Vue.js Integration with Spotify API Issues

[Neo_Stars]

I’m having trouble connecting my Vue.js app to the Spotify Web API. I followed the official documentation and looked at various examples online but can’t get it working properly.

Here’s my current Vuex store setup for handling Spotify authentication:

import axios from 'axios'

const state = {
  spotifyData: []
}

const getters = {
  getSpotifyInfo: (state) => state.spotifyData
}

const actions = {
  async getSpotifyAuth({ commit }) {
    var permissions = 'user-read-private user-read-email'
    const result = await axios.get('https://cors-anywhere.herokuapp.com/https://accounts.spotify.com/authorize' +
    '?response_type=code' +
    '&client_id=' + 'my_client_id_here' +
    (permissions ? '&scope=' + encodeURIComponent(permissions) : '') +
    '&redirect_uri=' + encodeURIComponent('http://localhost:8080/callback'))
    commit('updateData', result.data)
  }
}

const mutations = {
  updateData: (state, spotifyData) => (state.spotifyData = spotifyData)
}

export default { state, getters, actions, mutations }

The authorization flow isn’t working as expected. What am I missing in my implementation? Any help would be great!

[davidw]

You’re mixing up authorization with API calls. Don’t GET the authorization URL directly - Spotify’s OAuth needs user interaction through their login page. I hit the same issue when I first built a Vue app with Spotify. The auth endpoint has to open in the browser, not through axios. After users authorize your app, Spotify redirects to your callback URL with an authorization code. Your callback route grabs that code from the URL params, then POSTs to https://accounts.spotify.com/api/token to swap it for an access token. That’s what you use for actual API calls. Skip cors-anywhere - it’s unreliable and goes down constantly. For the token exchange, you’ll need your own backend proxy since it needs your client secret (never expose that in frontend code). Redirects work, but if you want users to stay on your page, try a popup window for auth instead. Way cleaner experience.

[CharlieLion22]

yeah, u can’t use axios.get on the auth url - that won’t work. spotify needs users to actually visit their login page in a browser. just use window.location = 'your-auth-url' to redirect them. then catch the code in your callback route and swap it for tokens on your backend.

[jade_journey]

The Problem:

You’re attempting to connect your Vue.js application to the Spotify Web API using axios.get() to retrieve the authorization URL. This approach is incorrect and won’t work. The Spotify OAuth flow requires user interaction within a browser context, not a direct HTTP request. Your current axios call will fail because it attempts to access the authorization URL without user authentication.

Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):

Spotify’s authorization process uses the OAuth 2.0 protocol. OAuth 2.0 is designed for secure authorization, and it inherently involves a redirect flow. You can’t directly fetch an access token using a simple GET request. Instead, the process follows these steps:

1. Authorization Request: Your application redirects the user’s browser to Spotify’s authorization endpoint. This endpoint presents the user with a login screen and a request for permissions.
2. User Authorization: The user logs in to their Spotify account and grants your application the requested permissions.
3. Redirect with Code: Upon successful authorization, Spotify redirects the user back to your application’s specified callback URL, including an authorization code in the URL parameters.
4. Token Exchange: Your application (typically on a backend server) uses this authorization code to request an access token from Spotify’s token endpoint. This step requires your client secret, which should never be exposed in your frontend code.
5. API Access: Finally, your Vue.js application uses the access token to make requests to the Spotify API.

Attempting to bypass this flow with a direct axios.get() call violates the security principles of OAuth 2.0 and will always fail.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Redirect to Spotify’s Authorization Endpoint: Replace your axios call with a browser redirect using window.location.href. This will open Spotify’s authorization page in a new tab or window:

const clientId = 'my_client_id_here'; // Replace with your actual client ID
const redirectUri = encodeURIComponent('http://localhost:8080/callback'); //Your callback URL
const scopes = encodeURIComponent('user-read-private user-read-email'); //Requested permissions

const authUrl = `https://accounts.spotify.com/authorize?response_type=code&client_id=${clientId}&scope=${scopes}&redirect_uri=${redirectUri}`;

window.location.href = authUrl;

2. Create a Callback Route: Set up a route in your Vue application (e.g., /callback) to handle the redirect from Spotify. This route will receive the authorization code in the URL parameters. For example: http://localhost:8080/callback?code=YOUR_AUTHORIZATION_CODE

3. Backend for Token Exchange: Create a backend endpoint (using Node.js, Python, etc.) that receives the authorization code from your callback route. This backend will exchange the code for an access token using your client secret (which should be securely stored on your server and NEVER exposed in your frontend code). The code below demonstrates a basic Node.js example with node-fetch:

const fetch = require('node-fetch');

app.post('/api/token', async (req, res) => {
    const code = req.body.code;
    const clientId = 'my_client_id_here'; // Your client ID
    const clientSecret = 'my_client_secret_here'; // Your client secret (KEEP THIS SECURE!)
    const redirectUri = 'http://localhost:8080/callback';

    const data = new URLSearchParams();
    data.append('grant_type', 'authorization_code');
    data.append('code', code);
    data.append('redirect_uri', redirectUri);
    data.append('client_id', clientId);
    data.append('client_secret', clientSecret);

    const response = await fetch('https://accounts.spotify.com/api/token', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
            'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
        },
        body: data,
    });

    const tokenData = await response.json();
    res.json(tokenData);
});

4. Use the Access Token: Your backend should send the access token back to your Vue app, which can then store it securely (e.g., in local storage, but be aware of security implications) and use it for subsequent requests to the Spotify API.

Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:

• Incorrect Callback URL: Double-check that the redirect_uri in your authorization request exactly matches the URL of your callback route. Mismatches are a frequent cause of authentication failures.
• CORS Issues (Backend): Ensure your backend server is properly configured to handle CORS requests from your frontend application.
• Client Secret Security: The absolute most important thing: never expose your client secret in your frontend code. It should only reside on your secure backend server.
• Token Expiration: Access tokens expire. Implement token refresh functionality to obtain new tokens when needed.
• Error Handling: Always include robust error handling in both your frontend and backend code to catch potential issues during the OAuth flow.

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!

[opalEcho]

Yeah, everyone’s right - you can’t GET the auth URL like that. OAuth needs proper browser redirects.

But honestly? Skip all this auth mess. I wasted weeks on Spotify’s OAuth in my last project. Token refresh, expired sessions, client secrets, rate limits - it’s brutal.

I just route everything through Latenode now. Set up one workflow that handles Spotify OAuth properly, then create webhook endpoints for your Vue app. No token management, no auth backend, no CORS issues.

Your Vue app hits the Latenode endpoints and gets playlist data, user info, whatever. Latenode deals with all the Spotify API garbage.

I’ve built multiple music apps this way. Works great and saves weeks of debugging OAuth headaches.

Latenode - Create AI Agents & Autonomous Workflows | No-Code &...

[Samuel87]

The Problem:

The user is attempting to use axios.get() to obtain the authorization URL from Spotify’s OAuth 2.0 endpoint. This approach is incorrect and will not work. Spotify’s OAuth flow mandates user interaction within a browser context; a direct HTTP request is insufficient. The axios call fails because it tries to access the authorization URL without user authentication.

Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):

Spotify’s authorization leverages the OAuth 2.0 protocol, designed for secure authorization. This inherently involves a redirect flow. A simple GET request cannot directly fetch an access token. The correct process is as follows:

1. Authorization Request: The application redirects the user’s browser to Spotify’s authorization endpoint. This displays a login screen and permission request.
2. User Authorization: The user logs in and grants the application the requested permissions.
3. Redirect with Code: After successful authorization, Spotify redirects the user back to the application’s callback URL, including an authorization code in the URL parameters.
4. Token Exchange: The application (usually on a backend server) uses this code to request an access token from Spotify’s token endpoint. This requires the client secret (never expose this in frontend code).
5. API Access: The application then uses the access token to make requests to the Spotify API.

Attempting to circumvent this flow with a direct axios.get() call violates OAuth 2.0 security principles and will always fail.

Step-by-Step Guide:

1. Redirect to Spotify’s Authorization Endpoint: Replace the axios call with a browser redirect using window.location.href. This opens Spotify’s authorization page:

const clientId = 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID'; // Replace with your actual client ID
const redirectUri = encodeURIComponent('http://localhost:8080/callback'); //Your callback URL
const scopes = encodeURIComponent('user-read-private user-read-email'); //Requested permissions

const authUrl = `https://accounts.spotify.com/authorize?response_type=code&client_id=${clientId}&scope=${scopes}&redirect_uri=${redirectUri}`;

window.location.href = authUrl;

2. Create a Callback Route: Set up a route (e.g., /callback) in your Vue application to handle the redirect. This route receives the authorization code from the URL parameters (e.g., http://localhost:8080/callback?code=YOUR_AUTHORIZATION_CODE).

3. Backend for Token Exchange: Create a backend endpoint (Node.js, Python, etc.) to receive the authorization code. This backend exchanges the code for an access token using your client secret (keep this secure). Below is a basic Node.js example using node-fetch:

const fetch = require('node-fetch');

app.post('/api/token', async (req, res) => {
    const code = req.body.code;
    const clientId = 'YOUR_CLIENT_ID'; // Your client ID
    const clientSecret = 'YOUR_CLIENT_SECRET'; // Your client secret (KEEP THIS SECURE!)
    const redirectUri = 'http://localhost:8080/callback';

    const data = new URLSearchParams();
    data.append('grant_type', 'authorization_code');
    data.append('code', code);
    data.append('redirect_uri', redirectUri);
    data.append('client_id', clientId);
    data.append('client_secret', clientSecret);

    const response = await fetch('https://accounts.spotify.com/api/token', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
            'Content-Type': 'application/x-www-form-urlencoded',
        },
        body: data,
    });

    const tokenData = await response.json();
    res.json(tokenData);
});

4. Use the Access Token: The backend sends the access token back to your Vue app. Store it securely (e.g., in local storage, but be mindful of security implications) and use it for Spotify API requests.

Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:

• Incorrect Callback URL: Ensure the redirect_uri precisely matches your callback route URL. Mismatches frequently cause authentication failures.
• CORS Issues (Backend): Ensure your backend server correctly handles CORS requests from your frontend application.
• Client Secret Security: Never expose your client secret in the frontend.
• Token Expiration: Access tokens expire. Implement token refresh functionality.
• Error Handling: Implement robust error handling in both frontend and backend code.

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!