How do I get a refresh token in Laravel Passport?

Title: Simplifying Refresh Token Generation with Laravel Passport

Introduction

In this blog post, we'll focus on creating refresh tokens using Laravel 6.7 and its built-in authentication package, Passport. We will go through the process of generating a refresh token during user registration and provide a simple way to handle refreshing an existing access token without exposing any sensitive client details like a client ID or secret key.

Step-by-Step Guidelines

Enable Laravel Passport: To use Passport, start by enabling it in your Laravel app. In the root directory of your project, run the artisan command php artisan passport:install. This will generate a new private API key for your application and create a Passport client.

Generate Access Tokens during User Registration: Modify your code to include creating an access token with an expiration time while registering a new user. In your controller, add the following code in the registration action:

$user = User::create($input);
 $user->createToken('auth-token'); // Create access token for user

 // Create refresh token for the current user (optional, but highly recommended)
 $refresh_token = Str::random(64);
 RefreshToken::create([
     'user_id' => $user->id,
     'refresh_token' => $refresh_token
 ]);

Using your Laravel app, you can now use the access token to authenticate and perform API calls. You don't need a refresh token at this point; however, if the access token expires, you will have to call the Passport API to create a new one.

Creating a Refresh Token: To handle refreshing an existing access token without exposing client credentials, we can use GuzzleHttp and its post request. In your controller, add the following method to issue a new access token using the refresh token:

public function refreshToken(Request $request)
 {
     $client_id = config('services.passport.client_id');
     $client_secret = config('services.passport.secret');

     try {
         // Make the request to issue a new access token with your refresh token
         $http = new GuzzleHttp\Client;
         $response = $http->request('POST', 'http://your-app.com/oauth/token', [
             'form_params' => [
                 'grant_type' => 'refresh_token',
                 'refresh_token' => $request->refresh_token,
                 'client_id' => $client_id,
                 'client_secret' => $client_secret,
                 'scope' => '',
             ],
         ]);
         if ($response->getStatusCode() === 200) {
             return response()->json(['access_token' => $response->json()['access_token']], 200);
         } else {
             throw new \Exception("Failed to refresh the token.");
         }
     } catch (\Throwable $th) {
         return response()->json([], 401); // Return an error response for unauthorized requests
     }
 }

Handling Refresh Token Creation: When a user registers and needs to create both an access and refresh token, you must combine the steps mentioned above. Make sure to add this code after your existing $user->createToken('auth-token'); line in the registration action:

    // Create refresh token for the current user (optional, but highly recommended)
     $refresh_token = Str::random(64);
     RefreshToken::create([
         'user_id' => $user->id,
         'refresh_token' => $refresh_token
     ]);

Conclusion and Recommendations

With these steps, you can now generate refresh tokens during user registration in Laravel Passport. To provide a better experience for your users, consider adding a route to the API that allows them to request a new access token using their refresh token without exposing any sensitive client details. This approach provides a more secure and convenient way for your users to continue engaging with your application.

Remember to always use best practices, such as storing and retrieving user tokens from a database and ensuring only authorized entities can issue new access or refresh tokens. For more information on Laravel Passport and related topics, explore https://laravelcompany.com/blog for additional resources.