Since the manufacturers have started installing the necessary hardware, Biometric Authentication could be considered important and must have features to secure our mobile applications. Biometric verification helps eliminate the hassle of entering security credentials and patterns while adding a layer of security. So to achieve the same, we will look into how to implement biometric authentication in react-native.
Read more about react native.
Biometric authentication is the process of confirming an individual’s identity based on physical and behavioral characteristics. This can take the form of an individual’s fingerprint, voice, or other biological characteristics that can be measured to assess specific data points. In our case, smartphones.
As of today, we have 2 implementations of biometric verification:
rn-local-authentication
react-native-sensitive-info
There are two libraries for implementing biometric authentication:
rn-local-authentication and react-native-sensitive-info.
rn-local-authentication is used for biometric verification, facial verification or fingerprint verification of the user.
react-native-sensitive-info is used for storing user credentials, in our case username and password. This can also be access_token for API authorization.
Follow this react-native-local-authentication for installing the biometric verification library.
Follow this react-native-sensitive-info for installing the secured storage library.
For setup:
1. Import rn-local-authentication as LocalAuthentication & react-native-sensitive-info as RNSInfo
2. Check biometry support and type
const isSupported = await LocalAuthentication.isSupportedAsync(); const getBiometryType = LocalAuthentication.getBiometryType();
3. If biometry is supporting prompt users for biometric verification
const success = await LocalAuthentication.authenticateAsync(config);
4. On success store the user credentials or access_token received
RNSInfo.setItem("@userInfo", userInfo, { sharedPreferencesName:”SharedPreference_Name, keychainService:”Keychain_Name”, });
For login:
1. Check if biometry has already been set up by checking for data stored in a secured storage
2. If already set up, prompt biometric verification and get user info from secured storage on success.
RNSInfo.getItem("@userInfo", userInfo, { sharedPreferencesName:”SharedPreference_Name, keychainService:”Keychain_Name”, });
3. On getting the user info log in the using the credentials
This article describes the basic idea of how to implement biometric authentication in our react native application. It might be helpful for react native developers to start with biometric authentication in react native. Aside from usual biometric verification, the rn-local-authentication also supports fallback to passcode, which becomes useful in scenarios where biometry sensors are not usable.
I am a react-native developer with experience working on IoT applications, task management applications, video streaming applications and recent experience developing react-native libraries involving biometric verification of the user.
My skills would be JavaScript, TypeScript, react-native, npm packages, and Redux.
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