Plaid Link

Plaid Link is a new way to integrate with the Plaid API. It is a drop-in module that offers a secure, elegant authentication flow for each institution that Plaid supports. The module handles input validation, error handling, and multi-factor authentication flows.

Plaid Link supports most modern desktop and mobile browsers - detailed information can be found in the browser support section.

Check out the demo to see it in action! You can test out sandbox credentials (username: plaid_test, password: plaid_good) or your own bank account credentials. Source code for the demo app can be found here.

Read on for a complete getting started guide or jump straight to either the API reference or explore some sample apps.

Table of contents

• Table of contents
• Glossary
• Getting started
  • Step 1: Get your public_key
  • Step 2: Simple integration
  • Step 2: Custom integration
  • Step 3: Write server-side handler
  • Step 4: Test with sandbox credentials
• Updating existing user accounts
• Reference
  • /exchange_token endpoint
  • Parameter reference
    • Simple integration
    • Custom integration
• Security
• Browser support
  • Desktop
  • Mobile
• Expansion
• Support

Glossary

Most Plaid API calls involve three pieces of information: a client_id, secret, and an access_token. All three of these are considered private information - they are not meant to be shared or hard coded directly into an app or site. This poses a problem for Plaid Link, as a user will be onboarding directly in the browser.

To address this, Plaid client accounts now have an additional identifier: a public_key.

• the public_key simply associates users that onboard through Plaid Link with your client_id and secret
• the public_key cannot be used to make authenticated Plaid API calls (i.e. retrieving account and routing numbers for a user)

Once a user has successfully onboarded via Plaid Link, the module will provide a public_token. This is in contrast to typical Plaid API requests, which return an access_token.

The public_token:

• is safe to expose in an app or browser
• cannot be used to retrieve account and routing numbers (for auth) or transactions (for connect) directly
• can be exchanged for a Plaid access_token via the /exchange_token endpoint.

The getting started guide below covers illustrates how to use your public_key to get up and running with Plaid Link. The guide also covers how to exchange a public_token for a access_token.

Getting started

There are two different integrations:

• Simple: The simple integration provides a customizable "Link your Bank Account" button and handles submitting a Plaid public_token to a server endpoint that you specify.
• Custom: The custom integration lets you trigger the Plaid Link module via client-side Javascript. You specify your own callback function to be called with the public_token once a user has authenticated.

Step 1: Get your public_key

Your public_key is available from the Plaid dashboard:

Your public_key is a less privileged version of your client_id and secret. It simply associates accounts you create using Plaid Link with your client_id. All Plaid API requests must be made using your private client_id and secret.

Step 2: Simple integration

Include the following markup (the <form> and <script> tags) in your site or web application:

<!-- A hidden input named public_token will be appended to this form
once the user has completed the Link flow. Link will then submit the
form, sending the public_token to your server. -->
<form id="some-id" method="GET" action="?"></form>

<script
  src="https://cdn.plaid.com/link/stable/link-initialize.js"
  data-client-name="Client Name"
  data-form-id="some-id"
  data-key="test_key"
  data-product="auth"
  data-env="tartan">
</script>

See the parameter reference for complete documentation on possible configurations.

The injected "Link your Bank Account" button has the ID plaid-link-button and can be styled with CSS:

#plaid-link-button {
  border: 10px solid pink;
}

Step 2: Custom integration

The custom integration allows you to decide, with a few lines of client-side Javascript, when the module is triggered. You can trigger the "Institution Select" view or trigger a particular institution's credentials form. See below:

<script src="https://cdn.plaid.com/link/stable/link-initialize.js"></script>
<script>
var linkHandler = Plaid.create({
  env: 'tartan',
  clientName: 'Client Name',
  key: 'test_key',
  product: 'auth',
  onLoad: function() {
    // The Link module finished loading.
  },
  onSuccess: function(public_token) {
    // Send your public_token to your app server here.
  },
  onExit: function() {
    // The user exited the Link flow.
  },
});

// Trigger the BofA login view
document.getElementById('bofaButton').onclick = function() {
  linkHandler.open('bofa');
};

// Trigger the standard institution select view
document.getElementById('linkButton').onclick = function() {
  linkHandler.open();
};
</script>

See the parameter reference for complete documentation on possible configurations.

Plaid.create accepts one argument, a configuration Object, and returns an Object with one function, open, and one property, institutions. open accepts either no arguments or an optional institution type. If no argument is provided, the "Institution Select" view is opened. If a valid institution type is provided, the login form for that particular institution is opened.

