Auth0 Migration

Auth0 Migration Guide

Migrate users and authentication flows from existing auth providers to Auth0.

Overview

When to Use This Skill

When NOT to Use

Migration Approaches

Step 0: Detect Existing Auth Provider

Check if the project already has authentication:

Search for common auth-related patterns in the codebase:

| Pattern | Indicates | |---------|-----------| | signInWithEmailAndPassword, onAuthStateChanged | Firebase Auth | | useUser, useSession, isSignedIn | Existing auth hooks | | passport.authenticate, LocalStrategy | Passport.js | | authorize, getAccessToken, oauth | OAuth/OIDC | | JWT, jwt.verify, jsonwebtoken | Token-based auth | | /api/auth/, /login, /callback | Auth routes |

If existing auth detected, ask:

> I detected existing authentication in your project. Are you: > 1. Migrating to Auth0 (replace existing auth) > 2. Adding Auth0 alongside (keep both temporarily) > 3. Starting fresh (remove old auth, new Auth0 setup)

Migration Workflow

Step 1: Export Existing Users

Export users from your current provider. See User Import Guide for detailed instructions:

Required data per user:

Step 2: Import Users to Auth0

Import users via Dashboard, CLI, or Management API.

Quick start:

# Via Auth0 CLI
auth0 api post "jobs/users-imports" \
  --data "connection_id=con_ABC123" \
  --data "users=@users.json"

For detailed instructions:

Step 3: Migrate Application Code

Update your application code to use Auth0 SDKs.

See Code Migration Patterns for detailed before/after examples:

Frontend:

Backend:

Provider-Specific:

After migrating code, use framework-specific skills:

Step 4: Update API JWT Validation

If your API validates JWTs, update to validate Auth0 tokens.

Key differences:

See JWT Validation Examples for:

Gradual Migration Strategy

For production applications with active users, use a phased approach:

Phase 1: Parallel Auth

Support both Auth0 and legacy provider simultaneously:

// Support both providers during migration
const getUser = async () => {
  // Try Auth0 first
  const auth0User = await getAuth0User();
  if (auth0User) return auth0User;
  // Fall back to legacy provider
  return await getLegacyUser();
};

Phase 2: New Users on Auth0

Phase 3: Forced Migration

Phase 4: Cleanup

Common Migration Issues

| Issue | Solution | |-------|----------| | Password hashes incompatible | Use Auth0 custom DB connection with lazy migration | | Social logins don't link | Configure same social connection, users auto-link by email | | Custom claims missing | Add claims via Auth0 Actions | | Token format different | Update API to validate RS256 JWTs with Auth0 issuer | | Session persistence | Auth0 uses rotating refresh tokens; update token storage | | Users must re-login | Expected for redirect-based auth; communicate to users |

Reference Documentation

User Import

Code Migration

Related Skills

Core Integration

SDK Skills

References