A simple plugin to add JSON Web Token (JWT) Authentication to the WP REST API.
To know more about JSON Web Tokens, please visit http://jwt.io.
This plugin seamlessly extends the WP REST API, enabling robust and secure authentication using JSON Web Tokens (JWT). It provides a straightforward way to authenticate users via the REST API, returning a standard JWT upon successful login.
- Standard JWT Authentication: Implements the industry-standard RFC 7519 for secure claims representation.
- Simple Endpoints: Offers clear
/tokenand/token/validateendpoints for generating and validating tokens. - Configurable Secret Key: Define your unique secret key via
wp-config.phpfor secure token signing. - Optional CORS Support: Easily enable Cross-Origin Resource Sharing support via a
wp-config.phpconstant. - Developer Hooks: Provides filters (
jwt_auth_expire,jwt_auth_token_before_sign, etc.) for customizing token behavior.
For users requiring more advanced capabilities such as multiple signing algorithms (RS256, ES256), token refresh/revocation, UI-based configuration, or priority support, consider checking out JWT Authentication PRO.
Support and Requests: Please use GitHub Issues. For priority support, consider upgrading to PRO.
Elevate your WordPress security and integration capabilities with JWT Authentication PRO. Building upon the solid foundation of the free version, the PRO version offers advanced features, enhanced security options, and a streamlined user experience:
- Easy Configuration UI: Manage all settings directly from the WordPress admin area.
- Token Refresh Endpoint: Allow users to refresh expired tokens seamlessly without requiring re-login.
- Token Revocation Endpoint: Immediately invalidate specific tokens for enhanced security control.
- Customizable Token Payload: Add custom claims to your JWT payload to suit your specific application needs.
- Granular CORS Control: Define allowed origins and headers with more precision directly in the settings.
- Rate Limiting: Protect your endpoints from abuse with configurable rate limits.
- Audit Logs: Keep track of token generation, validation, and errors.
- Priority Support: Get faster, dedicated support directly from the developer.
Upgrade to JWT Authentication PRO Today!
Here's a quick look at the key differences:
| Feature | Free Version | JWT Auth Pro (starts at $59/yr) |
|---|---|---|
| Basic JWT Authentication | âś… Included | âś… Included |
| Token Generation | âś… Included | âś… Included |
| Token Validation | âś… Included | âś… Included |
| Token Refresh Mechanism | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Included |
| Token Revocation | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Included |
| Token Management Dashboard | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Included |
| Analytics & Monitoring | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Included |
| Geo-IP Identification | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Included |
| Rate Limiting | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Included |
| Detailed Documentation | Basic | Comprehensive |
| Developer Tools | ❌ Not Included | ✅ Included |
| Premium Support | Community via GitHub | Priority Direct Support |
This plugin was conceived to extend the WP REST API V2 plugin features and, of course, was built on top of it.
So, to use the wp-api-jwt-auth you need to install and activate WP REST API.
Minimum PHP version: 7.4.0
Most shared hosting providers have disabled the HTTP Authorization Header by default.
To enable this option you'll need to edit your .htaccess file by adding the following:
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP:Authorization} ^(.*)
RewriteRule ^(.*) - [E=HTTP_AUTHORIZATION:%1]For WPEngine hosting, you'll need to edit your .htaccess file by adding the following:
SetEnvIf Authorization "(.*)" HTTP_AUTHORIZATION=$1See #1 for more details.
Download the zip file and install it like any other WordPress plugin.
Or clone this repo into your WordPress installation into the wp-content/plugins folder.
The JWT needs a secret key to sign the token. This secret key must be unique and never revealed.
To add the secret key, edit your wp-config.php file and add a new constant called JWT_AUTH_SECRET_KEY:
define('JWT_AUTH_SECRET_KEY', 'your-top-secret-key');You can generate a secure key from: https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/
Looking for easier configuration? JWT Authentication PRO allows you to manage all settings through a simple admin UI.
The wp-api-jwt-auth plugin has the option to activate CORS support.
To enable CORS Support, edit your wp-config.php file and add a new constant called JWT_AUTH_CORS_ENABLE:
define('JWT_AUTH_CORS_ENABLE', true);Finally, activate the plugin within your wp-admin.
When the plugin is activated, a new namespace is added:
/jwt-auth/v1
Also, two new endpoints are added to this namespace:
| Endpoint | HTTP Verb |
|---|---|
| /wp-json/jwt-auth/v1/token | POST |
| /wp-json/jwt-auth/v1/token/validate | POST |
Need more functionality? JWT Authentication PRO includes additional endpoints for token refresh and revocation.
This is the entry point for JWT Authentication.
It validates the user credentials, username and password, and returns a token to use in future requests to the API if the authentication is correct, or an error if authentication fails.
