A library that provides a way to encrypt and securely store key-value pairs locally on the device.
GitHub
npm
expo-secure-store
provides a way to encrypt and securely store key-value pairs locally on the device. Each Expo project has a separate storage system and has no access to the storage of other Expo projects.
Size limit for a value is 2048 bytes. An attempt to store larger values may fail. Currently, we print a warning when the limit is reached, however, in a future SDK version an error might be thrown.
The requireAuthentication
option is not supported in Expo Go when biometric authentication is available due to a missing NSFaceIDUsageDescription
key.
This API is not compatible with devices running Android 5 or lower.
-
npx expo install expo-secure-store
If you are installing this in an existing React Native app, start by installing expo
in your project. Then, follow the additional instructions as mentioned by the library's README under "Installation in bare React Native projects" section.
You can configure expo-secure-store
using its built-in config plugin if you use config plugins in your project (EAS Build or npx expo run:[android|ios]
). The plugin allows you to configure various properties that cannot be set at runtime and require building a new app binary to take effect.
{
"expo": {
"plugins": [
[
"expo-secure-store",
{
"configureAndroidBackup": true,
"faceIDPermission": "Allow $(PRODUCT_NAME) to access your Face ID biometric data."
}
]
]
}
}
Name | Default | Description |
---|---|---|
configureAndroidBackup | true | Only for: Android A boolean indicating whether to configure automatic Android backup to work correctly with |
faceIDPermission | "Allow $(PRODUCT_NAME) to access your Face ID biometric data." | Only for: iOS A string to set the |
Add NSFaceIDUsageDescription
key to Info.plist:
<key>NSCameraUsageDescription</key>
<string>Allow $(PRODUCT_NAME) to use the camera</string>
On Android, values are stored in SharedPreferences
, encrypted with Android's Keystore system.
For iOS standalone apps, data stored with
expo-secure-store
can persist across app installs.
On iOS, values are stored using the keychain services as kSecClassGenericPassword
. iOS has the additional option of being able to set the value's kSecAttrAccessible
attribute, which controls when the value is available to be fetched.
expo-secure-store
is designed to provide a persistent data storage solution across app restarts and updates. However, it is important not to rely on it as a single source of truth for irreplaceable, critical data. Data saved using expo-secure-store
will not be preserved upon app uninstallation.
Additionally, any data protected with the requireAuthentication
option set to true
will become inaccessible if there are changes to the user's biometric settings, such as adding a new fingerprint.
Apple App Store Connect prompts you to select the type of encryption algorithm your app implements. This is known as Export Compliance Information. It is asked when publishing the app or submitting for TestFlight.
When using expo-secure-store
, you can set the ios.config.usesNonExemptEncryption
property to false
in the app config:
{
"expo": {
"ios": {
"config": {
"usesNonExemptEncryption": false
}
%%placeholder-start%%... %%placeholder-end%%
}
}
}
Setting this property automatically handles the compliance information prompt.
Android Auto Backup for Apps automatically backs up a user's data from apps that target and run on Android 6.0 (API level 23) or higher.
The Auto Backup system has to be configured to exclude expo-secure-store
shared preferences entries, as it's impossible to decrypt them after restoring the backup — app's entries are deleted from the Android Key Store when the app is uninstalled.
If your app doesn't have any custom backup configuration, expo-secure-store
will automatically configure the Auto Backup system to ignore the expo-secure-store
data.
If you are using your own Auto Backup configuration, you should exclude the SecureStore
under the sharedpref
domain and set the configureAndroidBackup
to false
in the config plugin configuration.
<!-- Auto Backup configuration for Android 12 and higher -->
<data-extraction-rules>
<cloud-backup>
<include domain="sharedpref" path="."/>
<exclude domain="sharedpref" path="SecureStore"/>
</cloud-backup>
<device-transfer>
<include domain="sharedpref" path="."/>
<exclude domain="sharedpref" path="SecureStore"/>
</device-transfer>
</data-extraction-rules>
<!-- Auto Backup configuration for Android 11 and lower -->
<full-backup-content>
<include domain="sharedpref" path="."/>
<exclude domain="sharedpref" path="SecureStore"/>
</full-backup-content>
import { useState } from 'react';
import { Text, View, StyleSheet, TextInput, Button } from 'react-native';
import * as SecureStore from 'expo-secure-store';
async function save(key, value) {
await SecureStore.setItemAsync(key, value);
}
async function getValueFor(key) {
let result = await SecureStore.getItemAsync(key);
if (result) {
alert("🔐 Here's your value 🔐 \n" + result);
} else {
alert('No values stored under that key.');
}
}
export default function App() {
const [key, onChangeKey] = useState('Your key here');
const [value, onChangeValue] = useState('Your value here');
return (
<View style={styles.container}>
<Text style={styles.paragraph}>Save an item, and grab it later!</Text>
{%%placeholder-start%%Add some TextInput components... %%placeholder-end%%}
<TextInput
style={styles.textInput}
clearTextOnFocus
onChangeText={text => onChangeKey(text)}
value={key}
/>
<TextInput
style={styles.textInput}
clearTextOnFocus
onChangeText={text => onChangeValue(text)}
value={value}
/>
{}
<Button
title="Save this key/value pair"
onPress={() => {
save(key, value);
onChangeKey('Your key here');
onChangeValue('Your value here');
}}
/>
<Text style={styles.paragraph}>🔐 Enter your key 🔐</Text>
<TextInput
style={styles.textInput}
onSubmitEditing={event => {
getValueFor(event.nativeEvent.text);
}}
placeholder="Enter the key for the value you want to get"
/>
</View>
);
}
const styles = StyleSheet.create({
container: {
flex: 1,
justifyContent: 'center',
paddingTop: 10,
backgroundColor: '#ecf0f1',
padding: 8,
},
paragraph: {
marginTop: 34,
margin: 24,
fontSize: 18,
fontWeight: 'bold',
textAlign: 'center',
},
textInput: {
height: 35,
borderColor: 'gray',
borderWidth: 0.5,
padding: 4,
},
});
import * as SecureStore from 'expo-secure-store';
SecureStore.AFTER_FIRST_UNLOCK
Type: KeychainAccessibilityConstant
The data in the keychain item cannot be accessed after a restart until the device has been unlocked once by the user. This may be useful if you need to access the item when the phone is locked.
