Authentication

Authenticating with the LearnCard Network API

To interact with the LearnCard Network API, you can choose one of two ways to authenticate:

  1. Using the LearnCard Network Plugin (@learncard/network-plugin) which handles authentication for you. (Preferred option)

  2. Directly through the API endpoints using challenge-based DID Authentication.

1. Using LearnCard Network Plugin

To authenticate using the LearnCard Network Plugin (@learncard/network-plugin), first install the package:

pnpm install @learncard/network-plugin

Then, either instantiate a LearnCard Network enabled LearnCard, or add the Network Plugin to an existing LearnCard:

import { initLearnCard } from '@learncard/init';
import didkit from '@learncard/didkit-plugin/dist/didkit/didkit_wasm_bg.wasm?url';

const networkLearnCard = await initLearnCard({
    seed,
    network: true,
    didkit,
});

When using the LearnCard Network Plugin, challenge-based DID Authentication is handled for you, so no further steps are necessary.

2. Using Challenge-based DID Authentication

If you choose to use the API endpoints directly, you'll need to manage challenge-based DID Authentication for each request. Here's a simplified TypeScript example to help you implement this authentication method:

 
async function getClient(
  url = 'https://network.learncard.com/api': string,
  didAuthFunction: (challenge?: string) => Promise<string>
) {
  let challenges: string[] = [];

  const getChallenges = async (amount = 95 + Math.round((Math.random() - 0.5) * 5)): Promise<string[]> => {
    // Call the API to get a list of challenges
    // Replace this line with your preferred way of making API calls
    const response = await fetch(url + "/challenges?amount=" + amount);
    return await response.json();
  };

  challenges = await getChallenges();

  async function getAuthHeaders() {
    if (challenges.length === 0) challenges.push(...(await getChallenges()));
    return { Authorization: `Bearer ${await didAuthFunction(challenges.pop())}` };
  }

  // Use getAuthHeaders in your API calls to set the Authorization header
}

export default getClient;

In this example, we first define a getClient function that takes a url and a didAuthFunction. The didAuthFunction should be an asynchronous function that returns a signed challenge as a string.

The getChallenges function fetches a list of challenges from the API. The getAuthHeaders function generates an Authorization header using the didAuthFunction and a challenge. This header can then be used in your API calls.

API Quick Reference

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