Feature Request: Cloud Function should support user.sendEmailVerification() like client sdk

[inlined]

[Refiling for user @Sun3 from https://github.com/firebase/functions-samples/issues/181]

Feature Request:

The user.sendEmailVerification() needs to be supported by Firebase Cloud Functions. This is available in client side but not server side. When using Cloud Functions to create new users we also need to automatically send Email Verification before new user can use our apps. This is currently as stopping block for our apps.

At this point the user.sendEmailVerification() gives error that function is not found.

    admin.auth().createUser({
        email: emailAddress,
        emailVerified: false,
        password: password,
        displayName: '', //name,
        disabled: false
    })
        .then(function (user) {
            // A error representation of the newly created user is returned
            console.log("Created Firebase User successfully with id: ", user.uid);
            console.log("user.emailVerified:", user.emailVerified);

            // Send Email Verification
            user.sendEmailVerification()
                .then(function (emailSent) {
                    console.log('emailSent ', emailSent);
                })
                .catch(function (error) {
                    console.log('emailSent error ', error);
                });

    // ... Additional code below

Thank you and I am open to any suggestions.

[google-oss-bot]

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[Sun3]

The issue/new feature request is that the user.sendEmailVerification() function is not available on the firebase admin (firebase cloud functions), but it is available in the client sdk like the one used in angular 4.

From the Documentation when you create a New user. I added the sendEmailVerification() which this function is not available. But it's a must to allow at this time for the new user to verify their email before we allow access to our apps.

admin.auth().createUser({
  email: "user@example.com",
  emailVerified: false,
  password: "secretPassword",
  displayName: "John Doe",
  photoURL: "http://www.example.com/12345678/photo.png",
  disabled: false
})
  .then(function(userRecord) {
    // See the UserRecord reference doc for the contents of userRecord.
    console.log("Successfully created new user:", userRecord.uid);
    
    // ****************************************************************
    // Cannot request/call the sendEmailVerification() function, not available
    // Send Email Verification
            user.sendEmailVerification()
                .then(function (emailSent) {
                    console.log('emailSent ', emailSent);
                })
                .catch(function (error) {
                    console.log('emailSent error ', error);
                });
    // End send email verification not available
    // ****************************************************************


  })
  .catch(function(error) {
    console.log("Error creating new user:", error);
  });

Please let me know if this explains the issue.
Thanks.

[rkpradeep20]

Yes, would like this feature in cloud functions. user.sendEmailVerification()

[coreybutler]

The docs make it seem like its possible to verify a new user's email address with the firebase email validation using a cloud function. Lack of this feature forces developers to use an external service (which requires an upgraded paid plan). Requiring a third party dependency for something Firebase already does well is clunky for developers and confusing.

[bojeil-google]

Hey @coreybutler, the email verification Firebase Auth sends is not a welcome nor a goodbye email (the link you pointed it out). Nor should it be used for that.

You also have the option to send an email verification client side for free. So if you want to send an email verification, you can always do it for free.

Let's keep these issues separate (sending email verifications, vs sending other personalized emails for non-auth specific reasons). We acknowledge the value of sending an email verification, server side via the admin SDK, and we are looking into it.

[coreybutler]

@bojeil-google - thanks.

Purely for context, my "app" doesn't have a front end. In my case, I'm using a cloud function to serve as a Docker Authentication Proxy... 100% server-side. Users are added directly through the Firebase console.

If this is a separate issue (which is fine), the docs should clarify. Perhaps indicate what limitations exist. A document titled "Extend Firebase Authentication with Cloud Functions" and a subtitle of "Trigger a function on user creation" seems like it would encompass email verification.

[bojeil-google]

Hey @coreybutler, to help unblock you, you can always use the client SDK to send the email verification from a Firebase Function. You'd need to require firebase module.
On user creation, you do the following:

1. get the uid of the user created from the onCreate trigger.
2. Using admin SDK, mint custom token via createCustomToken for that user.
3. Using client SDK, signInWithCustomToken using that custom token.
4. Send email verification via currentUser.sendEmailVerification.

[PoiScript]

+1, for now, I'm sending verification email by hitting the restful api. What a mess..

[inlined]

BTW, I'm trying to catch examples of sub-optimal Promise usage in the wild and wanted to point out the one in this thread, CC @Sun3 Promise code should almost never repeatedly nest. These aren't callbacks anymore:

    admin.auth().createUser({
        email: emailAddress,
        emailVerified: false,
        password: password,
        displayName: '', //name,
        disabled: false
    }).then(function (user) {
        // A error representation of the newly created user is returned
        console.log("Created Firebase User successfully with id: ", user.uid);
        console.log("user.emailVerified:", user.emailVerified);

        // Send Email Verification
       return user.sendEmailVerification();
    }).then(function (emailSent) {
       console.log('emailSent ', emailSent);

    }).catch(function (error) {
       console.log('emailSent error ', error);
    });
    // ... Additional code below

This code should hopefully be more readable. It also fixes two bugs:

1. user.sendEmailVerificaiton wasn't being returned, so the outer promise was resolving early to undefined
2. Because the catch block was on the outer promise, there was no handler for a failure to create the new user (may have been intentional from the error message, but you should always handle rejection.

[sweetcoco]

@bojeil-google While that would work to unblock developers who need this urgently, its an incredibly elaborate workaround once you figure in the need for service account certs for minting custom tokens... in my case where i have multiple environments where i would need to manage certs based on environment, its just a ton of mental overhead. It would be nice if cloud functions didn't need service account certs anyway.

Any word if this feature is being worked on?

[bojeil-google]

The feature is on our list and we acknowledge its importance. We just have a lot of feature requests and many are currently critical to developers and not possible client side or admin side. I would prioritize those higher.

If you are having a hard time minting custom tokens, you can just send the ID token to an HTTP endpoint you host in Firebase Functions and use the REST API to send the email verifications:
https://firebase.google.com/docs/reference/rest/auth/#section-send-email-verification