The exposed institutions property is an Array of Objects in the form:

[{name: 'Bank of America', type: 'bofa', auth: true, connect: true}, ...]

The institutions property will be populated with all supported institutions for a given product. That is, the list of institutions will be different for auth and connect. Use the institutions property to dynamically generate a list of supported institutions for your Link integration - by doing so, your app will support new institutions and products automatically.

Step 3: Write server-side handler

The Link module handles the entire onboarding flow securely and quickly but does not actually retrieve account or transaction data for a user. Instead, the Link module returns a public_token that is safe to expose in the browser.

This public_token must be exchanged for a Plaid access_token using the /exchange_token API endpoint. To do so, you must add a server side handler. A sample node.js server-side handler is provided below - full application samples can be found in the /examples directory of this repository.

With the simple integration, the public_token will be appended to the form specified by data-form-id as a hidden input. This form will be automatically submitted once a user has completed onboarding.

With the custom integration, the callback you specified in Plaid.create will be called with one argument, the public_token. It is your responsibility to send it to your app server.

In the example above, the form some-id had action="/authenticate". So we'll add a /authenticate route to our server side code that expects a POST request with a field named public_token in the request body. We'll then use that public_token along with our private client_id and secret to retrieve a Plaid access_token (via the /exchange_token endpoint). This access_token should be saved in a database and used to retrieve account and transaction data.

Below is a sample server-side handler using Express and the plaid-node library:

var express = require('express');
var plaid = require('plaid');

var app = express();

var plaidClient =
  new plaid.Client(process.env.PLAID_CLIENT_ID, process.env.PLAID_SECRET, plaid.environments.tartan);

app.post('/authenticate', function(req, res) {
  var public_token = req.body.public_token;

  // Exchange a public_token for a Plaid access_token
  plaidClient.exchangeToken(public_token, function(err, res) {
    if (err != null) {
      // Handle error!
    } else {
      // This is your Plaid access token - store it somewhere persistent
      // The access_token can be used to make Plaid API calls to retrieve
      // accounts and transactions
      var access_token = res.access_token;

      plaidClient.getAuthUser(access_token, function(err, res) {
        if (err != null) {
          // Handle error!
        } else {
          // An array of accounts for this user, containing account names,
          // balances, and account and routing numbers.
          var accounts = res.accounts;

          // Return account data
          res.json({
            accounts: accounts,
          });
        }
      });
    }
  });
});

Step 4: Test with sandbox credentials

The Link module has a sandbox mode that works with the Plaid API sandbox. To enable the sandbox, set data-key or key to test_key (for simple and custom integrations, respectively). This lets you see the flow for each individual institution Plaid supports, including the multi-factor authentication process when applicable.

For simple integrations:

<form id="some-id" method="POST" action="/authenticate"></form>

<script
  src="https://cdn.plaid.com/link/stable/link-initialize.js"
  data-client-name="Client Name"
  data-form-id="some-id"
  data-key="test_key"
  data-product="auth"
  data-env="tartan">
</script>

For custom integrations:

<button id="plaidLinkButton">Open Plaid Link</button>

<script src="https://cdn.plaid.com/link/stable/link-initialize.js"></script>
<script>
var sandboxHandler = Plaid.create({
  env: 'tartan',
  clientName: 'Client Name',
  key: 'test_key',
  product: 'auth',
  onSuccess: function(public_token) {
    console.log(public_token);
  },
});

document.getElementById('plaidLinkButton').onclick = function() {
  // Trigger the "Institution Select" view
  sandboxHandler.open();
};
</script>

If you are having trouble using the module in sandbox mode, check the developer console in your browser for error messages.

Updating existing user accounts

When a user changes their username, password, or MFA credentials with a financial institution or is locked out of their account, they must update their credentials with Plaid as well.

Link's update mode makes this process secure and painless and is available in both the simple and custom integrations.

To use update mode, initialize Link with the public_token for the user you wish to update.

