Authenticate with Firebase on Android Using a Custom Authentication System
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You can integrateFirebase Authenticationwith a custom authentication system by
modifying your authentication server to produce custom signed tokens when a user
successfully signs in. Your app receives this token and uses it to authenticate
with Firebase.
In yourmodule (app-level) Gradle file(usually<project>/<app-module>/build.gradle.ktsor<project>/<app-module>/build.gradle),
add the dependency for theFirebase Authenticationlibrary for Android. We recommend using theFirebase Android BoMto control library versioning.
dependencies{// Import theBoMfor the Firebase platformimplementation(platform("com.google.firebase:firebase-bom:34.2.0"))// Add the dependency for theFirebase Authenticationlibrary// When using theBoM, you don't specify versions in Firebase library dependenciesimplementation("com.google.firebase:firebase-auth")}
By using theFirebase Android BoM,
your app will always use compatible versions of Firebase Android libraries.
(Alternative)
Add Firebase library dependencies without using theBoM
If you choose not to use theFirebase BoM, you must specify each Firebase library version
in its dependency line.
Note that if you usemultipleFirebase libraries in your app, we strongly
recommend using theBoMto manage library versions, which ensures that all versions are
compatible.
dependencies{// Add the dependency for theFirebase Authenticationlibrary// When NOT using theBoM, you must specify versions in Firebase library dependenciesimplementation("com.google.firebase:firebase-auth:24.0.1")}
When initializing your Activity, check to see if the user is currently signed in:
Kotlin
publicoverridefunonStart(){super.onStart()// Check if user is signed in (non-null) and update UI accordingly.valcurrentUser=auth.currentUserupdateUI(currentUser)}
@OverridepublicvoidonStart(){super.onStart();// Check if user is signed in (non-null) and update UI accordingly.FirebaseUsercurrentUser=mAuth.getCurrentUser();updateUI(currentUser);}
When users sign in to your app, send their sign-in credentials (for
example, their username and password) to your authentication server. Your
server checks the credentials and returns acustom tokenif they are valid.
After you receive the custom token from your authentication server, pass
it tosignInWithCustomTokento sign in the user:
Kotlin
customToken?.let{auth.signInWithCustomToken(it).addOnCompleteListener(this){task->if(task.isSuccessful){// Sign in success, update UI with the signed-in user's informationLog.d(TAG,"signInWithCustomToken:success")valuser=auth.currentUserupdateUI(user)}else{// If sign in fails, display a message to the user.Log.w(TAG,"signInWithCustomToken:failure",task.exception)Toast.makeText(baseContext,"Authentication failed.",Toast.LENGTH_SHORT,).show()updateUI(null)}}}
mAuth.signInWithCustomToken(mCustomToken).addOnCompleteListener(this,newOnCompleteListener<AuthResult>(){@OverridepublicvoidonComplete(@NonNullTask<AuthResult>task){if(task.isSuccessful()){// Sign in success, update UI with the signed-in user's informationLog.d(TAG,"signInWithCustomToken:success");FirebaseUseruser=mAuth.getCurrentUser();updateUI(user);}else{// If sign in fails, display a message to the user.Log.w(TAG,"signInWithCustomToken:failure",task.getException());Toast.makeText(CustomAuthActivity.this,"Authentication failed.",Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();updateUI(null);}}});
If sign-in succeeds, theAuthStateListeneryou can use thegetCurrentUsermethod to get the user's account data.
Next steps
After a user signs in for the first time, a new user account is created and
linked to the credentials—that is, the user name and password, phone
number, or auth provider information—the user signed in with. This new
account is stored as part of your Firebase project, and can be used to identify
a user across every app in your project, regardless of how the user signs in.
In your apps, you can get the user's basic profile information from theFirebaseUserobject. SeeManage Users.
In yourFirebase Realtime DatabaseandCloud StorageSecurity Rules, you can
get the signed-in user's unique user ID from theauthvariable,
and use it to control what data a user can access.
