How to build WeChat (Native) sign-in with Chrome extension

For our new friends:

Logto is an Auth0 alternative designed for modern apps and SaaS products. It offers both Cloud and Open-source services to help you quickly launch your identity and management (IAM) system. Enjoy authentication, authorization, and multi-tenant management all in one.

We recommend starting with a free development tenant on Logto Cloud. This allows you to explore all the features easily.

In this article, we will go through the steps to quickly build the WeChat (Native) sign-in experience (user authentication) with Chrome extension and Logto.

Prerequisites

A running Logto instance. Check out the introduction page to get started.
Basic knowledge of Chrome extension.
A usable WeChat (Native) account.

Create an application in Logto

Logto is based on OpenID Connect (OIDC) authentication and OAuth 2.0 authorization. It supports federated identity management across multiple applications, commonly called Single Sign-On (SSO).

To create your Single page app application, simply follow these steps:

Open the Logto Console. In the "Get started" section, click the "View all" link to open the application frameworks list. Alternatively, you can navigate to Logto Console > Applications, and click the "Create application" button.
In the opening modal, click the "Single page app" section or filter all the available "Single page app" frameworks using the quick filter checkboxes on the left. Click the "Chrome extension" framework card to start creating your application.
Enter the application name, e.g., "Bookstore," and click "Create application".

🎉 Ta-da! You just created your first application in Logto. You'll see a congrats page which includes a detailed integration guide. Follow the guide to see what the experience will be in your application.

Integrate Chrome extension with Logto

tip:

The following demonstration was tested on Chrome v123.0.6312.87 (arm64). Other versions should also work, as long as they support the chrome APIs used in the SDK.
The sample project is available on our GitHub repository.

Installation

npm
Yarn
pnpm

npm i @logto/chrome-extension

yarn add @logto/chrome-extension

pnpm add @logto/chrome-extension

The authentication flow

Assuming you put a "Sign in" button in your Chrome extension's popup, the authentication flow will look like this:

For other interactive pages in your extension, you just need to replace the Extension popup participant with the page's name. In this tutorial, we will focus on the popup page.

This authentication process follows the OpenID Connect (OIDC) protocol, and Logto enforces strict security measures to protect user sign-in.
If you have multiple apps, you can use the same identity provider (Logto). Once the user signs in to one app, Logto will automatically complete the sign-in process when the user accesses another app.

To learn more about the rationale and benefits of redirect-based sign-in, see Logto sign-in experience explained.

Update the `manifest.json`

Logto SDK requires the following permissions in the manifest.json:

manifest.json
{
  "permissions": ["identity", "storage"],
  "host_permissions": ["https://*.logto.app/*"]
}

permissions.identity: Required for the Chrome Identity API, which is used to sign in and sign out.
permissions.storage: Required for storing the user's session.
host_permissions: Required for the Logto SDK to communicate with the Logto APIs.

note:

If you are using a custom domain on Logto Cloud, you need to update the host_permissions to match your domain.

Set up a background script (service worker)

In your Chrome extension's background script, initialize the Logto SDK:

service-worker.js
import LogtoClient from '@logto/chrome-extension';

export const logtoClient = new LogtoClient({
  endpoint: '<your-logto-endpoint>'
  appId: '<your-logto-app-id>',
});

Replace <your-logto-endpoint> and <your-logto-app-id> with the actual values. You can find these values in the application page you just created in the Logto Console.

If you don't have a background script, you can follow the official guide to create one.

info:

Why do we need a background script?

Normal extension pages like the popup or options page can't run in the background, and they have the possibility to be closed during the authentication process. A background script ensures the authentication process can be properly handled.

