README

This middleware implements JSON Web Token Authentication. It was originally developed for Slim but can be used with any framework using PSR-7 style middlewares. It has been tested with Slim Framework and Zend Expressive.

Middleware does not implement OAuth 2.0 authorization server nor does it provide ways to generate, issue or store authentication tokens. It only parses and authenticates a token when passed via header or cookie. This is useful for example when you want to use JSON Web Tokens as API keys.

For example implementation see Slim API Skeleton.

Install

Install latest version using composer.

$ composer require elbanyaoui/slim-jwt-auth

If using Apache add the following to the .htaccess file. Otherwise PHP wont have access to Authorization: Bearer header.

RewriteRule .* - [env=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%{HTTP:Authorization}]

Usage

Configuration options are passed as an array. The only mandatory parameter is secret which is used for verifying then token signature. Note again that secret is not the token. It is the secret you use to sign the token.

For simplicity's sake examples show secret hardcoded in code. In real life you should store it somewhere else. Good option is environment variable. You can use dotenv or something similar for development. Examples assume you are using Slim Framework.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

An example where your secret is stored as an environment variable:

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "secret" => getenv("JWT_SECRET")
]));

When a request is made, the middleware tries to validate and decode the token. If a token is not found or there is an error when validating and decoding it, the server will respond with 401 Unauthorized.

Validation errors are triggered when the token has been tampered with or the token has expired. For all possible validation errors, see JWT library source.

Optional parameters

Path

The optional path parameter allows you to specify the protected part of your website. It can be either a string or an array. You do not need to specify each URL. Instead think of path setting as a folder. In the example below everything starting with /api will be authenticated.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "path" => "/api", /* or ["/api", "/admin"] */
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

Passthrough

With optional passthrough parameter you can make exceptions to path parameter. In the example below everything starting with /api and /admin will be authenticated with the exception of /api/token and /admin/ping which will not be authenticated.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "path" => ["/api", "/admin"],
    "passthrough" => ["/api/token", "/admin/ping"],
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

Passthrough by request and method

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "path" => ["/api", "/admin"],
    "passthrough" => ["/api/token", "/admin/ping"],
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub",
	"rules" => [
        new\Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication\RequestMethodRule([
            "passthrough" => ["OPTIONS"]
        ]),
        new\Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication\RequestMethodPathRule([
            "passthrough" => [
                "GET"=>"/items/"
            ]
        ]),
        new\Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication\RequestMethodPathRule([
            "passthrough" => [
                "GET"=>"/categories/"
            ]
        ])
    ],
]));

Environment

By default middleware tries to find the token from HTTP_AUTHORIZATION and REDIRECT_HTTP_AUTHORIZATION environments. You can change this using environment parameter. Note that usually you should also use matching header parameter.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "environment" => ["HTTP_BRAWNDO", "REDIRECT_HTTP_BRAWNDO"],
    "header" => "Brawndo",
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

Header

If token is not found from environment the middleware tries to find it from Authorization header. You can change cookie name using header parameter. Note that usually you should also use matching environment parameter.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "environment" => "HTTP_X_TOKEN",
    "header" => "X-Token",
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

Cookie

If token is not found from neither environment or header, the middleware tries to find it from cookie named token. You can change cookie name using cookie parameter.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "cookie" => "nekot",
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

Regexp

By default the middleware assumes the value of the header is in Bearer <token> format. You can change this behaviour with regexp parameter. For example if you have custom header such as X-Token: <token> you should pass both header and regexp parameters.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "header" => "X-Token",
    "regexp" => "/(.*)/",
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

Algorithm

You can set supported algorithms via algorithm parameter. This can be either string or array of strings. Default value is ["HS256", "HS512", "HS384"]. Supported algorithms are HS256, HS384, HS512 and RS256. Note that enabling both HS256 and RS256 is a security risk.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub",
    "algorithm" => ["HS256", "HS384"]
]));

Attribute

When the token is decoded successfully and authentication succees the contents of decoded token as saved as token attribute to the $request object. You can change this with. attribute parameter. Set to null or false to disable this behavour

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "attribute" => "jwt",
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

/* ... */

$decoded = $request->getAttribute("jwt");

Logger

The optional logger parameter allows you to pass in a PSR-3 compatible logger to help with debugging or other application logging needs.

use Monolog\Logger;
use Monolog\Handler\RotatingFileHandler;

$app = new \Slim\App();

$logger = new Logger("slim");
$rotating = new RotatingFileHandler(__DIR__ . "/logs/slim.log", 0, Logger::DEBUG);
$logger->pushHandler($rotating);

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "path" => "/api",
    "logger" => $logger,
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

Callback

Callback is called only when authentication succeeds. It receives decoded token in arguments. If callback returns boolean false authentication is forced to be failed.

