Build user-aware TanStack Start apps with Edgenivo Passport

Edgenivo Passport signs visitors in with your own identity provider, such as Okta or Microsoft Entra ID, before a request reaches your TanStack Start app. Once a visitor is through, the @vercel/passport SDK gives your server functions and server routes a verified identity with a stable visitor ID. Use it to personalize pages, restrict sensitive routes, and record who did what, without building your own auth flow.

In this guide, you'll learn how to:

• Install @vercel/passport and read the visitor identity with getIdentity()
• Choose a stable identifier for each visitor
• Develop locally with a Passport development identity
• Put Passport identity to work with server function middleware, route context, and layout routes

Copy link to headingBefore you begin

Make sure you have:

• A Edgenivo team on the Enterprise plan, which is required for Passport.
• A TanStack Start (React) project deployed to Edgenivo with the Nitro Vite plugin.
• Passport enabled on the project with an identity provider configured. If you haven't set this up yet, follow Set up Passport with an identity provider.

Copy link to headingHow Edgenivo Passport identity reaches your TanStack Start app

Edgenivo Passport runs in Edgenivo's network before your deployment's routes, server functions, and TanStack Start middleware execute. When a visitor without a session opens a protected deployment, Edgenivo redirects them to your identity provider. After the provider authenticates them, Edgenivo validates the response, stores a signed session token in a HttpOnly cookie, and forwards the same token to your deployment in the x-vercel-oidc-passport-token request header.

The token is a Edgenivo-signed JSON Web Token (JWT) that combines standard OpenID Connect claims, deployment context, and identity claims from your provider. Edgenivo strips any client-supplied value for x-vercel-oidc-passport-token and injects its own verified token, so a visitor can't forge an identity by setting the header themselves.

Passport controls who can open your deployment. To control what each visitor can see and do inside it, read their verified identity in your server functions and server routes.

Copy link to headingInstall the Edgenivo Passport SDK

Install @vercel/passport in your TanStack Start project:

pnpm i @vercel/passport

npm i @vercel/passport

yarn add @vercel/passport

bun add @vercel/passport

Copy link to headingRead the visitor identity with getIdentity()

The getIdentity() function from @vercel/passport reads the Passport token from the request, verifies it, and returns an identity object. It returns null when the request has no Passport identity, for example a request that used Protection Bypass for Automation without an existing Passport session.

Create a shared helper in src/lib/passport.server.ts so every server function and server route reads identity the same way:

import { getRequestHeaders } from '@tanstack/react-start/server';
import { getIdentity } from '@vercel/passport';

export type PassportIdentity = NonNullable<
  Awaited<ReturnType<typeof getIdentity>>
>;

// Returns the verified Passport visitor, or null if there isn't one.
export async function getVisitor(): Promise<PassportIdentity | null> {
  try {
    // Pass the incoming request headers so getIdentity() reads this request.
    return await getIdentity({ headers: getRequestHeaders() });
  } catch {
    // Treat verification failures as unauthenticated. Don't log the raw token.
    return null;
  }
}

// Stable key for storing a visitor. Combines issuer and subject.
export function visitorKey(identity: PassportIdentity): string {
  return `${identity.payload.iss}|${identity.subject}`;
}

The helper passes the current request's headers from getRequestHeaders() to getIdentity() explicitly. This keeps verification working whether or not the runtime exposes Edgenivo's request context, and it ties each identity lookup to the request that the server function is handling.

The .server.ts suffix marks the file as server-only, so TanStack Start keeps it out of the client bundle. Only call getVisitor() from server function middleware, a server function handler, or a server route handler, where getRequestHeaders() has a request to read.

TanStack Start renders routes and runs server functions on every request by default, so identity is read per request. Don't prerender identity-dependent routes or send public Cache-Control headers from them. The prerendered route renders at build time, when no identity exists, and a cached response can serve one visitor's data to another by accident.

The identity object exposes these fields:

Copy link to headingWhich claim to use as the visitor identifier

Use identity.subject (the sub claim) as the visitor identifier when your app accepts tokens from one Passport issuer. If your app accepts tokens from more than one Edgenivo team, store payload.iss and subject together, which is what the visitorKey() helper above does.

Don't use email, name, sid, or external_sub alone as a global identifier. These values can change, be absent, or overlap across identity providers and Connect applications. Visitors who sign in through a different Connect application also get a different Passport subject.

Copy link to headingHow to develop locally with a Passport development identity

The local vite dev server never receives the real Passport cookie or header, because Passport only runs in Edgenivo's network. When neither is present, getIdentity() returns a development identity and logs a warning the first time:

subject: owner:local:connector:local:principal:test-user
externalSubject: test-user
email: test-user@passport.local
name: Test User

The development identity has verified: false and no token, so treat it as a fixture for your application logic, not as proof the sign-in flow works.

