT and makes all subsequent requests to the server with the token attached. The server authenticates the user by comparing the JWT sent with the request to the one it has stored in the database. Here is a simple diagram of the process:

![token-based auth](http://i.imgur.com/xkvip2y.jpg)

### What does a JWT token contain?
The token is separated in three base-64 encoded, dot-separated values, each one representing a different type of data:
#### Header
Consits of the type of the token (JWT) and the type of encryption algorithm (HS256) encoded in base-64.
#### Payload
The payload contains information about the user and his/her role. For example,
the payload of the token can contain the e-mail and the password.
#### Signature
Signature is a unique key that identifies the service which creates the header. In this case, the signature of the token will be a base-64 encoded version of the Rails application's secret key (`Rails.application.secrets.secret_key_base`). Because each application has a unique base key, this secret key serves as the token signature.

## Setting up a token-based authentication with Rails 5

Enough theory, it's time for practice. The first step is to create a new Rails 5 API-only application:

```bash
rails _5.0.0.beta3_ new api-app --api
```

By appending `--api` at the end of the generator, a API-only application will be created. [API-only](http://edgeguides.rubyonrails.org/api_app.html) applications recent additions to the Rails platform. An API application is a trimmed-down version of standard Rails application without any of the unnecessary middleware, such as `.erb` views, helpers and assets. API applications come with special middlewares such as `ActionController::API` , request throttling, easy CORS configuration and other custom-waived features for building APIs.

There are several requirements that need to be met before we can use the token-based approach:

* We need an accessible model.
* A way of encoding and decoding JWT tokens must be implemented.
* We need methods for checking if the user is authenticated.
* Controllers for creating and logging in users are also necessary.
* We need routes for creating users and logging them in and out.

### Creating the user model
 First, the user model must be created:
```bash
 rails g model User name email password_digest
```
 Run the migrations:
```bash
 rails db:migrate
```
 By running these methods, we create a user model with name, e-mail and password fields and have its schema migrated in the database.
 
The method `has_secure_password`  has to be added to the model to make sure the password is properly encrypted into the database:
 `has_secure_password` is part of the `bcrypt` gem, so we have to install it first. Add it to the gemfile:
 ```ruby
 #Gemfile.rb
 gem 'bcrypt', '~> 3.1.7'
 ```
 And install it:
 ```bash
  bundle install
 ```
 With the gem installed, the method can be included in the model:
 ```ruby
#app/models/user.rb
 
class User < ApplicationRecord
  has_secure_password
end

```
### Encoding and decoding JWT tokens

Once the user model is done, the implementation of the JWT token generation can start. First, the `jwt` gem will make encoding and decoding of HMACSHA256 tokens available in the Rails application. Let's install it:

```ruby
  gem 'jwt'
```
And install it:

```bash
bundle install

```
Once the  gem is installed, it can be accessed through the `JWT` global variable. Because the methods that are going to be used require encapsulation, a singleton class is  a great way of wrapping the logic and using it in other constructs.

For those who are unfamiliar, **a singleton class** restricts the instantiation of a class to a single object, which comes in handy when only one object is needed to complete the tasks at hand.

```ruby
 
 # lib/json_web_token.rb

class JsonWebToken
  class << self
    def encode(payload, exp = 24.hours.from_now)
      payload[:exp] = exp.to_i
      JWT.encode(payload, Rails.application.secrets.secret_key_base)
    end

def decode(token)
      body = JWT.decode(token, Rails.application.secrets.secret_key_base)[0]
      HashWithIndifferentAccess.new body
    rescue
      nil
    end
  end
end
```
The first method,`encode`, takes three parameters -- the user id, the expiration time (1 day), and the unique base key of your Rails application -- to create a unique token.

The second method,`decode` takes the token and uses the application's secret key to decode it.

These are the two cases in which these methods will be used:
 * For authenticating the user and generate a token for him/her using `encode`
 * To check if the user's token appended in each request is correct by using `decode`.

