OneDrive Integration with React: Step-by-Step Guide

In this post, I’ll share how to integrate Microsoft OneDrive with your React application.

We’ll explore the steps for OAuth 2.0 authentication, getting access and refresh tokens, managing file uploads, and addressing challenges like ETag conflicts and CORS issues.

Table of Contents

Prerequisites

Before we dive into the technical details, ensure you have:

1. A Microsoft account with OneDrive
2. An application registered in Azure Portal for OneDrive API access
3. Node.js installed on your system
4. Install axios to make API calls to Microsoft’s Graph API

		npm install axios
	

Step 1: Register a OneDrive App in Azure

To begin, you need to register an app in Azure to get the client ID and client secret for OAuth 2.0.

1. Go to the Azure Portal: Azure Portal
2. App Registration:
   • Navigate to Microsoft Entra ID > App Registrations > New Registration.
   • Set a name for the app and configure the supported account types.
   • Set your Redirect URI (e.g., http://localhost:3000 for local development).
3. API Permissions:
   • Add Microsoft Graph Permissions for Files.ReadWrite.All and offline_access to enable full access to the OneDrive files.
4. Create a Client Secret:
   • Go to Certificates & Secrets, generate a client secret, and store it securely. You’ll need this to generate access tokens.

Step 2: OAuth 2.0 Authentication Flow

Once you register your app in Azure, you can generate access and refresh tokens using the OAuth 2.0 flow.

1. Use the Authorization URL to generate the first access and refresh tokens:
   

   
   				https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/v2.0/authorize?
   				  client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID&
   				  response_type=code&
   				  redirect_uri=YOUR_REDIRECT_URI&
   				  scope=openid profile Files.ReadWrite.All offline_access
   			

   Replace YOUR_CLIENT_ID and YOUR_REDIRECT_URI with your values. Once the user signs in, the system will provide an authorization code.

2. Exchange Authorization Code for Tokens: Use the following POST request to exchange the authorization code for access and refresh tokens:

   POST https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/v2.0/token

   Request Body:

   
   					client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID
   					client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET
   					code=AUTHORIZATION_CODE
   					redirect_uri=YOUR_REDIRECT_URI
   					grant_type=authorization_code
   					scope=Files.ReadWrite.All offline_access
   				

3. Store the Tokens: Save the access and refresh tokens in a secure location
   

   
   					REACT_APP_ONEDRIVE_ACCESS_TOKEN=your_onedrive_access_token
   					REACT_APP_ONEDRIVE_REFRESH_TOKEN=your_onedrive_refresh_token
   				

Step 3: Refresh Token Flow

Since OneDrive access tokens expire after 1 hour, you must refresh tokens to maintain long-term access. Here’s how you refresh the token:

1. Use the refresh token to get a new access token:
   

   
   					POST https://login.microsoftonline.com/common/oauth2/v2.0/token
   				

   Request Body:

   
   					client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID
   					client_secret=YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET
   					refresh_token=YOUR_REFRESH_TOKEN
   					redirect_uri=YOUR_REDIRECT_URI
   					grant_type=refresh_token
   					scope=Files.ReadWrite.All offline_access
   				

Step 4: OneDrive File Upload via Graph API

With OneDrive authentication set up, we can now upload files to OneDrive. Below is an example of how to upload files via the Graph API:

1. PUT request for file upload:Request Body

   Send the file data as binary content in the body and pass the access token in the header.

   
   					const uploadFileToOneDrive = async (path, fileContent) => {
   					  const response = await axios.put(
   					    `https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/drive/root:${path}:/content`,
   					    fileContent,
   					    {
   					      headers: {
   					        Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.REACT_APP_ONEDRIVE_ACCESS_TOKEN}`,
   					        'Content-Type': 'application/octet-stream',
   					      },
   					    }
   					  );
   					  return response.data;
   					};
   				

Step 5: Handling File Conflicts with ETags

OneDrive uses ETags to manage file versions, and you may encounter conflicts during file updates of the same file. To replace files, you need to handle ETag conflicts properly.

1. Conflict Behavior: To replace a file, use the following request with conflict behavior handling:
   

   
   					PUT https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/drive/root:/YOUR_PATH:/content?conflictBehavior=replace
   				

Step 6: Downloading Assets from OneDrive

1. Fetch File MetadataBefore downloading a file, fetch its metadata for details like the filename, size, or URL.
   • GET Request for File Metadata:
     

     
     							GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/drive/root:/YOUR_PATH:/content?conflictBehavior=replace
     						

   • This request will return metadata for the file at YOUR_PATH.
     Example Response:

     
     							{
     							  "id": "file_id",
     							  "name": "example.txt",
     							  "size": 1024,
     							  "createdDateTime": "2023-09-21T12:00:00Z",
     							  "webUrl": "https://onedrive.live.com/..."
     							}
     						

2. Download File ContentYou’ll use the GET method, along with the file path, to download the actual file content and retrieve the file’s download URL or content.
3. GET Request for File Download:
   

   
   					GET https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/drive/root:/YOUR_PATH:/content
   				

   You can download the file by making an API call to the Graph API endpoint:

   
   					const downloadAssetFromOneDrive = async (path) => {
   					  try {
   					    const response = await axios.get(
   					      `https://graph.microsoft.com/v1.0/me/drive/root:${path}:/content`,
   					      {
   					        headers: {
   					          Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.REACT_APP_ONEDRIVE_ACCESS_TOKEN}`,
   					        },
   					        responseType: 'blob', // Ensures the response is treated as binary data
   					      }
   					    );
   
   					    // Create a URL for the blob to allow download
   					    const url = window.URL.createObjectURL(new Blob([response.data]));
   					    const link = document.createElement('a');
   					    link.href = url;
   
   					    // Extract the filename from the path
   					    const fileName = path.split('/').pop();
   					    link.setAttribute('download', fileName); // Set the download attribute with the file name
   
   					    // Append link to the document and simulate click for download
   					    document.body.appendChild(link);
   					    link.click();
   					    document.body.removeChild(link);
   
   					    console.log("File downloaded successfully");
   					  } catch (error) {
   					    console.error("Error downloading the file from OneDrive", error);
   					  }
   					};