Then, we need to listen to the message from other extension pages and handle the authentication process:

service-worker.js
chrome.runtime.onMessage.addListener((message, sender, sendResponse) => {
  // In the below code, since we return `true` for each action, we need to call `sendResponse`
  // to notify the sender. You can also handle errors here, or use other ways to notify the sender.

  if (message.action === 'signIn') {
    const redirectUri = chrome.identity.getRedirectURL('/callback');
    logtoClient.signIn(redirectUri).finally(sendResponse);
    return true;
  }

  if (message.action === 'signOut') {
    const redirectUri = chrome.identity.getRedirectURL();
    logtoClient.signOut(redirectUri).finally(sendResponse);
    return true;
  }

  return false;
});

You may notice there are two redirect URIs used in the code above. They are both created by chrome.identity.getRedirectURL, which is a built-in Chrome API to generate a redirect URL for auth flows. The two URIs will be:

https://<extension-id>.chromiumapp.org/callback for sign-in.
https://<extension-id>.chromiumapp.org/ for sign-out.

Note that these URIs are not accessible, and they are only used for Chrome to trigger specific actions for the authentication process.

Update Logto application settings

Now we need to update the Logto application settings to allow the redirect URIs we just created.

Go to the application page in the Logto Console.
In the "Redirect URIs" section, add the URI: https://<extension-id>.chromiumapp.org/callback.
In the "Post sign-out redirect URIs" section, add the URI: https://<extension-id>.chromiumapp.org/.
In the "CORS allowed origins" section, add the URI: chrome-extension://<extension-id>. The SDK in Chrome extension will use this origin to communicate with the Logto APIs.
Click on Save changes.

Remember to replace <extension-id> with your actual extension ID. You can find the extension ID in the chrome://extensions page.

We're almost there! Let's add the sign-in and sign-out buttons and other necessary logic to the popup page.

In the popup.html file:

popup.html
<button id="sign-in">Sign in</button> <button id="sign-out">Sign out</button>

In the popup.js file (assuming popup.js is included in the popup.html):

popup.js
document.getElementById('sign-in').addEventListener('click', async () => {
  await chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: 'signIn' });
  // Sign-in completed (or failed), you can update the UI here.
});

document.getElementById('sign-out').addEventListener('click', async () => {
  await chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: 'signOut' });
  // Sign-out completed (or failed), you can update the UI here.
});

Checkpoint: Test the authentication flow

Now you can test the authentication flow in your Chrome extension:

Open the extension popup.
Click on the "Sign in" button.
You will be redirected to the Logto sign-in page.
Sign in with your Logto account.
You will be redirected back to the Chrome.

Check authentication state

Since Chrome provide unified storage APIs, rather than the sign-in and sign-out flow, all other Logto SDK methods can be used in the popup page directly.

In your popup.js, you can reuse the LogtoClient instance created in the background script, or create a new one with the same configuration:

popup.js
import LogtoClient from '@logto/chrome-extension';

const logtoClient = new LogtoClient({
  endpoint: '<your-logto-endpoint>'
  appId: '<your-logto-app-id>',
});

// Or reuse the logtoClient instance created in the background script
import { logtoClient } from './service-worker.js';

Then you can create a function to load the authentication state and user's profile:

popup.js
const loadAuthenticationState = async () => {
  const isAuthenticated = await logtoClient.isAuthenticated();
  // Update the UI based on the authentication state

  if (isAuthenticated) {
    const user = await logtoClient.getIdTokenClaims(); // { sub: '...', email: '...', ... }
    // Update the UI with the user's profile
  }
};

You can also combine the loadAuthenticationState function with the sign-in and sign-out logic:

popup.js
document.getElementById('sign-in').addEventListener('click', async () => {
  await chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: 'signIn' });
  await loadAuthenticationState();
});

document.getElementById('sign-out').addEventListener('click', async () => {
  await chrome.runtime.sendMessage({ action: 'signOut' });
  await loadAuthenticationState();
});

Here's an example of the popup page with the authentication state:

Other considerations

Service worker bundling: If you use a bundler like Webpack or Rollup, you need to explicitly set the target to browser or similar to avoid unnecessary bundling of Node.js modules.
Module resolution: Logto Chrome extension SDK is an ESM-only module.

