Hosted UI

The simplest way to create authenticated browser sessions

Collect credentials securely via Kernel’s hosted page, then use the authenticated session in your automations. This is the recommended approach for most applications.

Use the Hosted UI when:

• You need users to provide their credentials
• You want the simplest integration with minimal code
• You want Kernel to handle 2FA and multi-step login flows

Getting started

1. Create a Connection

A Managed Auth Connection links a profile to a domain you want to keep authenticated.

TypeScript

const auth = await kernel.auth.connections.create({
  domain: 'linkedin.com',
  profile_name: 'linkedin-profile',
});

2. Start a Login Session

Start a Managed Auth Session to get the hosted login URL.

TypeScript

const login = await kernel.auth.connections.login(auth.id);

3. Collect Credentials

Send the user to the hosted login page:

TypeScript

window.location.href = login.hosted_url;

The user will:

1. See the login page for the target website
2. Enter their credentials
3. Complete 2FA if needed

4. Poll for Completion

On your backend, poll until authentication completes:

TypeScript

let state = await kernel.auth.connections.retrieve(auth.id);

while (state.flow_status === 'IN_PROGRESS') {
  await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 2000));
  state = await kernel.auth.connections.retrieve(auth.id);
}

if (state.status === 'AUTHENTICATED') {
  console.log('Authentication successful!');
}

Poll every 2 seconds. The session expires after 20 minutes if not completed, and the flow times out after 10 minutes of waiting for user input.

5. Use the Profile

Create browsers with the profile and navigate to the site. The browser session will already be authenticated:

TypeScript

const browser = await kernel.browsers.create({
  profile: { name: 'linkedin-profile' },
  stealth: true,
});

// Navigate to the site—you're already logged in
await page.goto('https://linkedin.com');

Managed Auth Connections are generated using Kernel’s stealth mode. Use stealth: true when creating authenticated browser sessions for the best experience.

Complete Example

TypeScript

import Kernel from '@onkernel/sdk';

const kernel = new Kernel();

// Create connection
const auth = await kernel.auth.connections.create({
  domain: 'doordash.com',
  profile_name: 'doordash-user-123',
});

// Start authentication
const login = await kernel.auth.connections.login(auth.id);

// Send user to hosted page
console.log('Login URL:', login.hosted_url);

// Poll for completion
let state = await kernel.auth.connections.retrieve(auth.id);
while (state.flow_status === 'IN_PROGRESS') {
  await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 2000));
  state = await kernel.auth.connections.retrieve(auth.id);
}

if (state.status === 'AUTHENTICATED') {
  const browser = await kernel.browsers.create({
    profile: { name: 'doordash-user-123' },
    stealth: true,
  });
  
  // Navigate to the site—you're already logged in
  await page.goto('https://doordash.com');
}

Adding Features

The basic flow above gets you started. Add these features as needed:

Credentials and Auto-Reauth

Credentials are saved after every successful login, enabling automatic re-authentication when the session expires. One-time codes (TOTP, SMS, etc.) are not saved.

To opt out of credential saving, set save_credentials: false when creating the connection. See Credentials for more on automated authentication.

Custom Login URL

If the site’s login page isn’t at the default location, specify it when creating the connection:

TypeScript

const auth = await kernel.auth.connections.create({
  domain: 'example.com',
  profile_name: 'my-profile',
  login_url: 'https://example.com/auth/signin',
});

SSO/OAuth Support

Sites with “Sign in with Google/GitHub/Microsoft” are supported. The user completes the OAuth flow with the provider, and the authenticated session is automatically saved to the Kernel profile.

Make sure to add all of the OAuth provider’s domains to allowed_domains:

TypeScript

const auth = await kernel.auth.connections.create({
  domain: 'example.com',
  profile_name: 'my-profile',
  allowed_domains: ['accounts.google.com', 'google.com'],
});

Post-Login URL

After successful authentication, post_login_url will be set to the page where the login landed. Use this start your automation from the right place:

TypeScript

const managedAuth = await kernel.auth.connections.retrieve(auth.id);

if (managedAuth.post_login_url) {
  await page.goto(managedAuth.post_login_url);
  // Start automation from the dashboard/home page
}