Hidayat Mahetar

HeadlessKey – JWT Auth extends the REST API to provide a robust and secure authentication system using JSON Web Tokens (JWT). Designed for Headless WordPress, it enables seamless user authentication, registration, and session management via standard REST endpoints.
<h3>Key Features</h3>
<ul>
<li>Standard JWT Authentication: Secure user authentication using industry-standard RFC 7519 tokens.</li>
<li>Multiple Algorithms: Support for <code>HS256</code>, <code>RS256</code>, and <code>ES256</code> signing algorithms.</li>
<li>Comprehensive Endpoints: Ready-to-use endpoints for Login, Register, Token Refresh, and Password Management.</li>
<li>Single Sign-On (SSO): Connect multiple sites with a secure, headers-based SSO exchange mechanism.</li>
<li>Role-Based Access Control (RBAC): Configure public or authenticated access for every endpoint.</li>
<li>Brute Force Protection: Protects against attacks by locking users/IPs after failed attempts.</li>
<li>Activity Logs: Detailed audit trail of all authentication events, including IP and device data.</li>
<li>Security Webhooks: Real-time JSON events sent to your external services for monitoring key actions.</li>
<li>Device Limits: Restrict the number of active devices/sessions per user.</li>
<li>Developer Friendly: Extensive hooks and filters for deep customization.</li>
</ul>
<h3>Configuration</h3>
<h3>Secret Key</h3>
The plugin uses a secret key to sign tokens. By default, a secure random key is generated. For better security and consistency across environments, define your key in <code>wp-config.php</code>:
<pre><code>define('headlesskey_SECRET_KEY', 'your-long-random-secure-string');
</code></pre>
You can generate a strong salt here: <a href="https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/" rel="nofollow ugc">WordPress Salt Generator</a>
<h3>CORS Support</h3>
Cross-Origin Resource Sharing (CORS) is enabled by default to allow frontend applications to connect. To disable or customize it via constant:
<pre><code>define('headlesskey_CORS', true); // or false to disable
</code></pre>
<h3>REST API Namespace</h3>
By default, endpoints are under <code>wp-json/wpauthapi/v1</code>. You can customize this namespace:
<pre><code>define('headlesskey_REST_NAMESPACE', 'my-custom-auth');
define('headlesskey_REST_VERSION', 'v2');<h3>Endpoints</h3>
</code></pre>
The plugin adds the following endpoints under the <code>/wp-json/headlesskey/v1</code> namespace:
 Endpoint 
 HTTP Verb 
 Description
 <code>/token</code> 
 POST 
 Login: Exchange username/password for a JWT.
 <code>/token/validate</code> 
 POST 
 Validate: Check if a token validity.
 <code>/token/refresh</code> 
 POST 
 Refresh: Exchange a valid token for a new one (rotation).
 <code>/token/revoke</code> 
 POST 
 Logout: Invalidate a specific token.
 <code>/register</code> 
 POST 
 Register: Create a new user account.
 <code>/login</code> 
 POST 
 Profile: Login and get full user profile data in one request.
 <code>/forgot-password</code> 
 POST 
 Recover: Request a password reset via Link or OTP.
 <code>/reset-password</code> 
 POST 
 Reset: Set a new password using a token or OTP.
 <code>/change-password</code> 
 POST 
 Update: Change password for authenticated user.
 <code>/sso/exchange</code> 
 POST 
 SSO: Exchange a remote site token for a local session.
<h3>1. Login (Generate Token)</h3>
Endpoint: <code>POST /wp-json/headlesskey/v1/token</code> 
Description: Authenticate a user and generate a JWT token.
Request: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "username": "admin", 
 "password": "secret-password" 
}</code>
Response: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9...", 
 "expiration": "2023-10-27T10:00:00+00:00", 
 "expires_in": 3600, 
 "user": { 
 "ID": 1, 
 "user_login": "admin", 
 "user_email": "admin@example.com", 
 "display_name": "Administrator", 
 "roles": ["administrator"] 
 }, 
 "refreshable": true, 
 "jti": "545086b9-450f-488b-a70d-3047d14d1101" 
}</code>
<h3>2. Validate Token</h3>
Endpoint: <code>POST /wp-json/headlesskey/v1/token/validate</code> 
Description: Validate if an existing token is valid.
Request: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..." 
}</code>
Response: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "valid": true, 
 "data": { 
 "iss": "https://example.com", 
 "iat": 1698393600, 
 "exp": 1698397200, 
 "data": { 
 "ID": 1, 
 "user_login": "admin" 
 } 
 } 
}</code>
<h3>3. Refresh Token</h3>
Endpoint: <code>POST /wp-json/headlesskey/v1/token/refresh</code> 
Description: Rotate an expiring token for a fresh one.
Request: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..." 
}</code>
Response: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.new...", 
