| name | monocloud-auth-fastify |
| description | Use when integrating MonoCloud access-token validation into a Fastify API — installing or configuring `@monocloud/backend-node/fastify`, wiring the `protectApi()` `onRequest` hook factory, validating JWT or opaque (introspection) bearer tokens, enforcing scopes/groups, attaching `claims` to `request` via `AuthenticatedFastifyRequest`, or troubleshooting `MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_*` env vars / audience / JWKS / mTLS certificate binding. |
| license | MIT |
MonoCloud Fastify API protection (@monocloud/backend-node/fastify)
Backend SDK for validating MonoCloud-issued access tokens in Fastify APIs. Same engine as the Express adapter — handles JWT signature verification (via JWKS) and opaque-token introspection automatically based on token format.
Package identity — read this first
Use: @monocloud/backend-node with the /fastify subpath. This is a single npm package that also ships /express.
This is not the same SDK as @monocloud/auth-nextjs (frontend, user sessions) or @monocloud/auth-node-core (server-side auth flows). This package is purely for API protection — validating tokens issued elsewhere, not signing users in.
If you see these symbols, they belong to a different package or an older SDK — do not use them here:
@fastify/jwt, fastify-jwt, fastify-auth (other libraries)
fastify.register(monoCloudAuth) style plugin registration (this SDK exposes a per-route onRequest hook, not a Fastify plugin)
- Importing from
@monocloud/backend-node root for Fastify hooks (use the /fastify subpath)
Installation
npm install @monocloud/backend-node
Environment variables
Required:
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_TENANT_DOMAIN | MonoCloud tenant URL, e.g. https://acme.us.monocloud.com |
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_AUDIENCE | Expected audience claim, e.g. https://api.example.com |
Required only when validating opaque tokens (or when MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_INTROSPECT_JWT_TOKENS=true):
| Variable | Purpose |
|---|
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_CLIENT_ID | Client used to call the introspection endpoint |
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_CLIENT_SECRET | Client secret |
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_CLIENT_AUTH_METHOD | One of client_secret_basic, client_secret_post (default), client_secret_jwt, private_key_jwt, tls_client_auth, self_signed_tls_client_auth |
Optional tuning:
| Variable | Default | Purpose |
|---|
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_INTROSPECT_JWT_TOKENS | false | If true, skip local JWT validation and always introspect |
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_CLOCK_SKEW | 0 | Allowed clock drift (seconds) |
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_CLOCK_TOLERANCE | 300 | Extra tolerance on time-based claims |
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_GROUPS_CLAIM | — | Claim name that carries group memberships |
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_GROUPS_MATCH_ALL | false | If true, all listed groups must match |
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_JWKS_CACHE_DURATION | — | Seconds to cache the JWKS |
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_METADATA_CACHE_DURATION | — | Seconds to cache the OIDC discovery doc |
Basic wiring
import Fastify from "fastify";
import {
protectApi,
type AuthenticatedFastifyRequest,
} from "@monocloud/backend-node/fastify";
const fastify = Fastify();
const protect = protectApi();
fastify.get("/api/me", { onRequest: protect() }, async (request) => {
const { claims } = request as AuthenticatedFastifyRequest;
return { sub: claims.sub };
});
fastify.post(
"/api/posts",
{ onRequest: protect({ scopes: ["posts:write"] }) },
async (request, reply) => {
reply.code(201);
},
);
fastify.delete(
"/api/posts/:id",
{ onRequest: protect({ groups: ["admin"] }) },
async (request, reply) => {
reply.code(204);
},
);
await fastify.listen({ : });
Two-call pattern: protectApi() builds a factory once (parses env, loads JWKS lazily); calling the factory with options returns an onRequest hook. Build the factory at startup, attach the hook per-route.
What protect(options) accepts
options (all optional):
interface ProtectOptions {
scopes?: string[];
groups?: string[];
validateCertificateBinding?: boolean;
}
- scopes: AND semantics — the token must carry every listed scope.
- groups: OR by default; flip with
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_GROUPS_MATCH_ALL=true (or per-client groupOptions.matchAll). Claim name comes from MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_GROUPS_CLAIM.
- validateCertificateBinding: enforces the
cnf.x5t#S256 confirmation claim against the client's TLS cert. Requires a certificateResolver (see "Advanced" below).
Client constructor options
new MonoCloudBackendNodeClient(options) accepts the backend-node option shape. Use this when you need a shared client, non-env configuration, or a custom token-claims cache:
interface MonoCloudBackendNodeClientOptions {
tenantDomain: string;
audience: string;
clientId?: string;
clientSecret?: string;
clientAuthMethod?: ClientAuthMethod;
groupOptions?: { groupsClaim?: string; matchAll?: boolean };
clockSkew?: number;
clockTolerance?: number;
jwksCacheDuration?: number;
metadataCacheDuration?: number;
introspectJwtTokens?: boolean;
cache?: ICache;
fetcher?: (input: RequestInfo, init?: RequestInit) => Promise<Response>;
}
cache?: ICache is constructor-only; pass it in code to cache validated access-token claims by raw token until the token expires.
Default responses
- No
Authorization: Bearer <token> header (and no custom tokenResolver): 401 { "message": "unauthorized" }
- Token validation fails (signature, audience, issuer, expiry, mismatched cnf, etc.):
401 { "message": "unauthorized" }
- Token valid but missing required scopes or groups:
403 { "message": "forbidden" }
The hook calls reply.status(...).send(...) directly on failure — done() is not invoked. Customise responses by wrapping the hook or by calling MonoCloudBackendNodeClient.validateAccessToken() from your own onRequest.
