Netlify Identity Tanstack Start

Netlify Identity + TanStack Start Integration

This skill extends the base Netlify Identity skill with TanStack Start-specific integration patterns. It covers upgrading a stock TanStack Start project to use Netlify Identity for authentication across every integration surface: SSR pages, SPA pages, API routes, server functions, middleware, route guards, role-based access control, identity event webhooks, and client-side auth state management. For general Netlify Identity concepts, error handling, and API reference, refer to the base Netlify Identity skill.

⚠️ This integration does NOT work on localhost. Netlify Identity requires the nf_jwt cookie to be set by a real Netlify deployment. Running netlify dev does NOT provide a working Identity service locally — it only proxies your site, not the GoTrue identity backend. Authentication only functions when the app is deployed to a Netlify staging or production environment. For testing, deploy a branch preview or a staging site.

Architecture overview

This integration uses a single package: @netlify/identity. It works on both client and server and abstracts all JWT extraction, cookie handling, and GoTrue API validation behind simple getUser() / login() / logout() calls.

The nf_jwt cookie is the bridge between client and server. During SSR or server function calls, the browser sends this cookie automatically on same-origin requests. @netlify/identity's getUser() reads and validates this cookie automatically — no manual token extraction or external API calls required.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure:

1. The TanStack Start project deploys to Netlify (using @netlify/vite-plugin-tanstack-start)
2. Identity is automatically enabled when the deploy includes Identity code. Default settings:
   • Registration - Open (anyone can sign up). Change to Invite only in Project configuration > Identity if needed.
   • Autoconfirm - Off (new signups require email confirmation). Enable in Project configuration > Identity to skip confirmation during development.
3. The app is deployed to a Netlify staging or production environment (authentication cannot be tested on localhost)

Step-by-step integration

Step 1: Install dependencies

npm install @netlify/identity

That's the only package needed. It replaces netlify-identity-widget, gotrue-js, and jose.

Step 2: Environment variables

Create or update .env:

# Required: Your Netlify site URL
VITE_NETLIFY_SITE_URL=https://your-site.netlify.app

No JWT secret needed — @netlify/identity handles validation internally.

Step 3: Create the auth utility module

Create src/lib/auth.ts:

// src/lib/auth.ts
import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/react-start'
import { getUser, type User } from '@netlify/identity'

export type { User as IdentityUser }

export const getServerUser = createServerFn({ method: 'GET' }).handler(
  async () => {
    const user = await getUser()
    return (user ?? null) as any
  }
)

@netlify/identity's getUser() handles cookie extraction and JWT validation automatically on the server. No manual token parsing, no GoTrue fetch, no jose.

Step 4: Create the auth middleware

TanStack Start middleware provides a composable way to inject auth context into server functions. Create src/middleware/identity.ts:

// src/middleware/identity.ts
import { createMiddleware } from '@tanstack/react-start'
import { getUser, type User } from '@netlify/identity'

/**
 * Middleware that extracts the Netlify Identity user from the request.
 * Provides { user } in context. Does NOT throw on unauthenticated requests.
 */
export const identityMiddleware = createMiddleware().server(async ({ next }) => {
  const user: User | null = (await getUser()) ?? null
  return next({ context: { user } })
})

/**
 * Middleware that requires authentication. Throws if no valid user.
 */
export const requireAuthMiddleware = createMiddleware().server(async ({ next }) => {
  const user = await getUser()
  if (!user) throw new Error('Authentication required')
  return next({ context: { user } })
})

/**
 * Middleware that requires a specific role.
 */
export function requireRoleMiddleware(role: string) {
  return createMiddleware().server(async ({ next }) => {
    const user = await getUser()
    if (!user) throw new Error('Authentication required')
    if (!user.roles?.includes(role)) throw new Error(`Role '${role}' required`)
    return next({ context: { user } })
  })
}

Step 5: Create the client-side auth context

Create src/lib/identity-context.tsx. This React context wraps @netlify/identity and provides auth state to the entire app:

// src/lib/identity-context.tsx
import {
  createContext,
  useContext,
  useEffect,
  useState,
  type ReactNode,
} from 'react'
import { getUser, logout as nlLogout, onAuthChange, type User } from '@netlify/identity'

interface IdentityContextValue {
  user: User | null
  ready: boolean
  logout: () => Promise<void>
}

const IdentityContext = createContext<IdentityContextValue | null>(null)

export function IdentityProvider({ children }: { children: ReactNode }) {
  const [user, setUser] = useState<User | null>(null)
  const [ready, setReady] = useState(false)

  useEffect(() => {
    // Initialize from current session
    getUser().then((u) => {
      setUser(u ?? null)
      setReady(true)
    })