[[["Easy to understand","easyToUnderstand","thumb-up"],["Solved my problem","solvedMyProblem","thumb-up"],["Other","otherUp","thumb-up"]],[["Missing the information I need","missingTheInformationINeed","thumb-down"],["Too complicated / too many steps","tooComplicatedTooManySteps","thumb-down"],["Out of date","outOfDate","thumb-down"],["Samples / code issue","samplesCodeIssue","thumb-down"],["Other","otherDown","thumb-down"]],["Last updated 2025-09-04 UTC."],[],[],null,["You can integrate Firebase Authentication with a custom authentication system by\nmodifying your authentication server to produce custom signed tokens when a user\nsuccessfully signs in. Your app receives this token and uses it to authenticate\nwith Firebase.\n\nBefore you begin\n\n1. If you haven't already, [add Firebase to your Android project](/docs/android/setup).\n2. In your **module (app-level) Gradle file** (usually `\u003cproject\u003e/\u003capp-module\u003e/build.gradle.kts` or `\u003cproject\u003e/\u003capp-module\u003e/build.gradle`), add the dependency for the Firebase Authentication library for Android. We recommend using the [Firebase Android BoM](/docs/android/learn-more#bom) to control library versioning. \n\n ```carbon\n dependencies {\n // Import the BoM for the Firebase platform\n implementation(platform(\"com.google.firebase:firebase-bom:34.2.0\"))\n\n // Add the dependency for the Firebase Authentication library\n // When using the BoM, you don't specify versions in Firebase library dependencies\n implementation(\"com.google.firebase:firebase-auth\")\n }\n ```\n\n By using the [Firebase Android BoM](/docs/android/learn-more#bom),\n your app will always use compatible versions of Firebase Android libraries.\n *(Alternative)*\n Add Firebase library dependencies *without* using the BoM\n\n If you choose not to use the Firebase BoM, you must specify each Firebase library version\n in its dependency line.\n\n **Note that if you use *multiple* Firebase libraries in your app, we strongly\n recommend using the BoM to manage library versions, which ensures that all versions are\n compatible.** \n\n ```groovy\n dependencies {\n // Add the dependency for the Firebase Authentication library\n // When NOT using the BoM, you must specify versions in Firebase library dependencies\n implementation(\"com.google.firebase:firebase-auth:24.0.1\")\n }\n ```\n3. Get your project's server keys:\n 1. Go to the [Service Accounts](https://console.firebase.google.com/project/_/settings/serviceaccounts/adminsdk) page in your project's settings.\n 2. Click *Generate New Private Key* at the bottom of the *Firebase Admin SDK* section of the *Service Accounts* page.\n 3. The new service account's public/private key pair is automatically saved on your computer. Copy this file to your authentication server.\n\nAuthenticate with Firebase\n\n1. In your sign-in activity's `onCreate` method, get the shared instance of the `FirebaseAuth` object: \n\n Kotlin \n\n ```kotlin\n private lateinit var auth: FirebaseAuth\n // ...\n // Initialize Firebase Auth\n auth = Firebase.auth \n https://github.com/firebase/snippets-android/blob/b694d4dbd411d31be39655f47691c3e9f3529b03/auth/app/src/main/java/com/google/firebase/quickstart/auth/kotlin/CustomAuthActivity.kt#L27-L28\n ```\n\n Java \n\n ```java\n private FirebaseAuth mAuth;\n // ...\n // Initialize Firebase Auth\n mAuth = FirebaseAuth.getInstance();https://github.com/firebase/snippets-android/blob/b694d4dbd411d31be39655f47691c3e9f3529b03/auth/app/src/main/java/com/google/firebase/quickstart/auth/CustomAuthActivity.java#L48-L49\n ```\n2. When initializing your Activity, check to see if the user is currently signed in: \n\n Kotlin \n\n ```kotlin\n public override fun onStart() {\n super.onStart()\n // Check if user is signed in (non-null) and update UI accordingly.\n val currentUser = auth.currentUser\n updateUI(currentUser)\n }https://github.com/firebase/snippets-android/blob/b694d4dbd411d31be39655f47691c3e9f3529b03/auth/app/src/main/java/com/google/firebase/quickstart/auth/kotlin/CustomAuthActivity.kt#L33-L38\n ```\n\n Java \n\n ```java\n @Override\n public void onStart() {\n super.onStart();\n // Check if user is signed in (non-null) and update UI accordingly.