Reading the validated claims
After the hook runs, request.claims is populated. Cast the request:
import type { AuthenticatedFastifyRequest } from "@monocloud/backend-node/fastify";
fastify.get("/api/me", { onRequest: protect() }, async (request) => {
const { claims } = request as AuthenticatedFastifyRequest;
return claims;
});
Alternatively, declare a module augmentation to avoid casting:
import type { AccessTokenClaims } from "@monocloud/backend-node";
declare module "fastify" {
interface FastifyRequest {
claims?: AccessTokenClaims;
}
}
Applying to many routes — patterns
fastify.addHook("onRequest", protect());
fastify.register(async (instance) => {
instance.addHook("onRequest", protect({ scopes: ["admin"] }));
instance.get("/admin/users", async () => {
});
});
fastify.addHook applies to every subsequent route in that encapsulation context, so registering it inside a plugin scopes it to that plugin's routes.
Advanced: shared client, custom resolvers, caching
import {
protectApi,
MonoCloudBackendNodeClient,
type ICache,
} from "@monocloud/backend-node/fastify";
const client = new MonoCloudBackendNodeClient({
tenantDomain: "https://acme.us.monocloud.com",
audience: "https://api.example.com",
cache: redisCache,
introspectJwtTokens: false,
});
const protect = protectApi(client, {
tokenResolver: async (req) =>
(req.cookies as Record<string, string>).access_token,
certificateResolver: async (req) =>
req.headers["x-client-cert"] as string | undefined,
});
fastify.get(
"/api/secure",
{ onRequest: protect({ validateCertificateBinding: true }) },
async (request) => (request as AuthenticatedFastifyRequest).claims,
);
ICache interface (implement for Redis, in-memory, etc.):
interface ICache {
get(token: string): Promise<AccessTokenClaims | null | undefined>;
set(
token: string,
claims: AccessTokenClaims,
expiresAt: number,
): Promise<void>;
delete(token: string): Promise<void>;
}
Caching is keyed on the raw token string and respects claims.exp minus the configured clock skew/tolerance — short-lived tokens self-expire.
JWT vs. introspection — how the SDK decides
- Three dot-separated parts (
xxx.yyy.zzz) and introspectJwtTokens is false (default): the SDK validates the JWT locally using JWKS fetched from the tenant. After JWKS warms, no network call per request.
- Otherwise (opaque tokens, or
introspectJwtTokens=true): the SDK calls the OIDC introspection endpoint. Requires clientId + clientSecret (or another clientAuthMethod).
JWT tokens don't require client credentials. Opaque tokens do. MonoCloudValidationError: clientId is required on an opaque-token request means you need to add the introspection env vars.
Common pitfalls
- Wrong import path. Import from
@monocloud/backend-node/fastify, not the root. The root only exports the framework-agnostic MonoCloudBackendNodeClient.
- Attaching
protect instead of protect() to onRequest. The factory returns a function — you must call it to get the hook. { onRequest: protect } is wrong; { onRequest: protect() } is right.
- Audience mismatch.
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_AUDIENCE must exactly match the aud claim. Trailing slashes and http/https differences fail validation.
- Building the factory per request.
protectApi() is a startup-time call — invoking it inside a handler creates a new client per request.
- Calling
done() or reply.send() after the hook failed. The hook sends its own 401/403 — if you wrap it, check reply.sent first.
- Cookies but no
@fastify/cookie. If you use a tokenResolver that reads cookies, register @fastify/cookie first or request.cookies is undefined.
- Group claim missing. If
groups is set but the token doesn't carry the configured groupsClaim, requests are forbidden. Configure it in the MonoCloud dashboard or via the env var.
Onboarding checklist
npm install @monocloud/backend-node.
- Add
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_TENANT_DOMAIN and MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_AUDIENCE to your env. For opaque tokens, also MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_CLIENT_ID + _CLIENT_SECRET.
- Register an API (audience) in the MonoCloud dashboard matching
MONOCLOUD_BACKEND_AUDIENCE.
- Build the factory once:
const protect = protectApi();
- Attach per-route:
fastify.get(path, { onRequest: protect({ scopes: [...] }) }, handler);
- Cast
request to AuthenticatedFastifyRequest inside handlers to read claims.
Related types and errors
Re-exported from @monocloud/auth-core via @monocloud/backend-node:
AccessTokenClaims, JwtClaims, Jwk, Jwks, IssuerMetadata, ClientAuthMethod
MonoCloudAuthBaseError, MonoCloudValidationError, MonoCloudOPError, MonoCloudHttpError, MonoCloudTokenError
A failed scope/group check throws MonoCloudTokenError with the message 'Token is missing required scopes' or 'Token is missing required groups' — the hook converts these to 403. Other validation failures throw MonoCloudTokenError / MonoCloudValidationError and become 401.
Deeper reference
references/api-surface.md — every export from @monocloud/backend-node/fastify, full type signatures, env-var → option mapping, defaults.
references/troubleshooting.md — symptom → cause → fix index for the most common failure modes (audience mismatch, opaque-token introspection, scope/group claims, mTLS binding, onRequest vs plugin confusion, JWKS thrash).