Getting unauthorized error when creating Miro board via API
I’m working on a .NET Core 6.0 WPF project in Visual Studio 2022 and trying to integrate with the Miro platform API to create boards programmatically. I have my application credentials (AppID and AppSecret) set up for OAuth authentication.
I’m using RestSharp library for HTTP requests. The authentication part seems to work fine, but when I try to make a POST request to create a new board, I keep getting an “Unauthorized” response. What am I missing in my implementation?
public string MiroSettingsUrl = "https://miro.com/app/settings/user-profile/apps";
public string AppID = "myappid";
public string AppSecret = "myappsecret";
internal async void SetupMiroBoard()
{
try
{
var authClient = new RestClient("https://miro.com/app-install/?response_type=code&client_id=" + AppID);
var authRequest = new RestRequest();
authRequest.Method = Method.Post;
authRequest.AddHeader("Authorization", "Bearer " + AppSecret);
var authResponse = authClient.ExecuteAsync(authRequest);
var authResult = authResponse.Result;
var createClient = new RestClient("https://api.miro.com/v1/boards");
var createRequest = new RestRequest();
createRequest.Method = Method.Post;
createRequest.AddHeader("Accept", "application/json");
createRequest.AddHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
createRequest.AddParameter("application/json", "{\"name\":\"My Board\",\"sharingPolicy\":{\"access\":\"private\",\"teamAccess\":\"private\"}}", ParameterType.RequestBody);
var createResponse = createClient.ExecuteAsync(createRequest);
var createResult = createResponse.Result;
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
var errorMsg = ex.Message;
}
}
Any help with proper authentication flow would be appreciated!
You’re encountering an “Unauthorized” error when attempting to create a Miro board using the Miro API within your .NET Core 6.0 WPF application. Your current authentication approach using only the AppSecret in the Bearer token is incorrect. The provided code snippet attempts authentication, but it’s missing the crucial step of exchanging the authorization code for an access token, which is necessary to authorize subsequent API calls.
Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):
Miro’s API uses OAuth 2.0 for authentication. This is a three-legged process:
Authorization Request: Your application redirects the user to Miro’s authorization server. The user logs in and grants your app permission.
Authorization Code: Miro redirects the user back to your application with an authorization code. This code is not the access token itself.
Token Exchange: Your application sends the authorization code (along with your AppID and AppSecret) to Miro’s token endpoint. This exchange gives you an actual access_token.
API Access: You use this access_token in the Authorization: Bearer {access_token} header for all subsequent API calls, such as creating a board.
Your current code only performs step 1 (in a flawed way), missing steps 2 and 3, which are essential. Using the AppSecret directly as a bearer token is a security risk and will not work.
Step-by-Step Guide:
Implement the OAuth 2.0 Flow: Modify your code to correctly handle the OAuth 2.0 flow. You’ll need to redirect the user to the Miro authorization URL, handle the redirect with the authorization code, and then exchange that code for an access token.
public string MiroClientId = "myappid";
public string MiroClientSecret = "myappsecret";
public string MiroRedirectUri = "your_redirect_uri"; // EXACTLY match your Miro app settings
// ... other code ...
internal async Task<string> GetMiroAccessTokenAsync()
{
// 1. Redirect to Authorization Endpoint
string authorizationUrl = $"https://miro.com/app-install/?response_type=code&client_id={MiroClientId}&redirect_uri={MiroRedirectUri}";
// [Handle user redirection to authorizationUrl using your WPF framework's capabilities. This will typically involve opening a web browser and handling the callback.]
// 2. Receive Authorization Code from Callback (Handle this in your WPF app's redirect handling)
string authorizationCode = "[Received authorization code from callback]";
// 3. Exchange Code for Access Token
var client = new RestClient("https://api.miro.com/v1/oauth/token");
var request = new RestRequest();
request.Method = Method.Post;
request.AddHeader("Content-Type", "application/x-www-form-urlencoded");
request.AddParameter("grant_type", "authorization_code");
request.AddParameter("code", authorizationCode);
request.AddParameter("redirect_uri", MiroRedirectUri);
request.AddParameter("client_id", MiroClientId);
request.AddParameter("client_secret", MiroClientSecret);
var response = await client.ExecuteAsync(request);
dynamic json = JsonConvert.DeserializeObject(response.Content); // Requires Newtonsoft.Json NuGet package
return json.access_token;
}
internal async void SetupMiroBoard()
{
try
{
string accessToken = await GetMiroAccessTokenAsync();
var createClient = new RestClient("https://api.miro.com/v1/boards");
var createRequest = new RestRequest();
createRequest.Method = Method.Post;
createRequest.AddHeader("Accept", "application/json");
createRequest.AddHeader("Content-Type", "application/json");
createRequest.AddHeader("Authorization", $"Bearer {accessToken}");
createRequest.AddParameter("application/json", "{\"name\":\"My Board\",\"sharingPolicy\":{\"access\":\"private\",\"teamAccess\":\"private\"}}", ParameterType.RequestBody);
var createResponse = await createClient.ExecuteAsync(createRequest);
var createResult = createResponse.Data; // Access the deserialized response data
// Handle the createResult (e.g., display success message or error details)
}
catch (Exception ex)
{
var errorMsg = ex.Message; // Log the error for debugging
}
}
Install Newtonsoft.Json: Ensure you have the Newtonsoft.Json NuGet package installed in your project. This is needed for JSON deserialization.
Handle Redirects: Implement the necessary logic in your WPF application to handle the redirect from Miro’s authorization server. This will involve capturing the authorization code from the redirect URL.
Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:
Redirect URI Mismatch: Double-check that the MiroRedirectUri in your code exactly matches the redirect URI specified in your Miro app settings. Even a trailing slash difference will cause issues.
Incorrect App Credentials: Verify that your MiroClientId and MiroClientSecret are correct.
Error Handling: Improve your error handling to catch specific exceptions (e.g., HttpException) and provide more informative error messages. Log the full response from the Miro API for debugging purposes.
Rate Limits: Be aware of Miro’s API rate limits. Implement appropriate retry logic if necessary.
Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!
Hit this same problem last month with a similar integration. You’re mixing up OAuth steps - trying to use credentials instead of an actual access token. Your code hits the authorization endpoint but doesn’t handle the callback properly to get the token. When the user authorizes your app, Miro redirects back with an authorization code. You need to exchange that code for an access token at their token endpoint. Then use that token in your board creation request: Authorization: Bearer {access_token}. Double-check your redirect URI matches exactly what’s in your Miro app settings - trailing slashes matter. The app secret only gets used during token exchange, not as a bearer token.
Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):
Step-by-Step Guide:
Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:
Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!