\n FirebaseUser currentUser = mAuth.getCurrentUser();\n updateUI(currentUser);\n }https://github.com/firebase/snippets-android/blob/b694d4dbd411d31be39655f47691c3e9f3529b03/auth/app/src/main/java/com/google/firebase/quickstart/auth/CustomAuthActivity.java#L54-L60\n ```\n3. When users sign in to your app, send their sign-in credentials (for example, their username and password) to your authentication server. Your server checks the credentials and returns a [custom token](/docs/auth/admin/create-custom-tokens) if they are valid.\n4. After you receive the custom token from your authentication server, pass it to `signInWithCustomToken` to sign in the user: \n\n Kotlin \n\n ```kotlin\n customToken?.let {\n auth.signInWithCustomToken(it)\n .addOnCompleteListener(this) { task -\u003e\n if (task.isSuccessful) {\n // Sign in success, update UI with the signed-in user's information\n Log.d(TAG, \"signInWithCustomToken:success\")\n val user = auth.currentUser\n updateUI(user)\n } else {\n // If sign in fails, display a message to the user.\n Log.w(TAG, \"signInWithCustomToken:failure\", task.exception)\n Toast.makeText(\n baseContext,\n \"Authentication failed.\",\n Toast.LENGTH_SHORT,\n ).show()\n updateUI(null)\n }\n }\n }https://github.com/firebase/snippets-android/blob/b694d4dbd411d31be39655f47691c3e9f3529b03/auth/app/src/main/java/com/google/firebase/quickstart/auth/kotlin/CustomAuthActivity.kt#L44-L63\n ```\n\n Java \n\n ```java\n mAuth.signInWithCustomToken(mCustomToken)\n .addOnCompleteListener(this, new OnCompleteListener\u003cAuthResult\u003e() {\n @Override\n public void onComplete(@NonNull Task\u003cAuthResult\u003e task) {\n if (task.isSuccessful()) {\n // Sign in success, update UI with the signed-in user's information\n Log.d(TAG, \"signInWithCustomToken:success\");\n FirebaseUser user = mAuth.getCurrentUser();\n updateUI(user);\n } else {\n // If sign in fails, display a message to the user.\n Log.w(TAG, \"signInWithCustomToken:failure\", task.getException());\n Toast.makeText(CustomAuthActivity.this, \"Authentication failed.\",\n Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).show();\n updateUI(null);\n }\n }\n });https://github.com/firebase/snippets-android/blob/b694d4dbd411d31be39655f47691c3e9f3529b03/auth/app/src/main/java/com/google/firebase/quickstart/auth/CustomAuthActivity.java#L65-L82\n ```\n If sign-in succeeds, the `AuthStateListener` you can use the `getCurrentUser` method to get the user's account data.\n\nNext steps\n\nAfter a user signs in for the first time, a new user account is created and\nlinked to the credentials---that is, the user name and password, phone\nnumber, or auth provider information---the user signed in with. This new\naccount is stored as part of your Firebase project, and can be used to identify\na user across every app in your project, regardless of how the user signs in.\n\n- In your apps, you can get the user's basic profile information from the\n [`FirebaseUser`](/docs/reference/android/com/google/firebase/auth/FirebaseUser) object. See [Manage Users](/docs/auth/android/manage-users).\n\n- In your Firebase Realtime Database and Cloud Storage\n [Security Rules](/docs/database/security/user-security), you can\n get the signed-in user's unique user ID from the `auth` variable,\n and use it to control what data a user can access.\n\nYou can allow users to sign in to your app using multiple authentication\nproviders by [linking auth provider credentials to an\nexisting user account.](/docs/auth/android/account-linking)\n\nTo sign out a user, call [`signOut`](/docs/reference/android/com/google/firebase/auth/FirebaseAuth#signOut()): \n\nKotlin \n\n```kotlin\nFirebase.auth.signOut()https://github.com/firebase/snippets-android/blob/b694d4dbd411d31be39655f47691c3e9f3529b03/auth/app/src/main/java/com/google/firebase/quickstart/auth/kotlin/MainActivity.kt#L415-L415\n```\n\nJava \n\n```java\nFirebaseAuth.getInstance().signOut();https://github.com/firebase/snippets-android/blob/b694d4dbd411d31be39655f47691c3e9f3529b03/auth/app/src/main/java/com/google/firebase/quickstart/auth/MainActivity.java#L501-L501\n```"]]
