Скачать или смотреть How to Use MSAL for Refreshing Access Tokens in Your Web App

Discover how to effectively use `MSAL` with your Python and JavaScript app to acquire and refresh access tokens, enabling seamless email access for users.
---
This video is based on the question https://stackoverflow.com/q/76514108/ asked by the user 'Bar Ezra' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/20273486/ ) and on the answer https://stackoverflow.com/a/77209873/ provided by the user 'Bar Ezra' ( https://stackoverflow.com/u/20273486/ ) at 'Stack Overflow' website. Thanks to these great users and Stackexchange community for their contributions.

Visit these links for original content and any more details, such as alternate solutions, latest updates/developments on topic, comments, revision history etc. For example, the original title of the Question was: Using MSAL to acquire refresh token using access_token

Also, Content (except music) licensed under CC BY-SA https://meta.stackexchange.com/help/l...
The original Question post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license, and the original Answer post is licensed under the 'CC BY-SA 4.0' ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/... ) license.

If anything seems off to you, please feel free to write me at vlogize [AT] gmail [DOT] com.
---
Solving the Access Token Refresh Challenge with MSAL

When building applications that require access to user data, such as their email inbox, obtaining and managing tokens effectively can be quite challenging. In this post, we'll explore how you can use the Microsoft Authentication Library (MSAL) to acquire and refresh access tokens for your web application, which comprises a JavaScript frontend and a Python backend.

The Problem

You have a web app with a JavaScript frontend that requests "Mail.Read" permissions to read users' email inboxes. After a user signs in through your JS-based application, you receive an access_token. You want to store this token in your backend and refresh it when necessary to continue accessing the user's emails without requiring them to log in repeatedly.

The Solution: Using On-Behalf-Of Flow

Fortunately, MSAL allows you to implement an On-Behalf-Of flow, which lets you exchange the existing access token for a new one. This solution requires your backend to effectively manage token storage and refreshing. Below, we'll break down how to implement this in both the frontend and backend parts of your application.

Frontend Implementation (JavaScript)

Your frontend application is responsible for prompting the user to sign in and requesting the necessary permissions. Here's a simplified version of your signing-in process using MSAL:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Backend Implementation (Python)

Once you've acquired the access token on the frontend, you'll send that token to your backend. The backend will then use this token to request a new token on behalf of the user.

Store the Initial Token: After receiving the token on the backend, you'll need to store it securely.

Refresh the Token: When you need to access the user's email later on, the backend will create a new token that can be used to access user data.

Here’s how you can implement this in your Python backend:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Efficient Token Management

Database Storage: Make sure to secure your tokens adequately when storing them in your database to prevent unauthorized access.

Periodic Refresh: Set up a scheduled task in your backend to regularly refresh tokens before they expire based on your application's needs.

Conclusion

By implementing the On-Behalf-Of flow with MSAL, you can seamlessly manage access tokens in your application, ensuring a smooth user experience while complying with security practices. This approach significantly simplifies token management and enhances your application's ability to access user data without persistent login prompts.

If you have any further questions or need specific examples, feel free to ask! Happy coding!