Identity Providers

We allow users to authenticate with external provider accounts, such as with their Google account or Apple account.

select one or several providers

Note: We enable providers in the Firebase console.

const gProvider = new GoogleAuthProvider() // Google account provider

authentication flows

Alternative flows:

• the user authenticates through a popup window.
• the user authenticates through a redirect.

A flow is initiated through a user action, such as tapping a button. Both flows handle sign-in and sign-up through a single, undiscriminated action. As such, we use generic labels, such as:

• Continue with Google
• Authenticate with Google

On success, a flow triggers an authentication event. The flow functions return a credential object (UserCredential), that exposes the user object:

const credential = await signInWithPopup(auth, gProvider)
credential.user // User

Note: We can detect it is a new user through a helper method:

const userInfo = getAdditionalUserInfo(credential)
if (userInfo?.isNewUser) {
}

popup flow specifics

The popup flow may fail if the browser doesn't allow popups.

const credential = await signInWithPopup(auth, gProvider)

redirect flow

The redirect flow relies on navigating to another page and navigating back.

It requires extra work unless the website is hosted on Firebase Hosting.