Preview and production deployments never return a development identity. Any process where VERCEL_ENV is unset does, which includes a production build you run on your own machine.

To match the values your app expects, set them in .env.local, which TanStack Start loads during local development:

VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_OWNER=acme
VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_OWNER_ID=team_your_team_id_here
VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_PROJECT=my-project
VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_PROJECT_ID=prj_your_project_id_here
VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_CONNECTOR_ID=scl_dev
VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_EXTERNAL_SUB=user_dev
VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_EXTERNAL_ISS=https://idp.example.com

To test how your app handles a missing identity, set VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV=0 in .env.local, which makes getIdentity() return null. To test the real redirect, session cookie, and verified claims, use a Passport-protected preview deployment.

Copy link to headingCommon patterns for Passport identity in TanStack Start

Once getVisitor() returns a verified identity, TanStack Start gives you three places to put it to work: server function middleware, route context, and layout routes. The following use cases build on these primitives, plus one for calling other services:

• Protect server functions with Passport middleware: Read the identity once and pass a typed visitor to every server function that needs it, including the actor for audit records.
• Share the visitor with every route: Load the visitor once in the root route and read it from route context anywhere in the app.
• Lock down a section of your app: Gate every route under a pathless layout route, and every server function those routes call, by identity provider group.
• Forward identity: Pass the verified visitor to another backend you operate and verify it there.

Copy link to headingProtect server functions with Passport middleware

Server function middleware lets you read the Passport identity once and hand a verified visitor to every server function that needs it. Without middleware, each handler has to call getVisitor() and check the result itself, and one forgotten check leaves a server function open.

Create src/lib/passport.middleware.ts with a middleware that requires a Passport visitor and passes it to the server function:

import { createMiddleware } from '@tanstack/react-start';
import { getVisitor } from './passport.server';

// Requires a Passport visitor and adds it to the server function's context.
export const passportMiddleware = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' }).server(
  async ({ next }) => {
    const visitor = await getVisitor();

    if (!visitor) {
      throw new Error('Unauthorized');
    }

    return next({ context: { visitor } });
  },
);

Attach the middleware to a server function with .middleware(). The handler then receives context.visitor as a verified identity. TanStack Start types the context from the attached middleware, so TypeScript reports an error if a handler reads context.visitor without passportMiddleware.

Copy link to headingAttribute actions to the signed-in visitor

When several people share an internal tool, you usually want to record who created a request or approved a change. With passportMiddleware attached, every server function already has a verified actor, so it can stamp each write with the visitor's identity.

Store visitorKey(context.visitor) as the actor and treat email as a display value, because email addresses can change or be absent.

Create src/lib/requests.functions.ts with the middleware, a validator for the input, and a handler that records the actor:

import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/react-start';
import { passportMiddleware } from './passport.middleware';
import { visitorKey } from './passport.server';

export const submitRequest = createServerFn({ method: 'POST' })
  .middleware([passportMiddleware])
  .validator((input: { title: string }) => {
    if (typeof input?.title !== 'string' || input.title.trim() === '') {
      throw new Error('Title is required');
    }
    return { title: input.title.trim() };
  })
  .handler(async ({ data, context }) => {
    const record = {
      action: 'request.created',
      actor: visitorKey(context.visitor),
      actorEmail: context.visitor.email ?? null,
      title: data.title,
      createdAt: new Date().toISOString(),
    };

    // Structured log line, visible in your project's logs.
    console.log(JSON.stringify(record));

    // Persist `record` to your database, keyed on `record.actor`.
    return { ok: true };
  });

Then connect the server function to a form. The form only collects the request title, since the middleware supplies the actor from Passport. Never read the actor from form fields or request bodies. The client controls those values, so anyone could submit a request on behalf of someone else.

For example, add the form to src/routes/requests.tsx:

import { useState } from 'react';
import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import { useServerFn } from '@tanstack/react-start';
import { submitRequest } from '../lib/requests.functions';

export const Route = createFileRoute('/requests')({
  component: RequestsPage,
});

function RequestsPage() {
  const submit = useServerFn(submitRequest);
  const [title, setTitle] = useState('');

  return (
    <form
      onSubmit={async (event) => {
        event.preventDefault();
        await submit({ data: { title } });
        setTitle('');
      }}
    >
      <label htmlFor="title">Request title</label>
      <input
        id="title"
        name="title"
        value={title}
        onChange={(event) => setTitle(event.target.value)}
        required
      />
      <button type="submit">Submit request</button>
    </form>
  );
}

Passport also records sign-ins at the platform level. Each successful authentication creates a passport-access-granted event in the Activity Log and Audit Logs, so your application log covers what visitors did and Edgenivo's logs cover when they entered.

