Authentication

Before using features of the Desk SDK for JavaScript in a client app, the SendBirdDesk instance must be initialized first when launching a client app. As the Desk SDK handles messages within a ticket based on Sendbird Chat, customers from Sendbird Chat should go through the user authentication with the Desk SDK before starting a chat with an agent.

To initialize the Desk SDK, call the SendBirdDesk.init() method and pass the SendBird class that is already initialized by the APP_ID of your Sendbird application on the Sendbird Dashboard.

// Initialize SendBirdDesk instance to use APIs in your app.
SendBirdDesk.init(SendBird);

Depending on the chat environment you want to provide to your customers, you can use the Chat SDK alone or both the Chat and Desk SDKs together.

Every ticket in Sendbird Desk is mapped to a group channel in Sendbird Chat because messages within a ticket are handled by Sendbird Chat. Therefore, your customer needs authentications from both the Chat SDK and the Desk SDK with the same user ID. Use the sb.connect() method to send and receive a message and the SendBirdDesk.authenticate() methods to retrieve or update a ticket.

// Use a user ID that is unique to your Sendbird application.
const sb = new SendBird({ appId: APP_ID });
sb.connect(USER_ID, ACCESS_TOKEN, (user, error) => {
    if (error) {
        // Handle error.
    }

    SendBirdDesk.init(SendBird);
    SendBirdDesk.authenticate(USER_ID, ACCESS_TOKEN, (user, error) => {
        if (error) {
            // Handle error.
        }

        // SendBirdDesk is now initialized,
        // and the customer is authenticated and connected to Sendbird server.
        ...
    });

    ...
});

If you're implementing the Chat SDK and the Desk SDK simultaneously, connect a user to Sendbird server with their user ID and access token first.

Note: Customers from social media, such as Instagram or Twitter, are automatically authenticated on the Sendbird Dashboard with their social media account.