See our sample project for a complete example with TypeScript, Rollup, and other configurations.

Add WeChat (Native) connector

To enable quick sign-in and improve user conversion, connect with Chrome extension as an identity provider. The Logto social connector helps you establish this connection in minutes by allowing several parameter inputs.

To add a social connector, simply follow these steps:

Navigate to Console > Connectors > Social Connectors.
Click "Add social connector" and select "WeChat (Native)".
Follow the README guide and complete required fields and customize settings.

note:

If you are following the in-place Connector guide, you can skip the next section.

Set up WeChat mobile app

Create a mobile app in the WeChat Open Platform

tip:

You can skip some sections if you have already finished.

Create an account

Open https://open.weixin.qq.com/, click the "Sign Up" button in the upper-right corner, then finish the sign-up process.

Create a mobile app

Sign in with the account you just created. In the "Mobile Application" (移动应用) tab, click the big green button "Create a mobile app" (创建移动应用).

Let's fill out the required info in the application form.

Basic info

Most of them are pretty straightforward, and we have several tips here:

If you just want to test WeChat sign-in and the app is not on the App Store, in the "App is available" section, choose "No" to skip the "App download link".
The "App operation flow chart" looks tricky. From our experience, you need to prepare a simple flowchart and several app screenshots to improve the possibility of passing the review.

Click "Next step" to move on.

Platform info

You can configure one or both iOS and Android platforms to integrate Logto with WeChat native sign-in.

iOS app

Check "iOS app" (iOS 应用), then check the target device type of your app accordingly.

If you chose "No" for the App Store availability, you cloud skip filling out the "AppStore download address" here.

Fill out Bundle ID, Test version Bundle ID, and Universal Links (actually, only one link is needed 😂).

note:

Bundle ID and Test version Bundle ID can be the same value.

tip:

WeChat requires universal link for native sign-in. If you haven't set up or don't know it, please refer to the Apple official doc.

Android app

Check "Android app" (Android 应用).

Fill out Application Signing Signature (应用签名) and Application Package Name (应用包名).

note:

You need to sign your app to get a signature. Refer to the Sign your app for more info.

After finish signing, you can execute the signingReport task to get the signing signature.

./gradlew your-android-project:signingReport

The MD5 value of the corresponding build variant's report will be the Application Signing Signature (应用签名), but remember to remove all semicolons from the value and lowercase it.

E.g. 1A:2B:3C:4D -> 1a2b3c4d.

Waiting for the review result

After completing the platform info, click "Submit Review" to continue. Usually, the review goes fast, which will end within 1-2 days.

We suspect the reviewer is allocated randomly on each submission since the standard is floating. You may get rejected the first time, but don't give up! State your status quo and ask the reviewer how to modify it.

iOS

We assume you have integrated Logto iOS SDK in your app. In this case, things are pretty simple, and you don't even need to read the WeChat SDK doc:

1. Configure universal link and URL scheme in your Xcode project

In the Xcode project -> Signing & Capabilities tab, add the "Associated Domains" capability and the universal link you configured before.

Then goes to the "Info" tab, add a custom URL scheme with the WeChat App ID.

Finally open your Info.plist, add weixinULAPI and weixin under LSApplicationQueriesSchemes.

note:

We know these actions are not very reasonable, but this is the minimum workable solution we found. See the magical official guide for more info.

2. Add LogtoSocialPluginWechat to your Xcode project

Add the framework:

And add -ObjC to your Build Settings > Linking > Other Linker Flags:

note:

The plugin includes WeChat Open SDK 1.9.2. You can directly use import WechatOpenSDK once imported the plugin.

3. Add the plugin to your LogtoClient init options

let logtoClient = LogtoClient(
  useConfig: config,
  socialPlugins: [LogtoSocialPluginWechat()]
)

4. Handle onOpenURL properly

note:

The function LogtoClient.handle(url:) will handle all the native connectors you enabled. You only need to call it once.