 "expiration": "2023-10-27T11:00:00+00:00", 
 "user": { 
 "ID": 1, 
 "user_login": "admin" 
 }, 
 "jti": "new-uuid-v4" 
}</code>
<h3>4. Revoke Token (Logout)</h3>
Endpoint: <code>POST /wp-json/headlesskey/v1/token/revoke</code> 
Description: Invalidate a token immediately.
Request: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9..." 
}</code>
Response: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "message": "Token revoked successfully." 
}</code>
<h3>5. Register User</h3>
Endpoint: <code>POST /wp-json/headlesskey/v1/register</code> 
Description: Create a new user account.
Request: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "username": "johndoe", 
 "email": "john@example.com", 
 "password": "secure-password", 
 "name": "John Doe" 
}</code>
Response: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "user_id": 45, 
 "user": { 
 "ID": 45, 
 "user_login": "johndoe", 
 "user_email": "john@example.com", 
 "display_name": "John Doe", 
 "roles": ["subscriber"] 
 }, 
 "token_response": { 
 "token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOi...", 
 "expiration": "2023-10-27T10:00:00+00:00" 
 } 
}</code>
<h3>6. User Profile (Login Extended)</h3>
Endpoint: <code>POST /wp-json/headlesskey/v1/login</code> 
Description: Alternative login endpoint that returns cleaner profile structure.
Request: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "username": "admin", 
 "password": "secret-password" 
}</code>
Response: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "token": "eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9...", 
 "expiration": "2023-10-27T10:00:00+00:00", 
 "user": { 
 "ID": 1, 
 "user_login": "admin", 
 "user_email": "admin@example.com", 
 "display_name": "Administrator", 
 "roles": ["administrator"] 
 } 
}</code>
<h3>7. Forgot Password</h3>
Endpoint: <code>POST /wp-json/headlesskey/v1/forgot-password</code> 
Description: Initiate password recovery. Note: <code>delivery</code> can be <code>link</code> or <code>otp</code>.
Request: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "login": "admin@example.com", 
 "delivery": "link" 
}</code>
Response: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "message": "Password reset email sent." 
}</code>
<h3>8. Reset Password</h3>
Endpoint: <code>POST /wp-json/headlesskey/v1/reset-password</code> 
Description: Reset password using the token sent via email or OTP.
Request (Link method): 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "login": "admin@example.com", 
 "password": "new-secure-password", 
 "token": "generated-reset-key" 
}</code>
Response: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "message": "Password updated successfully." 
}</code>
<h3>9. Change Password</h3>
Endpoint: <code>POST /wp-json/headlesskey/v1/change-password</code> 
Description: Change password for currently authenticated user. Requires <code>Authorization</code> header.
Headers: 
 Authorization: Bearer 
Request: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "current_password": "old-password", 
 "new_password": "new-secure-password" 
}</code>
Response: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "message": "Password changed successfully. Please login again." 
}</code>
<h3>10. SSO Token Exchange</h3>
Endpoint: <code>POST /wp-json/headlesskey/v1/sso/exchange</code> 
Description: Securely exchange a token from a connected remote site for a local authentication session. This powers the distributed Single Sign-On network.
Request: 
 <code>json 
{ 
 "site_key": "remote-site-id", 
 "token": "remote-jwt-token", 
 "signature": "hmac-sha256-signature" 
}</code>
Response: 
Returns a standard Login response (Token + User Data) if the signature is valid.

HeadlessKey – JWT Auth

A complete authentication solution for Headless WordPress applications using JWT, supporting Registration, SSO, RBAC, and advanced Security features.

andrewheberle

This plugin allows sign in to WordPress using a JSON Web Token (JWT) contained in a HTTP Header that is added by a reverse proxy 
that sits in front of your WordPress deployment.
Authentication and optionally role assignment is handled by claims contained in the JWT.
Verification of the JWT is handled by either:
<ul>
<li>a shared secret key</li>
<li>retrieving a JSON Web Key Set (JWKS) from a configured URL</li>
</ul>
During the login process if the user does not exist an account will be created with a matching role from the JWT.
If the JWT did not contain a role claim then user is created with the role set in the plugin settings (by default this is the subscriber role).

AH JWT Auth

This plugin allows sign in to WordPress using a JSON Web Token (JWT) contained in a HTTP Header.

HeadlessKey – JWT Auth vs AH JWT Auth