ArcGIS Authentication Skill

ArcGIS Authentication

Use this skill for implementing authentication, OAuth, API keys, and identity management.

Import Patterns

Direct ESM Imports

import OAuthInfo from "@arcgis/core/identity/OAuthInfo.js";
import esriId from "@arcgis/core/identity/IdentityManager.js";
import Portal from "@arcgis/core/portal/Portal.js";
import esriConfig from "@arcgis/core/config.js";

Dynamic Imports (CDN)

const OAuthInfo = await $arcgis.import("@arcgis/core/identity/OAuthInfo.js");
const esriId = await $arcgis.import("@arcgis/core/identity/IdentityManager.js");
const Portal = await $arcgis.import("@arcgis/core/portal/Portal.js");

API Keys

The simplest authentication method. Set once for all SDK requests.

Configure API Key

import esriConfig from "@arcgis/core/config.js";

esriConfig.apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY";

// Now basemaps and services will use the API key
const map = new Map({
  basemap: "arcgis/streets"
});

API Key in HTML (CDN)

<script src="https://js.arcgis.com/5.0/"></script>
<script>
  $arcgis.config.apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY";
</script>

OAuth 2.0 Authentication

Basic OAuth Setup

import OAuthInfo from "@arcgis/core/identity/OAuthInfo.js";
import esriId from "@arcgis/core/identity/IdentityManager.js";

const oauthInfo = new OAuthInfo({
  appId: "YOUR_APP_ID",
  popup: false           // false = redirect, true = popup window
});

esriId.registerOAuthInfos([oauthInfo]);

Check Sign-In Status

async function checkSignIn() {
  try {
    await esriId.checkSignInStatus(oauthInfo.portalUrl + "/sharing");
    const portal = new Portal({ authMode: "immediate" });
    await portal.load();
    console.log("Signed in as:", portal.user.username);
    return portal;
  } catch {
    console.log("Not signed in");
    return null;
  }
}

Sign In

async function signIn() {
  try {
    const credential = await esriId.getCredential(
      oauthInfo.portalUrl + "/sharing"
    );
    return credential;
  } catch (error) {
    console.error("Sign in failed:", error);
  }
}

Sign Out

function signOut() {
  esriId.destroyCredentials();
  window.location.reload();
}

Complete OAuth Flow

import OAuthInfo from "@arcgis/core/identity/OAuthInfo.js";
import esriId from "@arcgis/core/identity/IdentityManager.js";
import Portal from "@arcgis/core/portal/Portal.js";

const oauthInfo = new OAuthInfo({ appId: "YOUR_APP_ID" });
esriId.registerOAuthInfos([oauthInfo]);

// Check if already signed in
esriId.checkSignInStatus(oauthInfo.portalUrl + "/sharing")
  .then(() => {
    const portal = new Portal({ authMode: "immediate" });
    return portal.load();
  })
  .then((portal) => {
    console.log("Welcome,", portal.user.fullName);
    displayUserContent(portal);
  })
  .catch(() => {
    showSignInButton();
  });

function showSignInButton() {
  document.getElementById("signInBtn").onclick = () => {
    esriId.getCredential(oauthInfo.portalUrl + "/sharing")
      .then(() => window.location.reload());
  };
}

Enterprise Portal Authentication

Configure for Enterprise Portal

const oauthInfo = new OAuthInfo({
  appId: "YOUR_APP_ID",
  portalUrl: "https://your-portal.com/portal",
  popup: true
});

esriId.registerOAuthInfos([oauthInfo]);

Set Portal URL Globally

import esriConfig from "@arcgis/core/config.js";

esriConfig.portalUrl = "https://your-portal.com/portal";

Token-Based Authentication

Register Token

esriId.registerToken({
  server: "https://services.arcgis.com/",
  token: "YOUR_TOKEN"
});

Get Token Manually

const credential = await esriId.getCredential("https://services.arcgis.com/...");
console.log("Token:", credential.token);
console.log("Expires:", new Date(credential.expires));

Portal User Information

import Portal from "@arcgis/core/portal/Portal.js";

const portal = new Portal({ authMode: "immediate" });
await portal.load();

console.log("Username:", portal.user.username);
console.log("Full name:", portal.user.fullName);
console.log("Email:", portal.user.email);
console.log("Role:", portal.user.role);
console.log("Thumbnail:", portal.user.thumbnailUrl);
console.log("Org name:", portal.name);
console.log("Org ID:", portal.id);

Query User Items

import PortalQueryParams from "@arcgis/core/portal/PortalQueryParams.js";

const queryParams = new PortalQueryParams({
  query: `owner:${portal.user.username}`,
  sortField: "modified",
  sortOrder: "desc",
  num: 20
});

const result = await portal.queryItems(queryParams);
result.results.forEach((item) => {
  console.log(item.title, item.type, item.id);
});

Credential Persistence

// Clear all stored credentials
esriId.destroyCredentials();

// Find a specific credential
const credential = esriId.findCredential("https://services.arcgis.com/...");

Trusted Servers

import esriConfig from "@arcgis/core/config.js";

esriConfig.request.trustedServers.push("https://services.arcgis.com");
esriConfig.request.trustedServers.push("https://your-server.com");

CORS and Proxy

import esriConfig from "@arcgis/core/config.js";

// Configure proxy for cross-origin requests
esriConfig.request.proxyUrl = "/proxy/";

// Configure proxy rules
esriConfig.request.proxyRules.push({
  urlPrefix: "https://services.arcgis.com",
  proxyUrl: "/proxy/"
});

Common Pitfalls

App ID redirect URIs: The App ID must be registered with correct redirect URIs at developers.arcgis.com. Mismatched URIs cause silent authentication failures.

Popup blockers on mobile: OAuth popup-based sign-in fails on mobile browsers.

// Anti-pattern: using popup flow on mobile
const oauthInfo = new OAuthInfo({
  appId: "YOUR_APP_ID",
  popup: true // Blocked by most mobile browsers
});

// Correct: use redirect flow for mobile
const isMobile = /iPhone|iPad|Android/i.test(navigator.userAgent);
const oauthInfo = new OAuthInfo({
  appId: "YOUR_APP_ID",
  popup: !isMobile
});

Portal URL trailing slash: A trailing slash in the portal URL causes token validation to fail.

// Anti-pattern
const portal = new Portal({
  url: "https://myorg.maps.arcgis.com/" // Trailing slash
});

// Correct
const portal = new Portal({
  url: "https://myorg.maps.arcgis.com" // No trailing slash
});

Token expiration: Tokens expire. Handle refresh or re-authentication gracefully.
CORS errors: Configure trusted servers or use a proxy for cross-origin requests to non-ArcGIS servers.

Request Interceptors

import esriConfig from "@arcgis/core/config.js";

esriConfig.request.interceptors.push({
  urls: "https://services.arcgis.com",
  before: (params) => {
    // Add custom headers or modify request
    console.log("Request to:", params.url);
  },
  after: (response) => {
    // Process response
    console.log("Response status:", response.httpStatus);
  },
  error: (error) => {
    console.error("Request failed:", error);
  }
});

Reference Samples

identity-oauth-basic - Basic OAuth 2.0 authentication setup
identity-oauth-component - OAuth component-based authentication
basemaps-portal - Authenticated portal access for basemaps
webmap-save - Saving maps (requires authentication)

Related Skills

See arcgis-portal-content for managing portal items, WebMaps, and WebScenes.
See arcgis-rest-services for premium REST services requiring authentication.
See arcgis-starter-app for app scaffolding with authentication setup.

Agent Skills: ArcGIS Authentication

Install this agent skill to your local

Skill Files