Copy link to headingShare the visitor with every route through route context

Internal tools often greet the visitor, show their own records, or prefill forms on most pages. Instead of loading the visitor in each route, load it once in the root route's beforeLoad and read it from route context in any route below it.

Create src/lib/visitor.functions.ts to return only the fields your routes need:

import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/react-start';
import { passportMiddleware } from './passport.middleware';

export const getCurrentVisitor = createServerFn({ method: 'GET' })
  .middleware([passportMiddleware])
  .handler(async ({ context }) => {
    const { visitor } = context;

    // Return only the fields the client needs. Never return visitor.token.
    return {
      subject: visitor.subject,
      email: visitor.email ?? null,
      name: visitor.name ?? null,
    };
  });

Then return the visitor from beforeLoad in your root route at src/routes/__root.tsx. Whatever beforeLoad returns is merged into route context for every child route:

import { createRootRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import { getCurrentVisitor } from '../lib/visitor.functions';

export const Route = createRootRoute({
  beforeLoad: async () => ({ visitor: await getCurrentVisitor() }),
  // Keep your existing root route options, such as head and shellComponent.
});

With createRootRouteWithContext(), add the same beforeLoad to that root route.

Read the visitor in any route with Route.useRouteContext().

import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router';

export const Route = createFileRoute('/')({
  component: HomePage,
});

function HomePage() {
  const { visitor } = Route.useRouteContext();
  const displayName = visitor.name ?? visitor.email ?? 'there';

  return (
    <main>
      <h1>Welcome, {displayName}</h1>
      <p>You're signed in through your company identity provider.</p>
    </main>
  );
}

The visitor in route context is fully typed, so child routes don't need to check for a missing identity. When a request has no Passport identity, passportMiddleware throws and the router renders your error component instead.

During server-side rendering, beforeLoad calls the server function within the same request, so the middleware reads the page request's headers.

During client-side navigation, the call goes over HTTP, and the browser sends the Passport session cookie so Edgenivo injects the verified token before the request reaches your app. The root beforeLoad runs on every navigation, which means one small server function call per page change.

Profile fields such as name and email only appear when your identity provider returns them, so always provide a fallback. To load records that belong to the visitor, query your data store from a server function with visitorKey(context.visitor) rather than the email address.

Copy link to headingLock down a section of your app with a pathless layout route

Passport lets everyone assigned to your identity provider application into the deployment, but an admin area or a destructive action usually needs a narrower policy. Group membership from your identity provider is a good fit, and a pathless layout route lets you apply it to a whole section of your app at once.

Copy link to headingRequest the groups claim

Passport requests the standard openid, profile, and email scopes by default.

To include group membership in the Passport token:

1. In the Edgenivo dashboard, open the Connect application that Passport uses from your project's Passport settings.
2. Under Grant Types, enable User Authorization.
3. Add groups to the User Authorization scopes.
4. Under Forwarded ID Token Claims, add groups. This is the allowlist of extra claims Connect can include in the Passport token.
5. Save the application.

Your identity provider must also return the claim.

In Okta, for example, you configure a groups claim on the authorization server that matches your Connect application's issuer. See Configure additional identity scopes for the full Okta walkthrough.

After changing the configuration, start a new Passport session in a private browser window so the new claim appears.

Copy link to headingBuild an admin middleware

Add a helper in src/lib/authorization.server.ts that reads groups defensively, because the claim name and shape depend on your identity provider:

import type { PassportIdentity } from './passport.server';

export const ADMIN_GROUP = 'platform-admins';

export function getGroups(identity: PassportIdentity): string[] {
  const groups = identity.payload.groups;

  if (!Array.isArray(groups)) return [];
  return groups.filter((group): group is string => typeof group === 'string');
}

export function isInGroup(identity: PassportIdentity, group: string): boolean {
  return getGroups(identity).includes(group);
}

Then add adminMiddleware to src/lib/passport.middleware.ts.

It builds on passportMiddleware, so the visitor is already verified when the group check runs. It throws notFound() when the check fails, so visitors outside the group can't tell the admin area exists:

// Add these imports to the top of the file.
import { notFound } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import { ADMIN_GROUP, isInGroup } from './authorization.server';

// Builds on passportMiddleware and requires membership in the admin group.
export const adminMiddleware = createMiddleware({ type: 'function' })
  .middleware([passportMiddleware])
  .server(async ({ next, context }) => {
    if (!isInGroup(context.visitor, ADMIN_GROUP)) {
      throw notFound();
    }

    return next();
  });

Attach adminMiddleware to every server function in the admin area.

