How to Login to Prestashop 1.7 through Web Services Using Ionic Apps

Discover how to connect your Ionic app with Prestashop 1.7 using web services for user authentication. Learn step-by-step how to handle password encryption efficiently!
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Resolving User Authentication in Prestashop 1.7: A Guide for Ionic Developers

If you're diving into the world of eCommerce development with Prestashop and Ionic, you might find yourself faced with a common challenge: user authentication. Specifically, many developers encounter difficulties when trying to log in users with encrypted passwords from Prestashop 1.7. In this guide, we’ll guide you through the solution seamlessly.

The Challenge: User Login via Web Services

In ionic app development, you often need to allow users to log in using web services. However, Prestashop does not offer straightforward documentation on logging in, which can lead to frustration. Here’s what you need to know about the core issue:

Password Encryption: The main problem arises due to the differences in how passwords are encrypted in Prestashop 1.7 compared to previous versions. You may find that passwords stored in the database don’t match the passwords users attempt to enter when logging in.

Documentation Gap: The login functionality is often overlooked in the available documentation, leaving developers confused about how to implement secure authentication.

Getting Started: The Solution

Step 1: Fetch Customer Information

To authenticate a user, you need to first fetch the customer information. This can be done using the following API endpoint, replacing INPUT_EMAIL with the actual email entered by the user:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

This request will return details about the customer, including the encrypted password required for comparison.

Step 2: Handle Password Encryption

Here’s where it typically gets tricky. Prestashop 1.7 utilizes bcrypt for password hashing, while previous versions were more likely to use md5. To effectively compare the input password against the stored encrypted password, follow these critical steps:

Modify the Hash Prefix: Prestashop uses $2y$ in its bcrypt hashes, but when you switch to JavaScript, you’ll want to replace it with $2a$ to ensure compatibility.

Step 3: Compare the Passwords

This is where the magic happens. Use the following method to compare the user’s input password against the stored hash:

[[See Video to Reveal this Text or Code Snippet]]

Conclusion: Combining It All

Once both passwords match, you can proceed to authenticate the user in your app accordingly. The workflow follows these key steps:

Fetch the customer data from the API

Handle the password encryption using bcryptjs

Compare passwords and implement your application logic based on the result

With these steps, you can solve the user authentication problem effectively while using Prestashop 1.7 with your Ionic application.

Final Thoughts

While the lack of documentation can be daunting, breaking down solutions into manageable steps can ease the development process. By utilizing modern encryption standards like bcrypt, you ensure your application remains secure and user-friendly.

By following this guide, any developer facing similar issues will find a helping hand while implementing user authentication in their Ionic applications for Prestashop 1.7.