Auth Interface

The Online Services Auth Interface provides an API to authenticate and verify local users with online services. Authentication of a local user returns an account ID, which your project can use to interact with many other online service features.

API Overview

Functions

The following table provides a high-level description of the functions included in the Auth Interface.

Enumeration Classes

The Auth Interface defines three enumeration classes that represent a user's login status (ELoginStatus), auth ticket audience (ERemoteAuthTicketAudience), and auth token method (EExternalAuthTokenMethod).

ELoginStatus

ERemoteAuthTicketAudience

EExternalAuthTokenMethod

Primary Struct

The primary struct associated with a user and their login information is the FAccountInfo struct:

FAccountInfo

Process Flow

Login

Login authenticates a local user with the chosen online services. Upon success, Login returns an FAccountInfo struct. The FAccountInfo struct contains an FAccountId, which is necessary to use many other functions included in the Auth interface. A successful login also sets the user's LoginStatus to ELoginStatus::LoggedIn. After a user logs in to their account, the status could change to ELoginStatus::UsingLocalProfile or ELoginStatus::LoggedInReducedFunctionality in the future based on other conditions.

Authenticate with an External Server

Frequently, games have custom web services that provide game-specific functionality. These services need to verify the caller's identity before providing access. QueryExternalServerAuthTicket retrieves a single-use ticket for authenticating a user with an external server.

Link Authenticated User with Another Online Service

Many games need to make use of more than one online service. Common cases include a platform service paired with another service which extends the first's functionality. QueryExternalAuthToken returns a token appropriate for authentication with a different online service to avoid requiring the user from having to provide separate login credentials for secondary services.

On most platforms, this token is an OpenId token, which provides a guarantee of user identity. This token is then provided to the Login method of the secondary service by setting CredentialsType to ExternalAuth and passing the token as CredentialsToken.

Verify User Identity with P2P or Dedicated Server

Users need to prove their identity and allow for authentication session tracking when connecting to a game server or peer-to-peer network. On the client side, QueryVerifiedAuthTicket retrieves a single-use ticket to be sent to the game server proving the user's identity. CancelVerifiedAuthTicket cancels this ticket when the play session on the game server has concluded.

The game server calls BeginVerifiedAuthSession with the client supplied ticket when the client connects. Successful completion begins a verified auth session for the user associated with the supplied ticket. EndVerifiedAuthSession cleans up associated resources when the game has concluded.

This process for a user client connecting to a remote game server is summarized as:

• The client obtains a session auth ticket with a call to QueryVerifiedAuthTicket.

• The client sends the session auth ticket, the ticket ID, and their account ID to the server.

• The server receives this information and uses it to begin a verified auth session with a call to BeginVerifiedAuthSession.

• At the end of the session, the client cancels their auth ticket with CancelVerifiedAuthTicket and the server ends the auth session with EndVerifiedAuthSession.

In a peer-to-peer network model the above process is different. Each user client creates a new authentication ticket for each remote client it is connecting to. The steps for authenticating with a game server then apply for each remote peer:

• Each new remote peer calls QueryVerifiedAuthTicket and retrieves a single-use ticket to authenticate with every other existing peer.

• Every existing peer calls BeginVerifiedAuthSession to begin a verified auth session for the new remote peer.

Modify Account Attributes

Game code may store additional custom attributes in the FAccountInfo struct as needed with a call to ModifyAccountAttributes.

Logout

Logout ends the current authentication session for the local user and cleans up associated resources and structures.

Example

Login with Platform Services

UE::Online::IOnlineServicesPtr OnlineServices = UE::Online::GetServices();
	UE::Online::IAuthPtr AuthInterface = OnlineServices->GetAuthInterface();

	UE::Online::FAuthLogin::Params Params;
	Params.PlatformUserId = PlatformUserId;
	Params.CredentialsType = LoginCredentialsType::ExchangeCode;
	Params.CredentialsToken = TEXT("1234567890"); // Exchange code from command-line

	AuthInterface->Login(MoveTemp(Params)).OnComplete([](const UE::Online::TOnlineResult<UE::Online::FAuthLogin>& Result)
	{

Walkthrough

1. Retrieve the default online services by calling GetServices with no parameters, then access the Auth interface:

   C++

   UE::Online::IOnlineServicesPtr OnlineServices = UE::Online::GetServices();
            UE::Online::IAuthPtr AuthInterface = OnlineServices->GetAuthInterface();

   Copy full snippet(2 lines long)

2. Instantiate the parameters necessary to login the user:

   C++

   UE::Online::FAuthLogin::Params Params;
            Params.PlatformUserId = PlatformUserId;
            Params.CredentialsType = LoginCredentialsType::ExchangeCode;
            Params.CredentialsToken = TEXT("1234567890"); // Exchange code from command-line

   Copy full snippet(4 lines long)

3. Handle the Login.OnComplete callback by registering the account info upon successful login or processing the resulting error:

   C++

   AuthInterface->Login(MoveTemp(Params)).OnComplete([](const UE::Online::TOnlineResult<UE::Online::FAuthLogin>& Result)
            {
                if(Result.IsOk())
                {
                    const TSharedRef<UE::Online::FAccountInfo> AccountInfo = Result.GetOkValue().AccountInfo;
                    // Account Info object is now accessible
                }
                else
                {
                    FOnlineError Error = Result.GetErrorValue();
   
   Expand code Copy full snippet(13 lines long)

Converting Code from Online Subsystem

The Online Services Auth Interface is responsible for all code owned by the Online Subsystem Identity Interface.

More Information

Header File

Consult the Auth.h header file directly for more information as needed. The Auth Interface header file Auth.h is located in the directory:

Engine\Plugins\Online\OnlineServices\Source\OnlineServicesInterface\Public\Online

For instructions on how to obtain the UE source code, refer to our documentation on Downloading Unreal Engine Source Code.

Function Parameters and Return Types

Refer to the Functions section of the Online Services Overview page for an explanation of function parameters and return types, including how to pass parameters and processing the results when functions return.