Bridging Web2 and Web3: Simplifying Platform Authentication with Dynamic.xyz

Introduction

Blockchain technology's advent has catalyzed the emergence of decentralized applications (DApps), offering heightened levels of security, privacy, and control to users. This article explores the mechanics of On-Chain (Metamask, Rainbow, Coinbasewallet) and Off-Chain (Facebook, Google) platforms for authentication via dynamic.xyz, a robust platform for streamlined user onboarding.

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Table of Contents

• Getting to Know dynamic.xyz
• The SDK Suite
• Building a login/logout application using dynamic.xyz
• Connecting to the dynamic.xyz dashboard
• Wrapping Up

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Getting to know dynamic.xyz

Dynamic.xyz offers robust authentication and authorization solutions. They provide an exceptionally user-friendly onboarding process and highly flexible, fully functional developer tools. Additionally, their interactive dashboard is fully customizable to align with the specific UI/UX experience users aim to achieve.

One of their most groundbreaking features is the seamless integration of multiple wallets. Surprisingly, implementing this feature is extremely straightforward, requiring no manual coding. I'll delve into this in a bit.

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The SDK Suite

• Dynamic is compatible with React (v17 and upward) and NextJS (v12 and upward).
• For its SDK, Dynamic utilizes either Ethers or Web3.js libraries to interact with Ethereum blockchain. - Ethers.js has surpassed Web3.js as the primary library for establishing connections between decentralized applications (DApps) and smart contracts on EVM blockchains.

npm install @dynamic-labs/sdk-react


• All-Chains SDK (Complete) vs Modular SDK: The All-Chains SDK, @dynamic-labs/sdk-react, provides a comprehensive package with all features and wallet support. Nevertheless, if your aim is to minimize the bundle size by removing any redundant libraries from our SDK, you now have the option to select and use a specific set of new packages that cater to your preferences.

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Building a login/logout application using dynamic.xyz

Here, I will guide you through the process of building a sample project using the dynamic.xyz SDK. Additionally, I will share my thought process and insights regarding its implementation.

Pre-requisites:

Ensure you have the following before proceeding:

Environmental_Id: Acquire this post sign-up on the developer page. navigate to the Developer Dashboard to obtain your environmental_id.

First step
Initiate a React App

npx create-react-app dynamicxyz-demo-app
cd dynamicxyz-demo-app
npm start

Second step

npm install @dynamic-labs/sdk-react

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Third step
Initialize the SDK in your Project

The DynamicContextProvider component serves to initialize the SDK and provide accessibility throughout the application. To ensure widespread access to Dynamic, it's advisable to position this component as high in the component tree as feasible.

The EnvironmentId is what you obtain from your Developer Dashboard as I mentioned earlier. The environment ID is required to identify your Sandbox or Live settings.

Index.js

/...
import { DynamicContextProvider} from "@dynamic-labs/sdk-react";


const root = ReactDOM.createRoot(document.getElementById("root"));
root.render(
  <DynamicContextProvider
    settings={{
      environmentId: "Your environmentID",
    }}
  >
    <App/>
  </DynamicContextProvider>
);

export default App;

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• useDynamicContext A Dynamic React Context set via DynamicContextProvider.
• setShowAuthFlow Triggers the user's signature request.
• user Holds data regarding the authenticated person

App.js

.../
import { useDynamicContext } from "@dynamic-labs/sdk-react";

function App() {
  const { setShowAuthFlow, user, handleLogOut } = useDynamicContext();
  if (!user) {
    return <Login setShowAuthFlow={setShowAuthFlow} />;
  }
  return <Dashboard user={user} handleLogOut={handleLogOut} />;
}

export default App;

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Flexibility of Logging in
dynamic.xyz provides a variety of login functionality which is easy to setup in your Developer Dashboard.

Login.js

.../

export default function Login({ setShowAuthFlow }) {
  return (
    <>
      <button onClick={() => setShowAuthFlow(true)}>
       Connect Wallet
      </button>
    </>
  );
}

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Fourth step
Logout Functionality

• handleLogOut: Logs out the current user.
• user.verifiedCredentials[0].address: Retrieves the user's wallet address.
• user.email: Displays the user's email if logged in with email instead of a wallet.

Dashboard.js

.../

export default function Dashboard({ user, handleLogOut }) {
  return (
    <div>
      <h1>Welcome !!!</h1>
      <p>
        {user.verifiedCredentials[0].address || user.email}
      </p>
      <div>
        <button
          onClick={handleLogOut}
        >
          Logout
        </button>
      </div>
    </div>
  );
}

Fifth step

Great job!!! You have successfully set up your first application with dynamic.xyz

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At this point, it should look like this when you click on the connect Wallet button:

Connecting to the Dynamic Dashboard

Logging into the Dashboard
The Dynamic Developer Dashboard is developed using this same SDK, this offers over 320 wallets, or email for Login or Sign up.

Sign in with Email or Social
Enable Email/Social Signup: navigate to the Developer Dashboard Configurations, and click on the Sign in with Email or Socials section:

Click on the Enable Email/Social Sign up(No wallet), this feature is for users that doesn't have a wallet.

Enable Email/Social Sign up + Magic.link:

You will need to setup Magic.link to enable the social media authentication with Dynamic.
Once you have logged in to Magic.link, navigate to your Dedicated wallet, and obtain two credentials being the PUBLISHABLE_API_KEY and the SECRET_KEY

Once you have obtained both keys, input them in the Dynamic Developer Dashboard:

After adding the extra features from your dashboard it should look like this:

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Wrapping up

In conclusion, the rapid evolution of blockchain technology has opened up exciting possibilities for transformative applications like those facilitated by Dynamic. By seamlessly integrating blockchain capabilities through their powerful SDK, developers can unlock a new realm of potential for their applications. The versatility offered by Dynamic, supporting popular frameworks like React and NextJS, as well as the option to choose between Ethers and Viem libraries, equips developers with the tools they need to tailor solutions to their precise needs.

In this article, we've provided a step-by-step guide to building a simple DApp using Dynamic. From initializing the SDK and integrating it into your project to connecting to the Dynamic Dashboard, you now possess the knowledge to embark on your web3-focused development journey.

Happy coding and innovating! 🚀

Source Code:
View the code and contribute to this project on GitHub.

Connect with me on Twitter for more updates and discussions.

Comments

[Emeka Orji]

Interesting!
You make it look easy, as there is little knowledge of web3 authing out there. Definitely trying this out soon..