Protect custom backend resources with App Check on Apple platforms

You can use App Check to protect non-Google custom backend resources for your app, like your own self-hosted backend. To do so, you'll need to do both of the following:

  • Modify your app client to send an App Check token along with each request to your backend, as described on this page.
  • Modify your backend to require a valid App Check token with every request, as described in Verify App Check tokens from a custom backend.

Before you begin

Add App Check to your app, using either App Attest, DeviceCheck, or a custom provider.

Send App Check tokens with backend requests

To ensure your backend requests include a valid, unexpired, App Check token, wrap each request in a call to AppCheck.token(). The App Check library will refresh the token if necessary, and you can access the token in the method's completion block.

Once you have a valid token, send it along with the request to your backend. The specifics of how you accomplish this are up to you, but don't send App Check tokens as part of URLs, including in query parameters, as this makes them vulnerable to accidental leakage and interception. The following example sends the token in a custom HTTP header, which is the recommended approach.

Swift

do {
  let token = try await AppCheck.appCheck().token(forcingRefresh: false)

  // Get the raw App Check token string.
  let tokenString = token.token

  // Include the App Check token with requests to your server.
  let url = URL(string: "https://yourbackend.example.com/yourApiEndpoint")!
  var request = URLRequest(url: url)
  request.httpMethod = "GET"
  request.setValue(tokenString, forHTTPHeaderField: "X-Firebase-AppCheck")

  let task = URLSession.shared.dataTask(with: request) { data, response, error in
      // Handle response from your backend.
  }
  task.resume()
} catch(let error) {
  print("Unable to retrieve App Check token: \(error)")
  return
}

Objective-C

[[FIRAppCheck appCheck] tokenForcingRefresh:NO
                                 completion:^(FIRAppCheckToken * _Nullable token,
                                              NSError * _Nullable error) {
    if (error != nil) {
        // Handle any errors if the token was not retrieved.
        NSLog(@"Unable to retrieve App Check token: %@", error);
        return;
    }
    if (token == nil) {
        NSLog(@"Unable to retrieve App Check token.");
        return;
    }

    // Get the raw App Check token string.
    NSString *tokenString = token.token;

    // Include the App Check token with requests to your server.
    NSURL *url = [[NSURL alloc] initWithString:@"https://yourbackend.example.com/yourApiEndpoint"];
    NSMutableURLRequest *request = [[NSMutableURLRequest alloc] initWithURL:url];
    [request setHTTPMethod:@"GET"];
    [request setValue:tokenString forHTTPHeaderField:@"X-Firebase-AppCheck"];

    NSURLSessionDataTask *task =
        [[NSURLSession sharedSession] dataTaskWithRequest:request
                                        completionHandler:^(NSData * _Nullable data,
                                                            NSURLResponse * _Nullable response,
                                                            NSError * _Nullable error) {
        // Handle response from your backend.
    }];
    [task resume];
}];

Replay protection (beta)

When making a request to an endpoint for which you've enabled replay protection, wrap the request in a call to limitedUseToken() instead of token():

Swift

AppCheck.appCheck().limitedUseToken() { token, error in
  // ...
}

Objective-C

[[FIRAppCheck appCheck] limitedUseTokenWithCompletion:^(FIRAppCheckToken * _Nullable token,
                                                        NSError * _Nullable error) {
    // ...
}];