    // Subscribe to auth changes
    const unsubscribe = onAuthChange((u) => {
      setUser(u ?? null)
    })

    return unsubscribe
  }, [])

  return (
    <IdentityContext.Provider value={{ user, ready, logout: nlLogout }}>
      {children}
    </IdentityContext.Provider>
  )
}

export function useIdentity() {
  const ctx = useContext(IdentityContext)
  if (!ctx) throw new Error('useIdentity must be used within an IdentityProvider')
  return ctx
}

Step 6: Create the CallbackHandler component

OAuth providers (GitHub, Google, etc.) redirect back to your site with auth tokens in the URL hash. Create src/components/CallbackHandler.tsx to handle this:

// src/components/CallbackHandler.tsx
import { useEffect } from 'react'
import { handleAuthCallback } from '@netlify/identity'

const AUTH_HASH_PATTERN =
  /^#(confirmation_token|recovery_token|invite_token|email_change_token|access_token)=/

export function CallbackHandler({ children }: { children: React.ReactNode }) {
  useEffect(() => {
    if (AUTH_HASH_PATTERN.test(window.location.hash)) {
      handleAuthCallback()
    }
  }, [])

  return <>{children}</>
}

Step 7: Wire into the app root

In src/routes/__root.tsx, wrap the app with both IdentityProvider and CallbackHandler:

// In src/routes/__root.tsx
import { IdentityProvider } from '../lib/identity-context'
import { CallbackHandler } from '../components/CallbackHandler'

export const Route = createRootRoute({
  component: () => (
    <IdentityProvider>
      <CallbackHandler>
        {/* existing layout, <Outlet />, etc. */}
      </CallbackHandler>
    </IdentityProvider>
  ),
})

Hydration note: IdentityProvider renders children immediately without blocking. The ready flag from useIdentity() tells components when auth state is known. During SSR, ready is false and user is null. This avoids hydration mismatches because the server and initial client render both show the "not yet loaded" state.

Step 8: SSR pages

For SSR pages that need auth state during server rendering, use beforeLoad with the getServerUser server function:

// src/routes/dashboard.tsx
import { createFileRoute, redirect } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { getServerUser } from '../lib/auth'

export const Route = createFileRoute('/dashboard')({
  beforeLoad: async () => {
    const user = await getServerUser()
    if (!user) {
      throw redirect({ to: '/login' })
    }
    return { user }
  },
  component: DashboardPage,
})

function DashboardPage() {
  const { user } = Route.useRouteContext()
  return <div>Welcome, {user.name || user.email}</div>
}

How this works during SSR: beforeLoad runs on the server. getServerUser calls getUser() from @netlify/identity, which reads the nf_jwt cookie from the incoming request and validates it. If missing or invalid, it redirects to /login.

Step 9: SPA pages

For pages where auth is only needed client-side:

// src/routes/profile.tsx
import { createFileRoute, useNavigate } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { useIdentity } from '../lib/identity-context'

export const Route = createFileRoute('/profile')({
  component: ProfilePage,
})

function ProfilePage() {
  const { user, ready } = useIdentity()
  const navigate = useNavigate()

  if (!ready) return <div>Loading...</div>
  if (!user) {
    navigate({ to: '/login' })
    return null
  }

  return <div>Hello, {user.name || user.email}</div>
}

Step 10: Login page

Use login(), signup(), and oauthLogin() directly from @netlify/identity for a headless login UI:

// src/routes/login.tsx
import { createFileRoute, useNavigate } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { login, signup, oauthLogin } from '@netlify/identity'
import { useIdentity } from '../lib/identity-context'
import { useState } from 'react'

export const Route = createFileRoute('/login')({
  component: LoginPage,
})

function LoginPage() {
  const { user, ready } = useIdentity()
  const navigate = useNavigate()
  const [email, setEmail] = useState('')
  const [password, setPassword] = useState('')
  const [name, setName] = useState('')

  if (!ready) return <div>Loading...</div>
  if (user) {
    navigate({ to: '/dashboard' })
    return null
  }

  const handleLogin = async () => {
    await login(email, password)
    navigate({ to: '/dashboard' })
  }

  const handleSignup = async () => {
    await signup(email, password, { full_name: name })
    navigate({ to: '/dashboard' })
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Sign in</h1>
      <input value={name} => setName(e.target.value)} placeholder="Name (signup only)" />
      <input value={email} => setEmail(e.target.value)} placeholder="Email" />
      <input type="password" value={password} => setPassword(e.target.value)} placeholder="Password" />
      <button in</button>
      <button up</button>
      <button => oauthLogin('github')}>Continue with GitHub</button>
    </div>
  )
}

Step 11: API routes

Use createFileRoute with server.handlers for API routes:

