Managing OAuth Token Refresh and Storage

Introduction

Managing OAuth tokens securely is a critical concern in Flutter mobile development. When you integrate third-party APIs or implement your own authentication layer, you must not only obtain access and refresh tokens but also store them and refresh them automatically before they expire. In this tutorial, we’ll cover secure local storage, automated token refresh flows, error handling, and state management integration. You’ll walk away with production-ready patterns that work with Flutter’s secure storage plugins and popular state management solutions.

Securely Storing OAuth Tokens

Long-lived refresh tokens are highly sensitive. Storing them in plain text or shared preferences exposes them to extraction by malicious apps or device backups. Instead, use a secure enclave on iOS or Android’s Keystore backed by flutter_secure_storage.

Setup:

• Add flutter_secure_storage to pubspec.yaml.

• Initialize a SecureStorage instance.

Example:

final storage = FlutterSecureStorage();

// Save tokens
await storage.write(key: 'access_token', value: accessToken);
await storage.write(key: 'refresh_token', value: refreshToken);

// Read tokens
final token = await storage.read(key: 'access_token');

This plugin encrypts data at rest and isolates it per app. Never print tokens to console or expose them in logs. Wrap all storage calls in a repository class to centralize encryption logic and key management.

Automating Token Refresh

Access tokens often expire within minutes or hours. A refresh token allows you to request a new access token without prompting the user to log in again. Automate this in an HTTP client interceptor.

Using the http_interceptor package:

class OAuthInterceptor implements InterceptorContract {
  final SecureRepo repo;
  OAuthInterceptor(this.repo);

  @override
  Future<RequestData> interceptRequest(RequestData data) async {
    final token = await repo.getAccessToken();
    data.headers['Authorization'] = 'Bearer $token';
    return data;
  }

  @override
  Future<ResponseData> interceptResponse(ResponseData resp) async {
    if (resp.statusCode == 401) {
      final newToken = await repo.refreshAccessToken();
      repo.saveAccessToken(newToken);
      // Retry original request with new token
      final retry = await this.interceptRequest(resp.request!);
      return await HttpClient().send(retry.toBaseRequest());
    }
    return resp;
  }
}

In repo.refreshAccessToken(), call your OAuth provider’s token endpoint with the stored refresh_token. Handle HTTP errors and update both access and refresh tokens atomically.

Error Handling and Retry Strategies

A refresh request can fail due to network issues, invalid tokens, or server downtime. Implement exponential backoff and limit retries to avoid infinite loops.

Best practices:

• Categorize errors: 400–499 means credentials are invalid—force logout. 500–599 may be transient—retry.

• Use a Retry package or custom logic:

– Delay intervals: 1s, 2s, 4s, up to a max.

– Abort after a configurable number of attempts.

• Wrap retry logic in repo.refreshAccessToken():

– On success, clear any retry counters.

– On abort or invalid credentials, wipe tokens and redirect to login.

By centralizing error handling, you ensure a consistent user experience and avoid token mismatch states across your app.

Using Providers or BLoC to Expose Auth State

Your UI layer needs to react when tokens expire or become invalid. Integrate storage and refresh operations with your state management solution.

With Provider:

• Create an AuthService that exposes currentUser and isAuthenticated.

• AuthService listens for storage changes or refresh events and notifies listeners.

With BLoC:

• Define AuthEvent (Login, Logout, TokenRefreshed).

• On TokenRefreshed, emit Authenticated state.

• UI widgets subscribe to AuthBloc and rebuild when state changes.

UI example with Provider:

Consumer<AuthService>(builder: (_, auth, __) {
  if (!auth.isAuthenticated) return LoginScreen();
  return HomeScreen();
});

This approach decouples authentication from UI and ensures any token rotation triggers a state update, keeping your session logic robust and centralized.

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Conclusion

Managing OAuth tokens in Flutter involves secure storage, automated refresh workflows, resilient error handling, and tight integration with state management. By leveraging flutter_secure_storage for encryption, interceptors for token rotation, retry strategies for reliability, and Provider or BLoC for state updates, you can build a seamless and secure authentication experience in your mobile development projects.