allow to embed x tweet on public website by users

RajeshKumarin

I am developing a websites where user can create a profile their own and embed his/her own public tweet on their profile from x.com. Which authentication method i should apply for?

RajeshKumarin

For your use case — where users can create profiles on your website and embed their own public tweets on their profile — the best authentication method to use is:

OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code with PKCE

Why?

User Authentication:
- This method lets users log in to your website using their X (formerly Twitter) accounts.
- Users grant permission to your app to fetch their tweets.
Secure and Modern:
- The PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) flow enhances security, especially for mobile or single-page applications.
Access Control:
- Ensures users only access their tweets (public or private) by generating a user-specific access token.
Flexibility:
- While the primary goal is to fetch public tweets, you can expand to fetch private tweets or other data in the future with the same authentication setup.

Flow Overview

User Logs In:
- Redirect the user to the X.com authentication page.
- They log in and authorize your app.
Exchange Authorization Code for Tokens:
- Your server exchanges the authorization code for an access token and a refresh token.
Fetch User Tweets:
- Use the access token to call the /2/users/{id}/tweets endpoint to fetch the user’s public tweets.
Embed Tweets:
- Display the selected tweets on the user’s profile using X’s embed functionality.

Implementation Steps

1. Set Up Your X App

Go to Twitter Developer Portal.
Create a new app or edit an existing one.
Configure the callback URL to redirect users back to your site after authentication.
- Example: https://yourwebsite.com/callback.

2. Implement OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code with PKCE

Frontend (User Login Flow)

Generate a random code_verifier (e.g., a 43-128 character string).

Create a code_challenge:

   const codeChallenge = base64UrlEncode(sha256(codeVerifier));

Redirect the user to the X OAuth URL:

   https://twitter.com/i/oauth2/authorize?response_type=code
   &client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID
   &redirect_uri=YOUR_CALLBACK_URL
   &scope=tweet.read users.read
   &state=RANDOM_STATE_STRING
   &code_challenge=CODE_CHALLENGE
   &code_challenge_method=S256

Backend (Exchange Code for Tokens)

Once the user logs in, X redirects them to your callback URL with an authorization_code.

Send a POST request to the token endpoint:

   POST https://api.twitter.com/2/oauth2/token
   Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded

Request Body:

grant_type=authorization_code
code=AUTHORIZATION_CODE
redirect_uri=YOUR_CALLBACK_URL
client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID
code_verifier=YOUR_CODE_VERIFIER

Store the access_token and refresh_token securely.

3. Fetch User Tweets

Use the access token to fetch tweets:

curl -X GET "https://api.twitter.com/2/users/{user_id}/tweets?max_results=10" \
-H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN"

4. Embed Tweets

Use the Tweet Embed HTML:

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet">
    <a href="https://twitter.com/{username}/status/{tweet_id}"></a>
</blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Advantages of OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code with PKCE

Ensures only authenticated users can manage their tweets.
Secure and future-proof for modern web and mobile apps.
Easy to extend functionality if needed (e.g., fetch private data).

If you need detailed code examples for the frontend or backend parts, let me know!

RajeshKumarin

To read tweets using X (formerly Twitter) API, you can use any of the following authentication methods depending on your use case and the level of access you need:

1. OAuth 1.0a User Context

Best for: Accessing a user's private data or performing actions on their behalf (e.g., reading private tweets, sending tweets, or accessing DMs).
Use Case:
- If you need to read tweets from a specific user’s private timeline or other user-specific data, this is the method to use.
- Supports both public and private data access.
Complexity: Requires generating an OAuth signature for every request.

2. OAuth 2.0 App Only

Best for: Reading public data only (e.g., public tweets, timelines, user profiles).
Use Case:
- If you only need to read tweets from public accounts, this is simpler and does not involve user context.
- Ideal for apps that read public timelines, trends, or analyze data.
Complexity: Easier compared to OAuth 1.0a, as it uses a Bearer Token for authentication.

3. OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code with PKCE

Best for: Building apps where users need to authenticate themselves and grant access to your app.
Use Case:
- When creating a web or mobile app that needs users to log in with their X account and grant permission.
- Supports more secure flows and is recommended for modern apps.
Complexity: Involves a multi-step authentication process (authorization code exchange with PKCE).

Which One to Choose for Reading Tweets?

Public Tweets Only

Use OAuth 2.0 App Only:

Simplest method if you are reading public data.
Obtain a Bearer Token from the X Developer Portal.
Use the token to access endpoints like /2/tweets.

Private Tweets or User-Specific Data

Use OAuth 1.0a User Context:

Required if you need to access private tweets or data tied to a user’s account.
Authenticate the user with their consent.

Building a Modern App with User Login

Use OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code with PKCE:

Recommended for building secure, scalable apps where users log in and give access to their data.
Works well with modern web frameworks.

Example Scenarios

I want to display public tweets from a user’s timeline:
- Use OAuth 2.0 App Only.
- Fetch tweets using /2/users/{id}/tweets.
I want to read private tweets from a user's timeline:
- Use OAuth 1.0a User Context.
- Authenticate the user to access their private data.
I want to allow users to log in to my app and choose what to embed:
- Use OAuth 2.0 Authorization Code with PKCE.
- Users authenticate, and you use their token to fetch tweets.

Let me know your specific use case, and I can provide a more tailored recommendation or code sample!