auth0-net-ios

auth0-net-ios Integration

Add Auth0 authentication to .NET iOS applications. This skill integrates the Auth0.OidcClient.iOS NuGet package which uses ASWebAuthenticationSession for secure OIDC-based login and logout flows with PKCE.

Agent instruction: Before providing SDK setup instructions, fetch the latest release version by running:

gh api repos/auth0/auth0-oidc-client-net/releases --jq '[.[] | select(.tag_name | startswith("ios-")) | .tag_name | ltrimstr("ios-")] | .[0]'

Use the returned version in all dependency lines instead of any hardcoded version below.

Prerequisites

• .NET 8.0 SDK or later (.NET 9 also supported — use net9.0-ios target framework)
• JetBrains Rider or VS Code with C# Dev Kit (with iOS workload)
• macOS with Xcode 15+
• iOS 14.0+ deployment target
• Auth0 account with a Native application configured
• Node.js 20+ (for Auth0 CLI automated setup)

When NOT to Use

Use Case	Recommended Skill
.NET MAUI cross-platform app (iOS + Android + Windows)	auth0-maui
.NET Android-only app	auth0-net-android
iOS-only Swift app	auth0-swift
ASP.NET Core server-side web app	auth0-aspnetcore-authentication
ASP.NET Core Web API (JWT validation)	auth0-aspnetcore-api
React Native mobile app	auth0-react-native

Quick Start Workflow

Agent instruction: Before starting, examine the user's project:

1. Identify the .NET version from the .csproj file (TargetFramework)
2. Check for existing authentication implementations — search for existing login/logout handlers and hook into them if found (reuse existing UI elements like login buttons rather than creating duplicates)
3. Note the project's Bundle Identifier from Info.plist or .csproj
4. Look for existing Auth0Client or Auth0ClientOptions usage to avoid duplicate configuration

1. Install SDK: dotnet add package Auth0.OidcClient.iOS
2. Configure Auth0: See Setup Guide for automatic or manual configuration.
3. Integrate authentication: Add Auth0Client instantiation, register the URL scheme in Info.plist, and wire login/logout to UI actions.
4. Handle callback: Implement OpenUrl in AppDelegate and call ActivityMediator.Instance.Send(url.AbsoluteString).
5. Build and verify: dotnet build

Agent instruction: When writing the Auth0Client configuration:

• The iOS SDK does NOT require passing an Activity context — just new Auth0Client(options).
• Always set Scope = "openid profile email offline_access" — the offline_access scope is required to receive refresh tokens, enabling silent token renewal without re-prompting the user.
• The callback URL is automatically derived from the Bundle Identifier: {BundleId}://{domain}/ios/{BundleId}/callback.
• The Bundle Identifier must be registered as a URL scheme in Info.plist.
• The AppDelegate must handle OpenUrl and call ActivityMediator.Instance.Send(url.AbsoluteString).
• Store tokens securely: After successful login, persist AccessToken and RefreshToken using iOS Keychain (via Security framework or a wrapper like KeychainAccess). Never store tokens in UserDefaults or in-memory variables only.

After writing configuration and code, verify the build succeeds:

dotnet build

If the build fails, attempt to fix the issue. After 5-6 failed attempts, ask the user for help.

WebAuth — How Authentication Works

The SDK uses ASWebAuthenticationSession (the secure system browser). When LoginAsync() is called:

1. SDK constructs the /authorize URL with PKCE parameters (code verifier + challenge)
2. ASWebAuthenticationSession opens showing the Auth0 login page
3. User authenticates (login form, social connections, MFA, etc.)
4. Auth0 redirects to the native callback URL: {BundleId}://{domain}/ios/{BundleId}/callback
5. iOS intercepts the URL scheme and delivers it to AppDelegate.OpenUrl
6. ActivityMediator.Instance.Send(url.AbsoluteString) completes the token exchange
7. SDK returns LoginResult with access token, ID token, refresh token, and user claims

This is the standard OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code flow with PKCE, recommended for native mobile applications.

Callback URL Configuration

The native callback URL for .NET iOS uses the Bundle Identifier as the scheme. The format is:

YOUR_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER://YOUR_AUTH0_DOMAIN/ios/YOUR_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER/callback

Where YOUR_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER is the Bundle Identifier for your application, such as com.mycompany.myapplication. For example: com.mycompany.myapp://tenant.us.auth0.com/ios/com.mycompany.myapp/callback.

Note: Some Auth0 native SDKs use https://{domain}/ios/{bundleId}/callback or {bundleId}.auth0://{domain}/ios/{bundleId}/callback as the callback URL format. The .NET iOS SDK uses the Bundle Identifier directly as the URL scheme.

