Auth0 Java MVC Common Integration#

Add Auth0 authentication to Java Servlet web applications using com.auth0:mvc-auth-commons. Provides AuthenticationController for building authorize URLs and handling callbacks, with session-based authentication and support for Organizations and Multiple Custom Domains.

---

Agent instruction: Before providing SDK setup instructions, fetch the latest release version by running:

bash

gh api repos/auth0/auth0-java-mvc-common/releases/latest --jq '.tag_name'

Use the returned version in all dependency lines instead of any hardcoded version below. If the API call fails, use 1.12.0.

Prerequisites#

• Java 8+ (Java 17+ recommended)
• Servlet container (Tomcat, Jetty, etc.) with javax.servlet 3+
• Maven 3.6+ or Gradle 7+
• Auth0 Regular Web Application configured
• If you don't have Auth0 set up yet, use the auth0-quickstart skill first

When NOT to Use#

Use CaseRecommended SkillSpring Boot web applications with auto-configurationUse Spring Boot + Okta starter for auto-configured Spring Boot loginSpring Boot REST APIs (stateless JWT)Use auth0-springboot-api for JWT Bearer token validationSingle Page ApplicationsUse auth0-react, auth0-vue, or auth0-angular for client-side authMobile applicationsUse auth0-android or auth0-swift for native mobileMachine-to-machine API callsUse Auth0 Management API SDK for server-to-server

---

Quick Start Workflow#

Agent instruction: If the user's prompt already provides Auth0 credentials (domain, client ID, client secret), use them directly — skip the bootstrap script and credential questions. Only offer setup options when credentials are missing.

1. Install SDK#

Gradle (build.gradle):

groovy

implementation 'com.auth0:mvc-auth-commons:1.12.0'

Maven (pom.xml):

xml

<dependency>
    <groupId>com.auth0</groupId>
    <artifactId>mvc-auth-commons</artifactId>
    <version>1.12.0</version>
</dependency>

2. Create Auth0 Application#

You need a Regular Web Application (not SPA or Native) in Auth0.

STOP — ask the user before proceeding.

Ask exactly this question and wait for their answer before doing anything else:

"How would you like to create the Auth0 application?

1. Automated — I'll run Auth0 CLI scripts that create the application and write the values to your config automatically.
2. Manual — You create the application yourself in the Auth0 Dashboard (or via auth0 apps create) and provide me the Domain, Client ID, and Client Secret.

Which do you prefer? (1 = Automated / 2 = Manual)"

Do NOT proceed to any setup steps until the user has answered. Do NOT default to manual.

If the user chose Automated, follow the Setup Guide for complete CLI scripts. The automated path writes configuration for you — skip Step 3 below and proceed directly to Step 4.

If the user chose Manual, follow the Setup Guide (Manual Setup section). Then continue with Step 3.

Quick reference for manual application creation:

bash

# Using Auth0 CLI
auth0 apps create \
  --name "My Java Web App" \
  --type regular \
  --callbacks http://localhost:3000/callback \
  --logout-urls http://localhost:3000

Or create manually in Auth0 Dashboard → Applications → Applications → Create Application → Regular Web Applications

3. Configure Credentials#

Store credentials as environment variables (never hardcode in source):

bash

export AUTH0_DOMAIN="your-tenant.auth0.com"
export AUTH0_CLIENT_ID="your-client-id"
export AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET="your-client-secret"

Or use a .env file (add to .gitignore):

properties

AUTH0_DOMAIN=your-tenant.auth0.com
AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=your-client-id
AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET=your-client-secret

Agent instruction: Java does not auto-load .env files. System.getenv() only reads OS-level environment variables. If you generate a .env file, you must also either: (1) add dotenv-java as a dependency and use Dotenv.load().get("AUTH0_DOMAIN") instead of System.getenv(), or (2) instruct the user to run source .env before starting the server. Do not generate code that uses both a .env file and System.getenv() without a loading mechanism — the values will be null.

Important: Domain must NOT include https://. The library constructs the issuer URL automatically.

4. Initialize AuthenticationController#

Create a singleton AuthenticationController instance:

java

import com.auth0.AuthenticationController;
import com.auth0.jwk.JwkProviderBuilder;
import com.auth0.jwk.JwkProvider;

public class Auth0Config {

    private static final AuthenticationController controller = createController();

    private static AuthenticationController createController() {
        String domain = System.getenv("AUTH0_DOMAIN");
        String clientId = System.getenv("AUTH0_CLIENT_ID");
        String clientSecret = System.getenv("AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET");

        JwkProvider jwkProvider = new JwkProviderBuilder(domain).build();

        return AuthenticationController.newBuilder(domain, clientId, clientSecret)
            .withJwkProvider(jwkProvider)
            .build();
    }

    public static AuthenticationController getAuthController() {
        return controller;
    }
}

5. Create Login Servlet#

java

import com.auth0.AuthenticationController;
import com.auth0.AuthorizeUrl;

import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.annotation.WebServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import java.io.IOException;

@WebServlet(urlPatterns = {"/login"})
public class LoginServlet extends HttpServlet {

    @Override
    protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
            throws ServletException, IOException {
        AuthenticationController controller = Auth0Config.getAuthController();

        // Build callback URL — omit port for standard ports (80/443) to avoid
        // mismatch with the URL registered in Auth0 Dashboard, especially behind proxies.
        String scheme = request.getScheme();
        int port = request.getServerPort();
        String redirectUrl = scheme + "://" + request.getServerName()
            + ((port == 80 || port == 443) ? "" : ":" + port) + "/callback";

