Seamless authentication via social network access token

When to use this

Use seamless token authentication when your game client or app already has a valid social network access token. Instead of a browser redirect, the client exchanges that token for Xsolla Login credentials in a single request. Depending on the protocol, the response returns a JWT (JWT protocol) or a login URL with an authorization code (OAuth 2.0 protocol). Seamless authentication fits the following cases:

• In-game auto-login into a webshop, where the player has already signed in to the social network inside the game client.
• Desktop and console applications, where authentication with a redirect isn’t available or degrades the user experience.

Seamless authentication via social network access token works for the following social networks: Xsolla, Facebook, Google, LinkedIn, Twitter, Discord, Naver, Baidu, Battle.net, WeChat, QQ.

If the client doesn’t have a social network access token (for example, the user hasn’t authenticated with it yet), the seamless scenario won’t work. For such cases, implement the browser-redirect scenario using the following methods:

• [JWT] Auth via social network
• [OAuth 2.0] Auth via social network

Comparison of seamless authentication and browser-redirect flow

During seamless authentication, Xsolla Login accepts the social network access token the client already has, validates it via the social network’s API, finds the matching user or creates a new one, and returns a JWT or a login URL — all in a single request, with no browser involvement.

Seamless token authentication

  %%{init: {'themeVariables': { 'noteBkgColor': 'transparent', 'noteBorderColor': 'transparent' }}}%%
sequenceDiagram
    participant G as Game client
    participant X as Xsolla Login
    participant B as Social network
    G->>X: Sends Auth via access token of social network call
    X->>B: Validates access token
    B-->>X: Confirms token validity
    X-->>G: Returns JWT / Login URL

Browser-redirect flow

  %%{init: {'themeVariables': { 'noteBkgColor': 'transparent', 'noteBorderColor': 'transparent' }}}%%
sequenceDiagram
    participant G as Game client
    participant X as Xsolla Login
    participant B as Social network
    G->>X: Sends Auth via social network call
    X->>B: Redirects to login page
    B->>G: Displays login form
    G->>B: Submits credentials
    B->>X: Returns callback with code
    X-->>G: Returns JWT / Login URL

Seamless authentication API calls

To implement seamless token authentication for a social network, use the following API calls, depending on the authentication protocol you choose:

• [JWT] Auth via access token of social network
• [OAuth 2.0] Auth via access token of social network