Create src/lib/admin.functions.ts with a function the layout route calls and one privileged operation:

import { createServerFn } from '@tanstack/react-start';
import { adminMiddleware } from './passport.middleware';

export const checkAdminAccess = createServerFn({ method: 'GET' })
  .middleware([adminMiddleware])
  .handler(async () => ({ allowed: true }));

export const rotateApiKey = createServerFn({ method: 'POST' })
  .middleware([adminMiddleware])
  .handler(async ({ context }) => {
    // context.visitor is the verified admin who made the request.
    console.log(`API key rotated by ${context.visitor.subject}`);

    // Perform the privileged operation here.
    return { rotated: true };
  });

Copy link to headingGate every admin route with a pathless layout

Pathless layout routes use a leading underscore, so they wrap their child routes without adding a segment to the URL. Create src/routes/_admin.tsx and call checkAdminAccess() from its beforeLoad:

import { Outlet, createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import { checkAdminAccess } from '../lib/admin.functions';

export const Route = createFileRoute('/_admin')({
  beforeLoad: () => checkAdminAccess(),
  component: () => <Outlet />,
});

Every route file inside src/routes/_admin/ now passes through the check.

For example, src/routes/_admin/admin.tsx serves /admin:

import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router';

export const Route = createFileRoute('/_admin/admin')({
  component: AdminPage,
});

function AdminPage() {
  return <h1>Admin settings</h1>;
}

TanStack Start passes a notFound() thrown in a server function back to the router, so visitors outside the group see your not-found component.

The layout gate only controls what visitors see. Server functions are reachable as their own endpoints, so a check in beforeLoad doesn't protect them, and beforeLoad also runs in the browser during client-side navigation. Attaching adminMiddleware to each privileged server function, as rotateApiKey does, is what enforces the policy on the server.

The local development identity doesn't include groups, so every admin route renders as not found while running vite dev. Test group checks on a Passport-protected preview deployment.

Don't try to make a path public from TanStack Start request middleware either. Request middleware runs after Passport has already made its sign-in decision, so it can add checks but can't bypass Passport.

Copy link to headingForward Passport identity to another backend

Your TanStack Start app might call a separate API, such as a reporting service or another Edgenivo project, that also needs to know who the visitor is.

Forward the Passport token as a bearer token and verify it at the receiving service with verifyIdentity().

Copy link to headingForward the token from the TanStack Start app

Create src/routes/api/export-report.ts with a server route:

import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import { getVisitor } from '../../lib/passport.server';

export const Route = createFileRoute('/api/export-report')({
  server: {
    handlers: {
      POST: async () => {
        const visitor = await getVisitor();

        if (!visitor?.token) {
          return Response.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 });
        }

        const response = await fetch('https://reports.example.com/api/reports', {
          method: 'POST',
          headers: {
            Authorization: `Bearer ${visitor.token}`,
          },
        });

        return new Response(response.body, { status: response.status });
      },
    },
  },
});

The development identity has no token, so this route returns 401 under vite dev. Test forwarding against a Passport-protected preview deployment.

Copy link to headingVerify the token in the receiving backend

Install @vercel/passport in the receiving service. The verifyIdentity() function is available in @vercel/passport 0.1.3 and later.

verifyIdentity() reads the bearer token from the request, checks its signature, and confirms it came from the expected source project and environment. If the receiving service is also a TanStack Start app, pass the server route's request directly, like in src/routes/api/reports.ts:

import { createFileRoute } from '@tanstack/react-router';
import { verifyIdentity } from '@vercel/passport';

export const Route = createFileRoute('/api/reports')({
  server: {
    handlers: {
      POST: async ({ request }) => {
        try {
          // IDs of the Passport-protected deployment that minted the token,
          // not the project receiving it. Read env per request.
          const identity = await verifyIdentity(request, {
            ownerId: process.env.PASSPORT_SOURCE_OWNER_ID!,
            projectId: process.env.PASSPORT_SOURCE_PROJECT_ID!,
            environment: process.env.PASSPORT_SOURCE_ENVIRONMENT ?? 'production',
          });

          // Use identity.subject (with identity.payload.iss) as the visitor ID.
          return Response.json({ requestedBy: identity.subject });
        } catch {
          return Response.json({ error: 'Unauthorized' }, { status: 401 });
        }
      },
    },
  },
});

