Auth0 Fastify API Integration

Protect Fastify API endpoints with JWT access token validation using @auth0/auth0-fastify-api.

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Prerequisites

• Fastify API application (v5.x or newer)
• Node.js 20 LTS or newer
• Auth0 API configured (not Application - must be API resource)
• If you don't have Auth0 set up yet, use the auth0-quickstart skill first

When NOT to Use

• Server-rendered web applications - Use @auth0/auth0-fastify for session-based auth
• Single Page Applications - Use auth0-react, auth0-vue, or auth0-angular for client-side auth
• Next.js applications - Use auth0-nextjs skill
• Mobile applications - Use auth0-react-native for React Native/Expo

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Quick Start Workflow

1. Install SDK

npm install @auth0/auth0-fastify-api fastify dotenv

2. Create Auth0 API

You need an API (not Application) in Auth0:

# Using Auth0 CLI
auth0 apis create \
  --name "My Fastify API" \
  --identifier https://my-api.example.com

Or create manually in Auth0 Dashboard → Applications → APIs

3. Configure Environment

Create .env:

AUTH0_DOMAIN=your-tenant.auth0.com
AUTH0_AUDIENCE=https://my-api.example.com

4. Configure Auth Plugin

Create your Fastify server (server.js):

import 'dotenv/config';
import Fastify from 'fastify';
import fastifyAuth0Api from '@auth0/auth0-fastify-api';

const fastify = Fastify({ logger: true });

// Register Auth0 API plugin
await fastify.register(fastifyAuth0Api, {
  domain: process.env.AUTH0_DOMAIN,
  audience: process.env.AUTH0_AUDIENCE,
});

fastify.listen({ port: 3001 });

5. Protect Routes

// Public route - no authentication
fastify.get('/api/public', async (request, reply) => {
  return {
    message: 'Hello from a public endpoint!',
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
  };
});

// Protected route - requires valid JWT
fastify.get('/api/private', {
  preHandler: fastify.requireAuth()
}, async (request, reply) => {
  return {
    message: 'Hello from a protected endpoint!',
    user: request.user.sub,
    timestamp: new Date().toISOString(),
  };
});

// Protected route with user info
fastify.get('/api/profile', {
  preHandler: fastify.requireAuth()
}, async (request, reply) => {
  return {
    profile: request.user,  // JWT claims
  };
});

6. Test API

Test public endpoint:

curl http://localhost:3001/api/public

Test protected endpoint (requires access token):

# First, obtain an access token (e.g. via Auth0 Dashboard > APIs > Test tab)
curl http://localhost:3001/api/private \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ACCESS_TOKEN"

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Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
Created Application instead of API in Auth0	Must create API resource in Auth0 Dashboard → Applications → APIs
Missing Authorization header	Include Authorization: Bearer <token> in all protected endpoint requests
Wrong audience in token	Client must request token with matching audience parameter
Using ID token instead of access token	Must use access token for API auth, not ID token
Not handling 401/403 errors	Implement proper error handling for unauthorized/forbidden responses

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Related Skills

• auth0-quickstart - Basic Auth0 setup
• auth0-fastify - For server-rendered Fastify web apps with sessions
• auth0-mfa - Add Multi-Factor Authentication
• auth0-cli - Manage Auth0 resources from the terminal

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Quick Reference

Plugin Options:

• domain - Auth0 tenant domain (required)
• audience - API identifier from Auth0 API settings (required)

Request Properties:

• request.user - Decoded JWT claims object
• request.user.sub - User ID (subject)

Middleware:

• fastify.requireAuth() - Protect route with JWT validation
• fastify.requireAuth({ scopes: 'read:data' }) - Require specific scope
• fastify.requireAuth({ scopes: ['read:data', 'write:data'] }) - Require specific scopes

Common Use Cases:

• Protect routes → Use preHandler: fastify.requireAuth() (see Step 5)
• Get user ID → request.user.sub
• Custom claims → Access via request.user['namespace/claim']

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References

• Auth0 Fastify API Documentation
• SDK GitHub Repository
• Access Tokens Guide