// SwiftUI
YourRootView()
  .onOpenURL { url in
      LogtoClient.handle(url: url)
  }

// or AppDelegate
func application(_ app: UIApplication, open url: URL, options: /*...*/) -> Bool {
  LogtoClient.handle(url: url)
}

Android

We assume you have integrated Logto Android SDK in your app. In this case, things are pretty simple, and you don't even need to read the WeChat SDK doc:

1. Add Wechat Open SDK to your project

Ensure the mavenCentral() repository is in your Gradle project repositories:

repositories {
  // ...
  mavenCentral()
}

Add the Wechat Open SDK to your dependencies:

dependencies {
  // ...
  api("com.tencent.mm.opensdk:wechat-sdk-android:6.8.0")  // kotlin-script
  // or
  api 'com.tencent.mm.opensdk:wechat-sdk-android:6.8.0'   // groovy-script
}

2. Introduce WXEntryActivity to your project

Create a wxapi package under your package root and add the WXEntryActivity in the wxapi package (Take com.sample.app as an example):

// WXEntryActivity.kt
package com.sample.app.wxapi

import io.logto.sdk.android.auth.social.wechat.WechatSocialResultActivity

class WXEntryActivity: WechatSocialResultActivity()

// WXEntryActivity.java
package com.sample.app.wxapi

import io.logto.sdk.android.auth.social.wechat.WechatSocialResultActivity

public class WXEntryActivity extends WechatSocialResultActivity {}

The final position of the WXEntryActivity under the project should look like this (Take Kotlin as an example):

src/main/kotlin/com/sample/app/wxapi/WXEntryActivity.kt

3. Modify the AndroidManifest.xml

Add the following line to your AndroidManifest.xml:

\<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
\<manifest xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"
  package="com.sample.app">

  \<application>
    \<!-- line to be added -->
    \<activity android:name=".wxapi.WXEntryActivity" android:exported="true"/>
  \</application>

\</manifest>

Save your configuration

Double check you have filled out necessary values in the Logto connector configuration area. Click "Save and Done" (or "Save changes") and the WeChat (Native) connector should be available now.

Once you create a social connector successfully, you can enable it as a "Continue with WeChat (Native)" button in Sign-in Experience.

Navigate to Console > Sign-in experience > Sign-up and sign-in.
(Optional) Choose "Not applicable" for sign-up identifier if you need social login only.
Add configured WeChat (Native) connector to the "Social sign-in" section.

Testing and Validation

Return to your Chrome extension app. You should now be able to sign in with WeChat (Native). Enjoy!

Create an application in Logto​

Integrate Chrome extension with Logto​

Installation​

The authentication flow​

Regarding redirect-based sign-in​

Update the manifest.json​

Set up a background script (service worker)​

Update Logto application settings​

Add sign-in and sign-out buttons to the popup​

Checkpoint: Test the authentication flow​

Check authentication state​

Other considerations​

Add WeChat (Native) connector​

Set up WeChat mobile app​

Create a mobile app in the WeChat Open Platform​

Create an account​

Create a mobile app​

Basic info​

Platform info​

Waiting for the review result​

Enable WeChat native sign-in in your app​

iOS​

Android​

Save your configuration​

Enable WeChat (Native) connector in Sign-in Experience​

Testing and Validation​

Further readings​

Create an application in Logto

Integrate Chrome extension with Logto

Installation

The authentication flow

Regarding redirect-based sign-in

Update the `manifest.json`

Set up a background script (service worker)

Update Logto application settings

Add sign-in and sign-out buttons to the popup

Checkpoint: Test the authentication flow

Check authentication state

Other considerations

Add WeChat (Native) connector

Set up WeChat mobile app

Create a mobile app in the WeChat Open Platform

Create an account

Create a mobile app

Basic info

Platform info

Waiting for the review result

Enable WeChat native sign-in in your app

iOS

Android

Save your configuration

Enable WeChat (Native) connector in Sign-in Experience

Testing and Validation

Further readings