# Connect

> Authenticate users and establish provider connection

## Overview

The `connect` method is the primary authentication method for the Node.js SDK. It authenticates users using custom authentication and returns a result object containing the provider/ signer for blockchain operations.

:::warning Prerequisites

- Custom authentication set up on the dashboard.
- Freshly generated JWT token from your authentication system in your backend.

Read more about [custom authentication](/embedded-wallets/authentication/custom-connections/custom-jwt/).

:::

## Usage

```javascript
const result = await web3auth.connect(loginParams)
```

## Parameters

### LoginParams

```typescript
export type LoginParams = {
  idToken: string
  authConnectionId: string
  userId?: string
  userIdField?: string
  isUserIdCaseSensitive?: boolean
  groupedAuthConnectionId?: string
}
```

| Parameter                  | Type      | Description                                                                               |
| -------------------------- | --------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `authConnectionId`         | `string`  | Custom verifier name from Embedded Wallets dashboard.                                     |
| `userId`                   | `string`  | Unique identifier for the user (for example, email, user ID).                             |
| `idToken?`                 | `string`  | Valid JWT token from your authentication system.                                          |
| `groupedAuthConnectionId?` | `string`  | Grouped Auth Connection ID.                                                               |
| `userIdField?`             | `string`  | User's unique identifier field name. Add here if not set on the dashboard.                |
| `isUserIdCaseSensitive?`   | `boolean` | Whether the user ID field is case sensitive or not. Add here if not set on the dashboard. |

## Return value

Returns a `result` object containing the provider/ signer for blockchain operations. By default you get the standard Web3Auth provider, with the ability to get the private key, if enabled from the dashboard. You additionally get the signer for EVM and Solana chains, to be able to do transactions without the need to use the private key provider directly.

### Object structure

```typescript

export type PrivateKeyProvider = IBaseProvider<string>

export type WalletResult =
  | {
      chainNamespace: typeof CHAIN_NAMESPACES.SOLANA
      provider: PrivateKeyProvider
      signer: TransactionSigner
    }
  | {
      chainNamespace: typeof CHAIN_NAMESPACES.EIP155
      provider: PrivateKeyProvider
      signer: Wallet
    }
  | {
      chainNamespace: typeof CHAIN_NAMESPACES.OTHER
      provider: PrivateKeyProvider
      signer: null
    }
```

## Examples

### Custom JWT token authentication

```javascript
const { Web3Auth } = require('@web3auth/node-sdk')

// Dashboard Registration
const clientId =
  'BPi5PB_UiIZ-cPz1GtV5i1I2iOSOHuimiXBI0e-Oe_u6X3oVAbCiAZOTEBtTXw4tsluTITPqA8zMsfxIKMjiqNQ'

// focus-start
// Auth Connection
const authConnectionId = 'w3a-node-demo'
// focus-end

const web3auth = new Web3Auth({
  clientId,
  web3AuthNetwork: 'sapphire_mainnet',
})

await web3auth.init()

// focus-start
const privateKey = await fs.readFile('privateKey.pem', 'utf8')

var idToken = jwt.sign(
  {
    sub: '9fcd68c4-af50-4dd7-adf6-abd12a13cb32',
    name: 'Web3Auth DevRel Team',
    email: 'devrel@web3auth.io',
    aud: 'urn:api-web3auth-io', // -> to be used in Custom Authentication as JWT Field
    iss: 'https://web3auth.io', // -> to be used in Custom Authentication as JWT Field
    iat: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000),
    exp: Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000) + 60 * 60,
  },
  privateKey,
  { algorithm: 'RS256', keyid: '2ma4enu1kdvw5bo9xsfpi3gcjzrt6q78yl0h' }
)

console.log('\x1b[33m%s\x1b[0m', 'JWT Token:', idToken)

const result = await web3auth.connect({
  authConnectionId,
  idToken,
})
// focus-end
```

### Firebase authentication

```javascript
const { Web3Auth } = require('@web3auth/node-sdk')

// Dashboard Registration
const clientId =
  'BPi5PB_UiIZ-cPz1GtV5i1I2iOSOHuimiXBI0e-Oe_u6X3oVAbCiAZOTEBtTXw4tsluTITPqA8zMsfxIKMjiqNQ'

// focus-start
// Auth Connection
const authConnectionId = 'w3a-firebase-demo'
// focus-end

const web3auth = new Web3Auth({
  clientId,
  web3AuthNetwork: 'sapphire_mainnet',
})

await web3auth.init()

// focus-start
const app = initializeApp({
  apiKey: 'AIzaSyB0nd9YsPLu-tpdCrsXn8wgsWVAiYEpQ_E',
  authDomain: 'web3auth-oauth-logins.firebaseapp.com',
  projectId: 'web3auth-oauth-logins',
  storageBucket: 'web3auth-oauth-logins.appspot.com',
  messagingSenderId: '461819774167',
  appId: '1:461819774167:web:e74addfb6cc88f3b5b9c92',
})

const auth = getAuth(app)
const res = await signInWithEmailAndPassword(auth, 'custom+jwt@firebase.login', 'Testing@123')
console.log(res)
const idToken = await res.user.getIdToken(true)

console.log('\x1b[33m%s\x1b[0m', 'JWT Token:', idToken)

const result = await web3auth.connect({
  authConnectionId,
  idToken,
})
// focus-end
```