// src/routes/api/whoami.ts
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { getUser } from '@netlify/identity'

export const Route = createFileRoute('/api/whoami')({
  server: {
    handlers: {
      GET: async () => {
        const user = await getUser()
        if (!user) {
          return new Response(JSON.stringify({ error: 'Unauthorized' }), {
            status: 401,
            headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
          })
        }
        return new Response(
          JSON.stringify({ id: user.id, email: user.email, name: user.name }),
          { headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' } }
        )
      },
    },
  },
})

Step 12: Server functions with middleware

Apply middleware to server functions that require authentication:

// src/lib/todos.ts
import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/react-start'
import { requireAuthMiddleware } from '../middleware/identity'

export const getTodos = createServerFn({ method: 'GET' })
  .middleware([requireAuthMiddleware])
  .handler(async ({ context }) => {
    // context.user is a valid User from @netlify/identity
    const { user } = context
    return await db.todos.findMany({ where: { userId: user.id } })
  })

export const createTodo = createServerFn({ method: 'POST' })
  .middleware([requireAuthMiddleware])
  .handler(async ({ context, data }) => {
    const { user } = context
    return await db.todos.create({
      data: { ...data, userId: user.id },
    })
  })

Step 13: Role-based access control

Roles are stored in user.roles as a string[]. Use them in route guards:

// src/routes/admin.tsx
import { createFileRoute, redirect } from '@tanstack/react-router'
import { getServerUser } from '../lib/auth'

export const Route = createFileRoute('/admin')({
  beforeLoad: async () => {
    const user = await getServerUser()
    if (!user) throw redirect({ to: '/login' })
    if (!user.roles?.includes('admin')) throw redirect({ to: '/unauthorized' })
    return { user }
  },
  component: AdminPage,
})

For server functions with role requirements:

import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/react-start'
import { requireAuthMiddleware, requireRoleMiddleware } from '../middleware/identity'

export const deleteUser = createServerFn({ method: 'POST' })
  .middleware([requireAuthMiddleware, requireRoleMiddleware('admin')])
  .handler(async ({ context, data }) => {
    // Only admins reach this point
    return await db.users.delete({ where: { id: data.userId } })
  })

Step 14: Netlify Identity webhook handlers

Netlify Identity fires server-side webhook events on user lifecycle actions. Create Netlify Functions (not TanStack Start server functions) to handle them:

// netlify/functions/identity-signup.ts
import type { Handler, HandlerEvent, HandlerContext } from '@netlify/functions'

const handler: Handler = async (event: HandlerEvent, context: HandlerContext) => {
  const user = JSON.parse(event.body || '{}')

  // Return modified metadata to customize the user record on signup
  return {
    statusCode: 200,
    body: JSON.stringify({
      app_metadata: {
        roles: ['user'],
      },
      user_metadata: {
        ...user.user_metadata,
        signed_up_at: new Date().toISOString(),
      },
    }),
  }
}

export { handler }

Available webhook events:

• identity-signup — Fires when a new user signs up. Return modified metadata to customize the user record.
• identity-login — Fires on each login. Cannot modify the user.
• identity-validate — Fires on token validation. Return non-200 to reject the token.

Configure these in Netlify dashboard > Site configuration > Identity > Notifications.

Step 15: Signup and email confirmation flow

Netlify Identity's email/password signup requires email confirmation before the user can log in. The full flow:

1. User calls signup(email, password, { full_name: name }) — Netlify sends a confirmation email
2. User clicks the link in the email — browser is redirected to your site with #confirmation_token=... in the URL hash
3. CallbackHandler detects the hash and calls handleAuthCallback(), which confirms the account and logs the user in
4. onAuthChange fires, updating user in the IdentityProvider

This means the user is not logged in immediately after calling signup(). Show a "check your email" message instead of redirecting to a protected page:

function SignupPage() {
  const [email, setEmail] = useState('')
  const [password, setPassword] = useState('')
  const [name, setName] = useState('')
  const [state, setState] = useState<'idle' | 'pending' | 'error'>('idle')
  const [errorMsg, setErrorMsg] = useState('')

  const handleSignup = async () => {
    setState('pending')
    try {
      await signup(email, password, { full_name: name })
      // signup() resolves after sending the confirmation email.
      // The user is NOT yet authenticated — show a confirmation prompt.
      setState('idle') // or a dedicated 'confirm-email' state
      alert(`Confirmation email sent to ${email}. Click the link to finish signing up.`)
    } catch (err: any) {
      setErrorMsg(err.message || 'Signup failed')
      setState('error')
    }
  }

  return (
    <div>
      <input value={name} => setName(e.target.value)} placeholder="Full name" />
      <input value={email} => setEmail(e.target.value)} placeholder="Email" />
      <input type="password" value={password} => setPassword(e.target.value)} placeholder="Password" />
      {state === 'error' && <p>{errorMsg}</p>}
      <button disabled={state === 'pending'}>
        {state === 'pending' ? 'Sending…' : 'Sign up'}
      </button>
    </div>
  )
}

Other token types handled by CallbackHandler:

• confirmation_token — email signup confirmation (described above)
• recovery_token — password reset link
• invite_token — admin-invited user accepting their invite
• email_change_token — user confirming a new email address
• access_token — OAuth provider redirect (GitHub, Google, etc.)