(function() {
var app = angular.module('jwtAuth', []);
app.controller('MainController', function($scope, $http) {
var apiHost = 'http://yourdomain.com/wp-json';
$http.post(apiHost + '/jwt-auth/v1/token', {
username: 'admin',
password: 'password'
})
.then(function(response) {
console.log(response.data)
})
.catch(function(error) {
console.error('Error', error.data[0]);
});
});
})();Success response from the server:
{
"token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJpc3MiOiJodHRwOlwvXC9qd3QuZGV2IiwiaWF0IjoxNDM4NTcxMDUwLCJuYmYiOjE0Mzg1NzEwNTAsImV4cCI6MTQzOTE3NTg1MCwiZGF0YSI6eyJ1c2VyIjp7ImlkIjoiMSJ9fX0.YNe6AyWW4B7ZwfFE5wJ0O6qQ8QFcYizimDmBy6hCH_8",
"user_display_name": "admin",
"user_email": "[email protected]",
"user_nicename": "admin"
}Error response from the server:
{
"code": "jwt_auth_failed",
"data": {
"status": 403
},
"message": "Invalid Credentials."
}Once you get the token, you must store it somewhere in your application, e.g. in a cookie or using localStorage.
From this point, you should pass this token with every API call.
app.config(function($httpProvider) {
$httpProvider.interceptors.push(['$q', '$location', '$cookies', function($q, $location, $cookies) {
return {
'request': function(config) {
config.headers = config.headers || {};
// Assume that you store the token in a cookie
var globals = $cookies.getObject('globals') || {};
// If the cookie has the CurrentUser and the token
// add the Authorization header in each request
if (globals.currentUser && globals.currentUser.token) {
config.headers.Authorization = 'Bearer ' + globals.currentUser.token;
}
return config;
}
};
}]);
});The wp-api-jwt-auth plugin will intercept every call to the server and will look for the Authorization Header. If the Authorization header is present, it will try to decode the token and will set the user according to the data stored in it.
If the token is valid, the API call flow will continue as normal.
Sample Headers
POST /resource HTTP/1.1
Host: server.example.com
Authorization: Bearer mF_s9.B5f-4.1JqMIf the token is invalid, an error will be returned. Here are some sample errors:
Invalid Credentials
[
{
"code": "jwt_auth_failed",
"message": "Invalid Credentials.",
"data": {
"status": 403
}
}
]Invalid Signature
[
{
"code": "jwt_auth_invalid_token",
"message": "Signature verification failed",
"data": {
"status": 403
}
}
]Expired Token
[
{
"code": "jwt_auth_invalid_token",
"message": "Expired token",
"data": {
"status": 403
}
}
]Need advanced error tracking? JWT Authentication PRO offers enhanced error tracking and monitoring capabilities.
This is a simple helper endpoint to validate a token. You only need to make a POST request with the Authorization header.
Valid Token Response:
{
"code": "jwt_auth_valid_token",
"data": {
"status": 200
}
}The wp-api-jwt-auth plugin is developer-friendly and provides five filters to override the default settings.
The jwt_auth_cors_allow_headers filter allows you to modify the available headers when CORS support is enabled.
Default Value:
'Access-Control-Allow-Headers, Content-Type, Authorization'
The jwt_auth_not_before filter allows you to change the nbf value before the token is created.
Default Value:
Creation time - time()
The jwt_auth_expire filter allows you to change the exp value before the token is created.
Default Value:
time() + (DAY_IN_SECONDS * 7)
The jwt_auth_token_before_sign filter allows you to modify all token data before it is encoded and signed.
Default value:
<?php
$token = array(
'iss' => get_bloginfo('url'),
'iat' => $issuedAt,
'nbf' => $notBefore,
'exp' => $expire,
'data' => array(
'user' => array(
'id' => $user->data->ID,
)
)
);Want easier customization? JWT Authentication PRO allows you to add custom claims directly through the admin UI.
The jwt_auth_token_before_dispatch filter allows you to modify the response array before it is sent to the client.
Default value:
<?php
$data = array(
'token' => $token,
'user_email' => $user->data->user_email,
'user_nicename' => $user->data->user_nicename,
'user_display_name' => $user->data->display_name,
);The jwt_auth_algorithm filter allows you to modify the signing algorithm.
Default value:
<?php
$token = JWT::encode(
apply_filters('jwt_auth_token_before_sign', $token, $user),
$secret_key,
apply_filters('jwt_auth_algorithm', 'HS256')
);
// ...
$token = JWT::decode(
$token,
new Key($secret_key, apply_filters('jwt_auth_algorithm', 'HS256'))
);Need more advanced algorithms? JWT Authentication PRO supports multiple signing algorithms (RS256, ES256) that you can easily configure through the UI.
The free version only supports HS256. For support for RS256, ES256, and other algorithms, please consider JWT Authentication PRO.
The free version requires editing wp-config.php. JWT Authentication PRO provides a full settings UI within the WordPress admin.
Token refresh and revocation features are available in JWT Authentication PRO.
Priority support is included with JWT Authentication PRO. For free support, please use the GitHub issues tracker.
JWT authentication is very secure when implemented correctly. Make sure to use a strong secret key and keep it confidential. JWT Auth PRO offers additional security features like rate limiting and token revocation.
I've created a small app to test the basic functionality of the plugin. You can get the app and read all the details in the JWT-Client Repo.
Want to enhance your JWT authentication with advanced features like token refresh, revocation, UI-based configuration, multiple algorithms, and more? Check out JWT Authentication PRO!