Files
payloadcms/docs/authentication/custom-strategies.mdx
James Mikrut ca6f849b53 feat: adds new canSetHeaders prop to auth strategies (#12591)
Exposes a new argument to authentication strategies which allows the
author to determine if this auth strategy has the capability of setting
response headers or not.

This is useful because some auth strategies may want to set headers, but
in Next.js server components (AKA the admin panel), it's not possible to
set headers. It is, however, possible to set headers within API
responses and similar contexts.

So, an author might decide to only run operations that require setting
headers (i.e. refreshing an access token) if the auth strategy is being
executed in contexts where setting headers is possible.
2025-05-29 09:58:58 -04:00

99 lines
3.8 KiB
Plaintext

---
title: Custom Strategies
label: Custom Strategies
order: 60
desc: Create custom authentication strategies to handle everything auth in Payload.
keywords: authentication, config, configuration, overview, documentation, Content Management System, cms, headless, javascript, node, react, nextjs
---
<Banner type="warning">
This is an advanced feature, so only attempt this if you are an experienced
developer. Otherwise, just let Payload's built-in authentication handle user
auth for you.
</Banner>
### Creating a strategy
At the core, a strategy is a way to authenticate a user making a request. As of `3.0` we moved away from [Passport](https://www.passportjs.org) in favor of pulling back the curtain and putting you in full control.
A strategy is made up of the following:
| Parameter | Description |
| --------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **`name`** \* | The name of your strategy |
| **`authenticate`** \* | A function that takes in the parameters below and returns a user or null. |
The `authenticate` function is passed the following arguments:
| Argument | Description |
| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **`canSetHeaders`** \* | Whether or not the strategy is being executed from a context where response headers can be set. Default is `false`. |
| **`headers`** \* | The headers on the incoming request. Useful for retrieving identifiable information on a request. |
| **`payload`** \* | The Payload class. Useful for authenticating the identifiable information against Payload. |
| **`isGraphQL`** | Whether or not the strategy is being executed within the GraphQL endpoint. Default is `false`. |
### Example Strategy
At its core a strategy simply takes information from the incoming request and returns a user. This is exactly how Payload's built-in strategies function.
Your `authenticate` method should return an object containing a Payload user document and any optional headers that you'd like Payload to set for you when we return a response.
```ts
import type { CollectionConfig } from 'payload'
export const Users: CollectionConfig = {
slug: 'users',
auth: {
disableLocalStrategy: true,
// highlight-start
strategies: [
{
name: 'custom-strategy',
authenticate: ({ payload, headers }) => {
const usersQuery = await payload.find({
collection: 'users',
where: {
code: {
equals: headers.get('code'),
},
secret: {
equals: headers.get('secret'),
},
},
})
return {
// Send the user with the collection slug back to authenticate,
// or send null if no user should be authenticated
user: usersQuery.docs[0] ? {
collection: 'users'
...usersQuery.docs[0],
} : null,
// Optionally, you can return headers
// that you'd like Payload to set here when
// it returns the response
responseHeaders: new Headers({
'some-header': 'my header value'
})
}
}
}
]
// highlight-end
},
fields: [
{
name: 'code',
type: 'text',
index: true,
unique: true,
},
{
name: 'secret',
type: 'text',
},
]
}
```