All of these are handled automatically by the existing CallbackHandler — no extra code needed per flow. The handleAuthCallback() call covers all cases.

Password recovery flow:

import { requestPasswordRecovery } from '@netlify/identity'

async function handleForgotPassword(email: string) {
  await requestPasswordRecovery(email)
  alert(`Password reset email sent to ${email}`)
}

After the user clicks the reset link, CallbackHandler handles the #recovery_token=... hash, logs them in, and they can update their password via user.update({ password: newPassword }).

Invite flow:

Users invited via the Netlify dashboard or POST /.netlify/identity/invite receive an invite email. When they click the link, CallbackHandler handles the #invite_token=... hash. Netlify Identity will prompt them to set a password automatically — no custom code required beyond CallbackHandler being mounted.

Step 16: Logout

Use logout() from @netlify/identity directly or via the identity context:

function LogoutButton() {
  const { logout } = useIdentity()
  const navigate = useNavigate()

  const handleLogout = async () => {
    await logout()
    navigate({ to: '/' })
  }

  return <button out</button>
}

logout() clears the session and the nf_jwt cookie automatically.

netlify.toml configuration

[build]
  command = "vite build"
  publish = "dist/client"

[dev]
  command = "npm run dev:vite"
  targetPort = 3000
  port = 8888

In package.json, configure two dev scripts:

• npm run dev — runs netlify dev (proxies through Netlify but does NOT provide working Identity locally)
• npm run dev:vite — runs Vite directly (no identity, fastest iteration)

Gotchas and edge cases

⚠️ Localhost does not work

Authentication does not function on localhost. The @netlify/identity package requires the nf_jwt cookie to be set by a real Netlify deployment. Running netlify dev only proxies your site — it does not run the GoTrue identity backend. To test authentication, deploy a branch preview or staging environment on Netlify.

Hydration mismatches

The identity context is browser-only. IdentityProvider renders children immediately with ready: false and user: null during SSR. This matches the initial client render, avoiding hydration mismatches. Components should gate on the ready flag before displaying auth-dependent content.

Token expiry during long sessions

Netlify Identity JWTs expire after 1 hour. @netlify/identity handles token refresh automatically via onAuthChange. For long-lived SPA sessions, ensure onAuthChange is subscribed (handled in the IdentityProvider above) so the user state stays current.

Edge function interference

If TanStack Start's Netlify deployment creates catch-all edge function patterns, these can intercept /.netlify/identity endpoints. Verify identity endpoints remain accessible after deployment. If blocked, add an exclusion in netlify.toml:

[[edge_functions]]
  path = "/*"
  function = "server"
  excludedPath = "/.netlify/*"

User type shape

The User type from @netlify/identity has these fields:

interface User {
  id: string                          // UUID
  email: string
  name: string                        // display name (from user_metadata.full_name)
  metadata: Record<string, unknown>   // full user_metadata
  appMetadata: Record<string, unknown>
  roles: string[]                     // from app_metadata.roles
  pictureUrl?: string
}

Note: Use user.name, user.metadata, user.roles — NOT user.user_metadata, user.app_metadata.authorization.roles.

File structure after integration

src/
├── components/
│   └── CallbackHandler.tsx        # OAuth redirect handler
├── lib/
│   ├── auth.ts                    # getServerUser server function
│   └── identity-context.tsx       # Client-side React context
├── middleware/
│   └── identity.ts                # TanStack Start middleware
├── routes/
│   ├── __root.tsx                 # IdentityProvider + CallbackHandler wrap app
│   ├── login.tsx                  # Login/signup page (headless API)
│   ├── dashboard.tsx              # Protected SSR page (beforeLoad redirect)
│   ├── admin.tsx                  # Role-gated route
│   └── api/
│       └── whoami.ts              # Protected API route (server.handlers)
netlify/
└── functions/
    ├── identity-signup.ts         # Webhook: new user signup
    └── identity-validate.ts       # Webhook: token validation
.env                               # VITE_NETLIFY_SITE_URL
netlify.toml                       # Build + dev configuration