To make sure everything will work, the contents of the `lib` directory have to be included when the Rails applciation loads:
```ruby
    #config/application.rb
module ApiApp
  class Application < Rails::Application
    #.....
    config.autoload_paths << Rails.root.join('lib')
    #.....
    end
   end
```
### Authenticating users
 Instead of using private controller methods, `simple_command` can be used: [simple_command](https://github.com/nebulab/simple_command).

The simple command gem is an easy way of creating services. Its role is similar to the role of a helper, but instead of facilitating the connection between the controller and the view, it does the same for the controller and the model. In this way, we can shorten the code in the models and controllers.

Add the gem to your `Gemfile`:
```ruby
gem 'simple_command'
```
And bundle it:
```bash
bundle install
```
Then, the alias methods of the `simple_command` can be easiy used in a class by writing `prepend SimpleCommand`. Here is how a command is structured:
```ruby

class AuthenticateUser
   prepend SimpleCommand

def initialize()
   #this is where parameters are taken when the command is called
  end

def call
   #this is where the result gets returned
  end

end
```
The command has to take the user's e-mail and password and return the user if the credentials match. Here is how this can be done:
```ruby
# app/commands/authenticate_user.rb

class AuthenticateUser
  prepend SimpleCommand

def initialize(email, password)
    @email = email
    @password = password
  end

def call
    JsonWebToken.encode(user_id: user.id) if user
  end

private

attr_accessor :email, :password

def user
    user = User.find_by_email(email)
    return user if user && user.authenticate(password)

errors.add :user_authentication, 'invalid credentials'
    nil
  end
end
```
The command takes the parameters and initializes a class instance with `email` and `password` attributes that are accessible within the class. The private method `user` uses the credentials to check if the user exists in the database using `User.find_by_email` .

If the user is found, the method uses the built-in `authenticate` method (available by putting [has_secure_password](http://api.rubyonrails.org/classes/ActiveModel/SecurePassword/ClassMethods.html) in the User model to check if the user's password is correct. If everything is true, the user will be returned. If not, the method will return `nil`.

### Checking user authorization
The token creation is done, but there is no way to check if a token that's been appended to a request is valid. The command for authorization has to take the `headers` of the request and decode the token using the `decode` method in the `JsonWebToken` singleton.

> **A refresher on headers**
  Http requests have fields known as [headers](https://www.w3.org/Protocols/rfc2616/rfc2616-sec14.html). Headers can contain a wide variety of information about the request that can be helpful for the server to interpret it. For example, a header can contain the format of the request body, authorization information and other meta information (you can find all the types [here](https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/HTTP/Headers)). Tokens are usually attached to the 'Authorization' header.
  
  Here is how the code is structured:
```ruby
# app/commands/authorize_api_request.rb

class AuthorizeApiRequest
  prepend SimpleCommand

def initialize(headers = {})
    @headers = headers
  end

def call
    user
  end

private

attr_reader :headers

def user
    @user ||= User.find(decoded_auth_token[:user_id]) if decoded_auth_token
    @user || errors.add(:token, 'Invalid token') && nil
  end

def decoded_auth_token
    @decoded_auth_token ||= JsonWebToken.decode(http_auth_header)
  end

def http_auth_header
    if headers['Authorization'].present?
      return headers['Authorization'].split(' ').last
    else
      errors.add(:token, 'Missing token')
    end
    nil
  end
end
```
This code executes a chain of methods. **Let's go from bottom to top.**

The last method in the chain, `http_auth_header`, extracts the token from the authorization header received in the initialization of the class. The second method in the chain is `decoded_auth_token`, which decodes the token received from `http_auth_header`and retrieves the user's ID.

The logic in the `user` method might seem abstract, so let's go through it line by line.

In the first line, the `||=` operator is used to assign `@user` by assigning "if not `nil`". Basically, if the `User.find()` returns an empty set or `decoded_auth_token` returns false, `@user` will be `nil`.

Moving to the second line, the  `user` method will either return the user or throw an error. In Ruby, the last line of the function is implicitly returned, so the command ends up returning the user object.

### Implementing helper methods into the controllers
 All the logic for handling JWT tokens has been laid down. It is time to implement it in the controllers and put it to actual use. The two most essential pieces to implement are identifying user log-in and referencing the current user.
 