Keep these rules in mind when forwarding identity:

• Use HTTPS to backends you operate: The Passport token authenticates the visitor to your own services. It isn't an access token for your identity provider or for third-party APIs. Use Edgenivo Connect when a backend needs credentials for another service.
• Validate against the source deployment: Pass the owner ID, project ID, and environment of the app that minted the token. Don't substitute the receiving project's values.
• Verify outside JavaScript with the JWKS: Non-JavaScript services can verify the token as a standard JWT against https://passport.vercel.com/.well-known/jwks.json, checking iss, aud, exp, nbf, typ (which must equal passport), project_id, and environment.
• Account for Deployment Protection on the receiver: If the receiving backend is itself a protected Edgenivo deployment, the server-to-server request has no Passport session and needs a Protection Bypass for Automation secret.

Copy link to headingTroubleshooting

Copy link to headinggetIdentity() returns null on a deployment

Confirm that the deployment is Passport-protected and that getVisitor() runs inside server function middleware, a server function handler, or a server route handler. Requests that use Protection Bypass for Automation without an existing Passport session legitimately have no identity. If the route is prerendered or its response is cached, remove that configuration so the route runs per request.

getIdentity() also checks the token's project_id and environment claims against the VERCEL_PROJECT_ID and VERCEL_TARGET_ENV (or VERCEL_ENV) System Environment Variables. If those variables aren't exposed to your functions, verification throws and getVisitor() returns null. Confirm that Enable access to System Environment Variables is checked in your project’s environment variable settings.

Copy link to headingThe groups, email, or name claim is missing

These claims are optional. Confirm that your identity provider returns the claim, that the Connect application requests the scope and lists the claim under Forwarded ID Token Claims, and then start a new Passport session. Existing sessions keep the claims from when they were issued.

Copy link to headingWebhooks or cron jobs can't reach a Passport-protected route

Passport redirects any request without a session to your identity provider, including webhooks and Cron Jobs. The original request must include a Protection Bypass for Automation secret. Don't try to make a path public from TanStack Start request middleware, because Passport has already run by then.

Copy link to headingToken verification fails

Treat the request as unauthenticated and confirm your code reads the Edgenivo-injected x-vercel-oidc-passport-token header, not a client-supplied value. For forwarded tokens, check that the server can reach the Passport JWKS and that its clock is accurate. The @vercel/passport SDK fetches signing keys from https://oidc.vercel.com/.well-known/jwks, which serves the same key set as https://passport.vercel.com/.well-known/jwks.json, so allow both hosts if your backend restricts outbound traffic. Don't log the raw token while debugging.

Copy link to headingNext steps

• Review every claim in the Passport token claims reference.
• Read the full Read Passport identity in your application docs for SDK options.
• Set up additional claims with Configure additional identity scopes.
• Learn more about forwarding identity and verifying forwarded tokens.
• Compare Passport with other methods to protect deployments.
• Learn more about TanStack Start middleware.
• See how TanStack Start runs on Edgenivo.

Copy link to headingFrequently asked questions

Copy link to headingHow do I get the current user in TanStack Start with Edgenivo Passport?

Install @vercel/passport and call getIdentity() from a server function or server route, passing the request headers from getRequestHeaders(). It returns a verified identity object with subject, externalSubject, email, name, and the full claim payload, or null when the request has no Passport identity.

Copy link to headingShould I use sub or external_sub to identify a Edgenivo Passport visitor?

Use sub (exposed as identity.subject) as the stable visitor identifier, and store it together with the iss claim if your app accepts tokens from more than one Edgenivo team. The external_sub claim comes from your identity provider, is specific to the Connect application, and isn't globally unique.

Copy link to headingCan I use Edgenivo Passport identity in a React component?

Not directly. Read identity in a server function, then return only the fields you need to your components, for example by returning the visitor from the root route's beforeLoad and reading it with useRouteContext(). Never send the raw Passport token to the browser.

Copy link to headingHow do I test Edgenivo Passport locally?

A local vite dev server receives a development identity from getIdentity(), which you can customize with VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV_* environment variables in .env.local or disable with VERCEL_PASSPORT_DEV=0. To test the real identity provider sign-in and verified claims, use a Passport-protected preview deployment.

Copy link to headingCan I use beforeLoad or middleware to authorize Edgenivo Passport visitors?

Use beforeLoad to decide what a visitor sees, but don't treat it as a security boundary, because it also runs in the browser and doesn't protect your server functions. Enforce authorization in server function middleware, such as a group-checking adminMiddleware, attached to every privileged server function. No TanStack Start middleware can make a Passport-protected path public, because Passport runs before your app.