Ensure that the Callback URL is in lowercase.

This URL must be:

1. Registered in Auth0 Dashboard under Allowed Callback URLs and Allowed Logout URLs
2. Registered as a URL scheme in Info.plist under CFBundleURLSchemes

Done When

• Auth0.OidcClient.iOS package installed (latest stable version)
• Auth0Client configured with Domain, ClientId, and Scope = "openid profile email offline_access"
• URL scheme registered in Info.plist matching the Bundle Identifier
• AppDelegate.OpenUrl implemented with ActivityMediator.Instance.Send(url.AbsoluteString)
• Callback URL added to Auth0 Dashboard Allowed Callback URLs and Allowed Logout URLs
• Tokens stored securely using iOS Keychain (Security framework with SecKeyChain.Add)
• Login/logout flow working
• Build succeeds with no errors

Detailed Documentation

• Setup Guide — Auth0 tenant configuration, SDK installation, Info.plist URL scheme setup
• Integration Patterns — Login/logout flows, token access, user profile, error handling
• API Reference & Testing — Full Auth0ClientOptions reference, claims, testing checklist, troubleshooting

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Fix
App type not set to Native in Auth0 Dashboard	Change application type to "Native" in Dashboard settings
Missing callback URL in Auth0 Dashboard	Add yourbundleid://{domain}/ios/yourbundleid/callback to Allowed Callback URLs AND Allowed Logout URLs
Missing URL scheme in Info.plist	Add CFBundleURLSchemes entry matching your Bundle Identifier
Not handling OpenUrl in AppDelegate	Override OpenUrl and call ActivityMediator.Instance.Send(url.AbsoluteString)
Using https:// prefix in Domain	Domain should be hostname only (e.g., tenant.auth0.com, not https://tenant.auth0.com)
Passing Activity context to Auth0Client (Android pattern)	iOS does not need context — just new Auth0Client(options)
URL scheme not matching Bundle Identifier	The CFBundleURLSchemes value must exactly match the Bundle Identifier
Storing tokens in UserDefaults or only in memory	Use iOS Keychain via the Security framework (SecKeyChain.Add) for token persistence

Testing Notes

Agent instruction: Remind the user to test on a physical device in addition to simulators. Some WebAuth/ASWebAuthenticationSession behaviors may differ on physical devices vs. simulators. Test the full login → callback → token flow on real hardware before shipping.

Physical Device Testing:

• Login flow: ASWebAuthenticationSession opens → authenticate → returns to app
• Callback: OpenUrl fires in AppDelegate with correct URL
• Logout flow: Browser opens → session cleared → returns to app
• Cancel: User dismisses sheet → app handles UserCancel gracefully

Related Skills

• auth0-maui — .NET MAUI cross-platform apps (iOS + Android + Windows)
• auth0-net-android — .NET Android-only apps
• auth0-swift — iOS-only Swift apps
• auth0-aspnetcore-authentication — ASP.NET Core server-side web apps
• auth0-aspnetcore-api — ASP.NET Core Web API with JWT validation

Quick Reference

using Auth0.OidcClient;

var client = new Auth0Client(new Auth0ClientOptions
{
    Domain = "YOUR_AUTH0_DOMAIN",
    ClientId = "YOUR_AUTH0_CLIENT_ID",
    Scope = "openid profile email offline_access"
});

var loginResult = await client.LoginAsync();
BrowserResultType browserResult = await client.LogoutAsync();

Agent instruction: Always include offline_access in the scope to enable refresh tokens. This allows the app to silently refresh access tokens without forcing the user to re-authenticate.

Agent instruction: After login, always persist tokens to the iOS Keychain using the Security framework (SecKeyChain.Add with SecAccessible.WhenUnlockedThisDeviceOnly). Never store tokens in UserDefaults or leave them only in memory. Clear tokens on logout. See Integration Patterns for the full SecureTokenStorage helper class.

Required Platform Configuration

These two pieces are required for the callback to work — see Setup Guide for full code:

1. Info.plist: Add CFBundleURLSchemes entry matching the Bundle Identifier
2. AppDelegate: Override OpenUrl and call ActivityMediator.Instance.Send(url.AbsoluteString)

For login with extra parameters, error handling, token refresh, user claims access, and complete ViewController examples, see Integration Patterns.

References

• .NET Android & iOS Quickstart
• GitHub Repository
• NuGet Package — Auth0.OidcClient.iOS
• SDK API Documentation
• Auth0 Native App Documentation