 
 #### Logging in users
 
 First, let's start with the user's logging-in:
 
 ```ruby
 # app/controllers/authentication_controller.rb

class AuthenticationController < ApplicationController
  skip_before_action :authenticate_request

def authenticate
    command = AuthenticateUser.call(params[:email], params[:password])

if command.success?
      render json: { auth_token: command.result }
    else
      render json: { error: command.errors }, status: :unauthorized
    end
  end
end
 ```
 The `authenticate` action will take the JSON parameters for e-mail and password through the `params` hash and pass them to the `AuthenticateUser` command. If the command succeeds, it will send the JWT  token back to the user.
 
 Let's put a endpoint for the action:
 
 ```ruby
   #config/routes.rb
   post 'authenticate', to: 'authentication#authenticate'
 ```

#### Authorizing requests
 
 To put the token to use, there must be a `current_user` method that will 'persist' the user. In order to have `current_user` available to all controllers, it has to be declared in the `ApplicationController`:

```ruby
#app/controllers/application_controller.rb
class ApplicationController < ActionController::API
 before_action :authenticate_request
  attr_reader :current_user

private

def authenticate_request
    @current_user = AuthorizeApiRequest.call(request.headers).result
    render json: { error: 'Not Authorized' }, status: 401 unless @current_user
  end
end
```
By using `before_action`, the server passes the request headers (using the built-in object property `request.headers`) to `AuthorizeApiRequest` every time the user makes a request. The request results are returned to the `@current_user`, thus becoming available to all controllers inheriting from `ApplicationController`.

### Does it work?

Let's see how everything works. 
 Start the Rails console in the application's root directory:
```bash
rails c
```  
Create a user and insert it into the console:
```bash
User.create!(email: 'example@mail.com' , password: '123123123' , password_confirmation: '123123123')
```  
To see how authorization works, there needs to be a resource that has to be requested. Let's scaffold a resource. In your terminal, run:
 ```bash
 rails g scaffold Item name:string description:text
  ```
 This will create a resource named `Item` from top to bottom -- a model, a controller, routes and views. Migrate the database:
  ```bash
  rails db:migrate
 ```

Now, start the server and use cURL to post the credentials to `localhost:3000/authenticate`. Here is how the request should look:
 ```bash
$ curl -H "Content-Type: application/json" -X POST -d '{"email":"example@mail.com","password":"123123123"}' http://localhost:3000/authenticate
 ``` 
 Your token will now be returned.

```bash
{"auth_token":"eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxLCJleHAiOjE0NjA2NTgxODZ9.xsSwcPC22IR71OBv6bU_OGCSyfE89DvEzWfDU0iybMA"}
 ``` 
Great! A token has been generated. Let's check if the resource is reachable. You can do it by making a `GET` request to  `localhost:3000/items `:
 ```bash
$ curl http://localhost:3000/items
{"error":"Not Authorized"}
 ``` 
The resource is not reachable because the token has not been prepended to the headers of the request. Copy the previously generated token and put it in the `Authorization` header:
 ```bash
$ curl -H "Authorization: eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJ1c2VyX2lkIjoxLCJleHAiOjE0NjA2NTgxODZ9.xsSwcPC22IR71OBv6bU_OGCSyfE89DvEzWfDU0iybMA" http://localhost:3000/items
[]
 ``` 
With the token prepended, an empty array (`[]`) is returned. This is normal -- after you add any items, you will see them returned in the request.

Awesome! Everything works.

If you missed something, the project has been uploaded on [GitHub](https://github.com/Kaizeras/rails-jwt-auth-tutorial). If you have any questions, do not hesitate to ask in the comments or feel free to message me on Github.

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Contributors

Thanks to the following users who've contributed to making this the best guide possible!

Have an idea for improving this guide? Edit this guide to get on the list!

Hristo Georgiev

🇨🇭🇧🇬

Hristo Georgiev lives in Zürich, Switzerland and also writes at www.hristo-georgiev.ch.

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