SecureStore.AFTER_FIRST_UNLOCK_THIS_DEVICE_ONLY
Type: KeychainAccessibilityConstant
Similar to AFTER_FIRST_UNLOCK
, except the entry is not migrated to a new device when restoring
from a backup.
Deprecated Use an accessibility level that provides some user protection, such as
AFTER_FIRST_UNLOCK
.
SecureStore.ALWAYS
Type: KeychainAccessibilityConstant
The data in the keychain item can always be accessed regardless of whether the device is locked. This is the least secure option.
Deprecated Use an accessibility level that provides some user protection, such as
AFTER_FIRST_UNLOCK_THIS_DEVICE_ONLY
.
SecureStore.ALWAYS_THIS_DEVICE_ONLY
Type: KeychainAccessibilityConstant
Similar to ALWAYS
, except the entry is not migrated to a new device when restoring from a backup.
SecureStore.WHEN_PASSCODE_SET_THIS_DEVICE_ONLY
Type: KeychainAccessibilityConstant
Similar to WHEN_UNLOCKED_THIS_DEVICE_ONLY
, except the user must have set a passcode in order to
store an entry. If the user removes their passcode, the entry will be deleted.
SecureStore.WHEN_UNLOCKED
Type: KeychainAccessibilityConstant
The data in the keychain item can be accessed only while the device is unlocked by the user.
SecureStore.WHEN_UNLOCKED_THIS_DEVICE_ONLY
Type: KeychainAccessibilityConstant
Similar to WHEN_UNLOCKED
, except the entry is not migrated to a new device when restoring from
a backup.
SecureStore.canUseBiometricAuthentication()
Checks if the value can be saved with requireAuthentication
option enabled.
boolean
true
if the device supports biometric authentication and the enrolled method is sufficiently secure. Otherwise, returns false
. Always returns false on tvOS.
SecureStore.deleteItemAsync(key, options)
Parameter | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
key | string | The key that was used to store the associated value. |
options (optional) | SecureStoreOptions | An Default: {} |
Delete the value associated with the provided key.
Promise<void>
A promise that rejects if the value can't be deleted.
SecureStore.getItem(key, options)
Parameter | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
key | string | The key that was used to store the associated value. |
options (optional) | SecureStoreOptions | An Default: {} |
Synchronously reads the stored value associated with the provided key.
Note: This function blocks the JavaScript thread, so the application may not be interactive when reading a value with
requireAuthentication
option set totrue
until the user authenticates.
string | null
Previously stored value. It resolves with null
if there is no entry
for the given key or if the key has been invalidated.
SecureStore.getItemAsync(key, options)
Parameter | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
key | string | The key that was used to store the associated value. |
options (optional) | SecureStoreOptions | An Default: {} |
Reads the stored value associated with the provided key.
Promise<string | null>
A promise that resolves to the previously stored value. It resolves with null
if there is no entry
for the given key or if the key has been invalidated. It rejects if an error occurs while retrieving the value.
Keys are invalidated by the system when biometrics change, such as adding a new fingerprint or changing the face profile used for face recognition. After a key has been invalidated, it becomes impossible to read its value. This only applies to values stored with
requireAuthentication
set totrue
.
SecureStore.isAvailableAsync()
Returns whether the SecureStore API is enabled on the current device. This does not check the app permissions.
Promise<boolean>
Promise which fulfils witch boolean
, indicating whether the SecureStore API is available
on the current device. Currently, this resolves true
on Android and iOS only.
SecureStore.setItem(key, value, options)
Parameter | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
key | string | The key to associate with the stored value. Keys may contain alphanumeric characters, |
value | string | The value to store. Size limit is 2048 bytes. |
options (optional) | SecureStoreOptions | An Default: {} |
Stores a key–value pair synchronously.
Note: This function blocks the JavaScript thread, so the application may not be interactive when the
requireAuthentication
option is set totrue
until the user authenticates.
void
SecureStore.setItemAsync(key, value, options)
Parameter | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
key | string | The key to associate with the stored value. Keys may contain alphanumeric characters, |
value | string | The value to store. Size limit is 2048 bytes. |
options (optional) | SecureStoreOptions | An Default: {} |
Stores a key–value pair.
Promise<void>
A promise that rejects if value cannot be stored on the device.
SecureStoreOptions
Name | Type | Description |
---|---|---|
authenticationPrompt (optional) | string | Custom message displayed to the user while |
keychainAccessible (optional) | KeychainAccessibilityConstant | Only for: iOS Specifies when the stored entry is accessible, using iOS's Default: SecureStore.WHEN_UNLOCKED
|
keychainService (optional) | string |
|
requireAuthentication (optional) | boolean | Option responsible for enabling the usage of the user authentication methods available on the device while accessing data stored in SecureStore.
This option works slightly differently across platforms: On Android, user authentication is required for all operations. On iOS, the user is prompted to authenticate only when reading or updating an existing value (not when creating a new one). Warning: This option is not supported in Expo Go when biometric authentication is available due to a missing NSFaceIDUsageDescription.
In release builds or when using continuous native generation, make sure to use the |