Unable to Retrieve CSRF Token via /api/config Using express.sid After Keycloak Login

[balu@community.nodebb.org]

Hi,
I have a question regarding the express.sid cookie:

After login, the express.sid is generated and stored in the cookies.

I tried using this session ID to fetch the CSRF token by calling /api/config, but it doesn’t seem to work for me.

My goal is:

Successfully retrieve a valid CSRF token.

Use it to create topics or posts via the Write API.

Ensure that once I have this token and session, I can access all the required NodeBB APIs.

Could you please clarify the correct approach to:

Retrieve and use the CSRF token with the express.sid?

Authenticate API requests (like creating topics or posts) when using Keycloak for login instead of NodeBB’s built-in login?

Any guidance or best practices for this integration would be greatly appreciated.

app.post('/api/login', async (req, res) => {
try {
const { username, password } = req.body || {}
if (!username || !password) {
return res.status(400).json({ error: 'Missing username or password' })
}
// 1) Login against Keycloak (Direct Access Grant)
const tokenResponse = await fetchKeycloakTokens({ username, password });

// 2) Get user profile to build NodeBB payload
const userinfo = await fetchUserInfo({ accessToken: tokenResponse.access_token });

// 3) Build session-sharing JWT for NodeBB
// Minimal fields: id (unique), username, email
const nodebbPayload = {
    id: userinfo.sub || userinfo.preferred_username || username,
    username: userinfo.preferred_username || username,
    email: userinfo.email || undefined,
    fullname: userinfo.name || undefined,
};
if (!SESSION_SHARING_JWT_SECRET) {
    return res.status(500).json({ error: 'Server not configured: SESSION_SHARING_JWT_SECRET missing' });
}
const signed = await jwt.sign(nodebbPayload, SESSION_SHARING_JWT_SECRET, { expiresIn: '1h' });

 const loginRes = await axios.post('http://localhost:4567/api/v3/utilities/login', {
    username,
    password
}, {
    headers: {
        "Content-Type": "application/json",
        "Authorization": `Bearer ${signed}`, // pass your Bearer token here
    },
    withCredentials: true
});

console.log(loginRes, "LOGIN RESPONSE");
// 4) Set cookie for NodeBB domain so it can pick it up
const response = await axios.get('http://192.168.60.108:4567/api/config', { withCredentials: true });
const newToken = response?.data?.csrf_token;

const cookieOptions = {
    httpOnly: true,
    secure: false,
    sameSite: 'none',
    path: '/',
    maxAge: 8 * 60 * 60 * 10000,
    domain: '192.168.60.108'
}

res.cookie("token", signed, cookieOptions);
res.cookie('csrf_token', newToken, cookieOptions);

return res.json({ success: true, message: "login successfully", redirect: NODEBB_BASE_URL, keycloakAccessToken: tokenResponse.access_token });

} catch (err) {
// eslint-disable-next-line no-console
console.error('Login error:', err?.response?.data || err?.message || err);
const status = err?.response?.status || 500
const message = err?.response?.data?.error_description || err?.response?.data?.error || err?.message || 'Unexpected error';
return res.status(status).json({ success: false, error: message });
}

});
In the /api/login API, I called the /api/config API, but when I check the /api/config API in Postman using the express.sid generated after login, it never returns the response for that specific user.

Thanks in advance!

[henrycharles@community.nodebb.org]

You’ll need both the session cookie and its matching CSRF token. Log in so NodeBB sets the cookie, then call /api/config with it to get the token. With Keycloak, it’s best to use the session-sharing plugin and JWT so NodeBB handles sessions and CSRF for you.

[balu@community.nodebb.org]

HenryCharles Thank you. I’m using the session-sharing plugin, but I’m facing an issue. After logging in with SSO, I call NodeBB APIs directly (not the UI). The express.sid is generated, and I use that express.sid to get the CSRF token. However, when I call the /api/config API, the response always gives uid: 0 instead of the logged-in user’s UID.

[julian@community.nodebb.org]

balu hey, sorry for the delay, can you post a cURL call to the /api/config endpoint with the cookie?

I know you posted a code sample (via DM) but the reason I ask for a cURL call is that it is the most straightforward way to test the call and often eliminates errors in header values, etc.

[balu@community.nodebb.org]

julian Thank you for your reply, I am DM my question.

[julian@community.nodebb.org]

balu please continue the conversation here so others may contribute

[balu@community.nodebb.org]

Thanks julian for your reply, and sorry for my poor communication earlier. My main issue is that I’m using SSO with Cognito. After a successful login, I call the /api/config API using the generated express.sid, but the response always returns uid: 0. My question is: how is the express.sid generated? I’m using React.js for the frontend, not the default NodeBB UI.

[julian@community.nodebb.org]

balu the cookie is generated by the express-cookie package.

If you're receiving uid 0 it means the cookie isn't being passed in correctly.