Implementing a Multi Authorization System in Laravel

Learn how to effectively set up a multi authorization system in Laravel, allowing users to authenticate via username/password and a special token.
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This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/68309048/ asked by the user 'Dimitris Karvounis' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/2306605/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/68309168/ provided by the user 'Maksim' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/11251946/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

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Implementing a Multi Authorization System in Laravel

In the world of web development, ensuring secure and flexible authentication methods is crucial, especially when dealing with multi-user applications. If you're building a project in Laravel that requires different authentication mechanisms, such as logging in through a username and password or using a token-based system, you're not alone.

This guide will guide you step-by-step to set up a multi authorization system in Laravel, enabling you to manage both forms of authentication seamlessly.

Understanding the Problem

As you engage in a project that needs two distinct authentication methods, you may find yourself stuck figuring out how to implement this in Laravel. It seems you are already using JWT (JSON Web Tokens) for user authentication through username and password, but you also have users who authenticate using a 64-character token without needing a username or password.

The challenge is to effectively manage these two separate authentication methods within your Laravel application.

Solution Overview

To solve this challenge, you need to make adjustments to your config/auth.php file to support a second authentication guard specifically for token-based users. This will allow your application to handle requests from users logging in with both methods.

Step 1: Setting Up the Authentication Guards

Start by defining another authentication guard in your config/auth.php file. Here's how to extend your existing configuration:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

In this configuration:

jwt is your existing guard for users logging in with a username and password.

api_token will be the new guard designated for users authenticating with a token. You will need to replace XXX with the appropriate driver for your token, which might be sanctum or the standard token option based on your requirements.

Step 2: Using Middleware with Multiple Guards

To enable the application to accept both types of authentication, you need to implement middleware that can utilize multiple guards. Here's how to do it in your routes:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This code snippet ensures that the route can be accessed by users authenticated via either of the two guards defined earlier.

Conclusion

Setting up a multi authorization system in Laravel may seem daunting initially, but by defining separate guards and configuring middleware appropriately, you empower your application to handle multiple authentication methods effectively.

Now, you are equipped to support users logging in via traditional username/password authentication as well as those using a unique token.

Feel free to reach out if you have further questions or need assistance with your Laravel project!