You can also use callback for storing the value of decoded token for later use.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$container = $app->getContainer();

$container["jwt"] = function ($container) {
    return new StdClass;
};

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub",
    "callback" => function ($request, $response, $arguments) use ($container) {
        $container["jwt"] = $arguments["decoded"];
    }
]));

Error

Error is called when authentication fails. It receives last error message in arguments.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub",
    "error" => function ($request, $response, $arguments) {
        $data["status"] = "error";
        $data["message"] = $arguments["message"];
        return $response
            ->withHeader("Content-Type", "application/json")
            ->write(json_encode($data, JSON_UNESCAPED_SLASHES | JSON_PRETTY_PRINT));
    }
]));

Rules

The optional rules parameter allows you to pass in rules which define whether the request should be authenticated or not. A rule is a callable which receives the request as parameter. If any of the rules returns boolean false the request will not be authenticated.

By default middleware configuration looks like this. All paths are authenticated with all request methods except OPTIONS.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "rules" => [
        new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication\RequestPathRule([
            "path" => "/",
            "passthrough" => []
        ]),
        new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication\RequestMethodRule([
            "passthrough" => ["OPTIONS"]
        ])
    ]
]));

RequestPathRule contains both a path parameter and a passthrough parameter. Latter contains paths which should not be authenticated. RequestMethodRule contains passthrough parameter of request methods which also should not be authenticated. Think of passthrough as a whitelist.

Example use case for this is an API. Token can be retrieved via HTTP Basic Auth protected address. There also is an unprotected url for pinging. Rest of the API is protected by the JWT middleware.

$app = new \Slim\App();

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "logger" => $logger,
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub",
    "rules" => [
        new RequestPathRule([
            "path" => "/api",
            "passthrough" => ["/api/token", "/api/ping"]
        ]),
        new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication\RequestMethodRule([
            "passthrough" => ["OPTIONS"]
        ])
    ]
]));

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\HttpBasicAuthentication([
    "path" => "/api/token",
    "users" => [
        "user" => "password"
    ]
]));

$app->post("/token", function () {
  /* Here generate and return JWT to the client. */
});

Security

JSON Web Tokens are essentially passwords. You should treat them as such and you should always use HTTPS. If the middleware detects insecure usage over HTTP it will throw a RuntimeException. This rule is relaxed for requests on localhost. To allow insecure usage you must enable it manually by setting secure to false.

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "secure" => false,
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

Alternatively you can list your development host to have relaxed security.

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "secure" => true,
    "relaxed" => ["localhost", "dev.example.com"],
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub"
]));

Authorization

By default middleware only authenticates. This is not very interesting. Beauty of JWT is you can pass extra data in the token. This data can include for example scope which can be used for authorization.

It is up to you to implement how token data is stored or possible authorization implemented.

Let assume you have token which includes data for scope. In middleware callback you store the decoded token data to $app->jwt and later use it for authorization.

[
    "iat" => "1428819941",
    "exp" => "1744352741",
    "scope" => ["read", "write", "delete"]
]

$app = new \Slim\App();

$container = $app->getContainer();

$container["jwt"] = function ($container) {
    return new StdClass;
};

$app->add(new \Slim\Middleware\JwtAuthentication([
    "secret" => "supersecretkeyyoushouldnotcommittogithub",
    "callback" => function ($request, $response, $arguments) use ($container) {
        $container["jwt"] = $arguments["decoded"];
    }
]));

$app->delete("/item/{id}", function ($request, $response, $arguments) {
    if (in_array("delete", $this->jwt->scope)) {
        /* Code for deleting item */
    } else {
        /* No scope so respond with 401 Unauthorized */
        return $response->withStatus(401);
    }
});

Testing

You can run individual tests either manually...

$ composer phplint
$ composer phpcs
$ composer phpunit

... or automatically on every code change. You will need entr for this to work.

$ composer watch

Contributing

Please see CONTRIBUTING for details.

Security

If you discover any security related issues, please email tuupola@appelsiini.net instead of using the issue tracker.

License

The MIT License (MIT). Please see License File for more information.

elbanyaoui / slim-jwt-auth

Maintainers

Details

README

Install

Usage

Optional parameters

Path

Passthrough

Passthrough by request and method

Environment

Header

Cookie

Regexp

Algorithm

Attribute

Logger

Callback

Error

Rules

Security

Authorization

Testing

Contributing

Security

License