For the simple integration add the data-token attribute as follows:

<!-- A hidden input named public_token will be appended to this form
once the user has completed the Link flow. Link will then submit the
form, sending the new public_token to your server. -->
<form id="some-id" method="GET" action="?"></form>

<script
  src="https://cdn.plaid.com/link/stable/link-initialize.js"
  data-client-name="Client Name"
  data-form-id="some-id"
  data-key="test_key"
  data-product="auth"
  data-env="tartan"
  data-token="test,chase,connected">
</script>

The custom initalizer takes a similarly-named token added to the parameter hash:

<script src="https://cdn.plaid.com/link/stable/link-initialize.js"></script>
<script>
var linkHandler = Plaid.create({
  env: 'tartan',
  clientName: 'Client Name',
  key: 'test_key',
  product: 'auth',
  token: 'test,chase,connected',
  onLoad: function() {
    // The Link module finished loading.
  },
  onSuccess: function(public_token) {
    // Send the newly updated public_token to your app server here.
  },
  onExit: function() {
    // The user exited the Link flow.
  },
});

// Trigger the authentication view
document.getElementById('linkButton').onclick = function() {
  linkHandler.open();
};
</script>

Link will jump directly to the login view for the appropriate institution when in update mode.

Note that for custom integrations calling Link with an institution will not work as usual:

linkHandler.open('chase');

Instead it will function identically to:

linkHandler.open();

This is because the user's public token is associated with a particular institution and it does not make sense to open another institution's authentication.

Test update mode with sandbox tokens

For update mode a suitable sandbox public token can be generated by inserting the desired institution type into the string test,{institution_type},connected.

For example:

test,chase,connected
test,usaa,connected
test,wells,connected

Reference

/exchange_token endpoint

The /exchange_token endpoint is available in both the tartan (https://tartan.plaid.com) and production (https://api.plaid.com) environments.

Method	Endpoint	Required Parameters
POST	/exchange_token	client_id, secret, public_token

The /exchange_token endpoint has already been integrated into the plaid-node, plaid-go, plaid-ruby, and plaid-python client libraries. Support for plaid-java is coming soon.

If you are working with a library that does not yet support the /exchange_token endpoint you can simply make a standard HTTP request:

$ curl -X POST https://tartan.plaid.com/exchange_token \
>   -d client_id="$plaid_client_id" \
>   -d secret="$plaid_secret" \
>   -d public_token="$public_token_from_plaid_link_module"

For a valid request, the API will return a JSON response similar to:

{
  "access_token": "foobar_plaid_access_token"
}

For possible error codes, see the full listing of Plaid error codes.

Parameter reference

Simple integration

Parameter	Required?	Description
data-client-name	required	Displayed once a user has successfully linked their account.
data-form-id	required	The DOM ID associated with form that the Link module will append the public_key to as a hidden input and submit when a user completes the onboarding flow.
data-product	required	The Plaid product you wish to use, either "auth" or "connect".
data-key	required	The public_key associated with your account; available form the dashboard.
data-env	required	The Plaid API environment on which to create user accounts.,For development and testing, use "tartan". For production use, use "production". Note: all "production" requests are billed.
data-webhook	optional	Specify a webhook to associate with a user.
data-token	optional	Specify an existing user's public token to launch Link in update mode. This will cause Link to open directly to the authentication step for that user's institutiton.

Custom integration

Parameter	Required?	Description
clientName	required	Displayed once a user has successfully linked their account.
product	required	The Plaid product you wish to use, either "auth" or "connect".
key	required	The public_key associated with your account; available form the dashboard.
env	required	The Plaid API environment on which to create user accounts.,For development and testing, use "tartan". For production use, use "production". Note: all "production" requests are billed.
onSuccess	required	A function that is called when a user has successfully onboarded their account. The function should expect one argument, the public_key.
onExit	optional	A function that is called when a user has specifically exited the Link flow.
onLoad	optional	A function that is called when the Link module has finished loading. Calls to plaidLinkHandler.open() prior to the onLoad callback will be delayed until the module is fully loaded.
webhook	optional	Specify a webhook to associate with a user.
token	optional	Specify an existing user's public token to launch Link in update mode. This will cause Link to open directly to the authentication step for that user's institutiton.

Security

All data sent to Plaid is encrypted using a secure HTTPS connection with our servers. While you can use the module on a non-HTTPS site (all data sent to Plaid operates in an entirely different context and connection), we strongly recommend using HTTPS at all times.

More information about Plaid's security policies and practices can be found on our website.

Browser support

Desktop

Browser	Supported?
	Fully supported
	Fully supported
	Fully supported
10	Fully supported
9	Fully supported Note: You must host the Link module on a HTTPS site for compatability due to IE9 security restrictions.
8	Not supported

Mobile

Modern mobile browsers are supported, including most iPhone and Android devices. If you encounter any inconsistencies, open an issue.

Expansion

Plaid Link is currently a web-only integration. Plaid Link will offer native iOS and Android bindings in the coming months.

Support

For most matters, open an issue.

If you would rather keep the request private, please contact [email protected].

⚠️ Do not include your client_id or secret in any issue or support request. :)