Native Authentication

Native authentication is for developers who want to completely customize the login experience through Nylas to match their application.

When to Use Native Authentication

You want to completely customize the entire authentication process.
You don’t mind handling credentials and error handling.

There are 3 steps to get an access_token for an account using Native Authentication:

Create a branded login page and have the user enter the information.
Send a request to /connect/authorize with the required credentials and scopes.
Nylas returns a one-time use code. Send the code to /connect/token to get the access token.

Step 1 Create a Branded Page

If you are using Native Authentication, instead of Hosted Authentication, you need to create a branded login page. The branded page is where your users will enter the login credentials.

We don’t recommend storing this information, instead, you should immediately make a request to /connect/authorize with the user-provided credentials.

Step 2 Make a Request to Connect Authorize

Use the credentials from your branded login page and make a request to Nylas with the correct provider settings and scopes.

The request parameters are:

Client ID - The client_id from your Nylas application. Create a Nylas app if you need a client_id.
Name - Name of the User
Email Address - User email address
Provider - Name of the email provider.
Settings - The settings object will vary depending on the provider. It typically includes information such as the username, password, SMTP, client_id, and client_secret. Check the provider settings to learn which information you need to provide.
Scopes - Review Authentication Scopes to learn more.
- If scopes are not specified, we will add default scopes.

Example `/connect/authorize` Request

curl -X POST https://api.nylas.com/connect/authorize -d '{
    "client_id": "nylas_client_id",
    "name": "Nyla the Cheetah",
    "email_address": "[email protected]",
    "provider": "aol",
    "settings": {
        "password": "MakeEmailSuckLess"
    },
    "scopes": "email.read_only,calendar.read_only,contacts.read_only"
}'

In the response, Nylas will return a one-time use code that you can exchange for an access_token. This code is only valid for 15 minutes. After that time, the code will expire.

Learn More

A full list of parameters can be found at /connect/authorize.

Step 3 Exchange the Code

Now that you have your one-time use code, send a request to /connect/token to get an access token.

Example `/connect/token` Request

curl -X POST "https://api.nylas.com/connect/token" -d '{
  "client_id": "{client-id}",
  "client_secret": "{client-secret}",
  "code": "{nylas_code}"
}'

In response, Nylas will return the account information.

Learn More

A full list of parameters can be found at /connect/authorize

Keep in Mind Native Authentication

Your app will need to provide:
- Error handling
- Provider and server settings detection
- Handle credentials securely
Determine the scopes you need. If you need to change scopes, the user will have to reauthenticate.