        AuthorizeUrl authorizeUrl = controller.buildAuthorizeUrl(request, response, redirectUrl)
            .withScope("openid profile email");

        response.sendRedirect(authorizeUrl.build());
    }
}

6. Create Callback Servlet#

java

import com.auth0.AuthenticationController;
import com.auth0.IdentityVerificationException;
import com.auth0.Tokens;

import javax.servlet.ServletException;
import javax.servlet.annotation.WebServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServlet;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import java.io.IOException;

@WebServlet(urlPatterns = {"/callback"})
public class CallbackServlet extends HttpServlet {

    @Override
    protected void doGet(HttpServletRequest request, HttpServletResponse response)
            throws ServletException, IOException {
        AuthenticationController controller = Auth0Config.getAuthController();

        try {
            Tokens tokens = controller.handle(request, response);

            request.getSession().setAttribute("accessToken", tokens.getAccessToken());
            request.getSession().setAttribute("idToken", tokens.getIdToken());

            response.sendRedirect("/dashboard");
        } catch (IdentityVerificationException e) {
            response.sendRedirect("/login?error=" + e.getCode());
        }
    }
}

7. Protect Routes with Authentication Middleware (Servlet Filter)#

java

import javax.servlet.*;
import javax.servlet.annotation.WebFilter;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletRequest;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpServletResponse;
import javax.servlet.http.HttpSession;
import java.io.IOException;

@WebFilter(urlPatterns = {"/dashboard/*", "/api/private/*"})
public class AuthenticationFilter implements Filter {

    @Override
    public void doFilter(ServletRequest req, ServletResponse res, FilterChain chain)
            throws IOException, ServletException {
        HttpServletRequest request = (HttpServletRequest) req;
        HttpServletResponse response = (HttpServletResponse) res;
        HttpSession session = request.getSession(false);

        if (session == null || session.getAttribute("idToken") == null) {
            response.sendRedirect("/login");
            return;
        }

        chain.doFilter(req, res);
    }

    @Override
    public void init(FilterConfig filterConfig) {}

    @Override
    public void destroy() {}
}

8. Test Application#

Agent instruction: After writing all code, verify the build succeeds:

bash

./gradlew build

or mvn package. If build fails, diagnose and fix. After 5-6 failed attempts, use AskUserQuestion to get help.

1. Start the application and navigate to http://localhost:3000/login
2. You should be redirected to the Auth0 Universal Login page
3. After login, the callback servlet handles the response and redirects to /dashboard

---

Common Mistakes#

MistakeFixDomain includes https://Use your-tenant.auth0.com format only — no scheme prefixClient secret hardcoded in sourceUse environment variables or .env file, add to .gitignoreCreated SPA or Native app instead of Regular WebMust create Regular Web Application in Auth0 DashboardCallback URL mismatchCallback URL in code must exactly match what's registered in Auth0 DashboardMissing openid scopeAlways include openid in the scope — required for ID tokenNot handling IdentityVerificationExceptionAlways catch this in the callback handler to show login errorsUsing response_type=tokenRegular web apps must use code flow (the default) — never implicitSession not invalidated on logoutCall request.getSession().invalidate() before redirecting to Auth0 logout

---

Scope and Audience Configuration#

See Integration Guide for requesting custom scopes, audience for API access tokens, and Organizations support.

---

Multiple Custom Domains (MCD)#

Built-in support for routing users to the correct Auth0 domain via DomainResolver. See Integration Guide for configuration.

---

Related Skills#

• auth0-quickstart — Basic Auth0 setup and account creation
• auth0-springboot-api — Spring Boot REST APIs with JWT Bearer token validation

---

Quick Reference#

Core Classes:

• AuthenticationController — Main entry point, builds authorize URLs and handles callbacks
• AuthenticationController.Builder — Configures the controller via newBuilder(domain, clientId, clientSecret)
• AuthorizeUrl — Fluent builder for /authorize URL parameters
• Tokens — Access token, ID token, refresh token from callback
• IdentityVerificationException — Authentication error with error code
• DomainResolver — Interface for Multiple Custom Domain support

Builder Methods ( AuthorizeUrl):

• .withScope("openid profile email") — Set requested scopes
• .withAudience("https://my-api") — Request API access token
• .withOrganization("org_xxx") — Lock to specific Organization
• .withInvitation("invite_xxx") — Accept Organization invitation
• .withConnection("google-oauth2") — Skip to specific connection
• .withParameter("key", "value") — Add custom authorize parameter

Token Access ( Tokens):

• tokens.getAccessToken() — Access token string
• tokens.getIdToken() — ID token (JWT) string
• tokens.getRefreshToken() — Refresh token (if offline_access scope requested)
• tokens.getExpiresIn() — Token expiration in seconds
• tokens.getType() — Token type (usually "Bearer")
• tokens.getDomain() — Auth0 domain that issued the tokens
• tokens.getIssuer() — Token issuer URL

---

Detailed Documentation#

• Setup Guide — Auth0 CLI automation, environment configuration, secret management
• Integration Guide — Organizations, MCD, custom scopes, logout, error handling, advanced patterns
• API Reference — Complete configuration options, builder methods, claims reference, testing checklist

---

References#

• Auth0 Java Web App Quickstart
• SDK GitHub Repository
• Auth0 Universal Login
• Authorization Code Flow
• Auth0 Organizations