passport.js passport.initialize() middleware not in use

Question

I am using node with express + mongoose and trying to use passport.js with restful api.
I keep getting this exception after authentication success (I see the callback url on the browser):

/Users/naorye/dev/naorye/myproj/node_modules/mongoose/lib/utils.js:419
        throw err;
              ^
Error: passport.initialize() middleware not in use
    at IncomingMessage.req.login.req.logIn (/Users/naorye/dev/naorye/myproj/node_modules/passport/lib/passport/http/request.js:30:30)
    at Context.module.exports.delegate.success (/Users/naorye/dev/naorye/myproj/node_modules/passport/lib/passport/middleware/authenticate.js:194:13)
    at Context.actions.success (/Users/naorye/dev/naorye/myproj/node_modules/passport/lib/passport/context/http/actions.js:21:25)
    at verified (/Users/naorye/dev/naorye/myproj/node_modules/passport-facebook/node_modules/passport-oauth/lib/passport-oauth/strategies/oauth2.js:133:18)
    at Promise.module.exports.passport.use.GitHubStrategy.clientID (/Users/naorye/dev/naorye/myproj/config/passport.js:91:24)
    at Promise.onResolve (/Users/naorye/dev/naorye/myproj/node_modules/mongoose/node_modules/mpromise/lib/promise.js:162:8)
    at Promise.EventEmitter.emit (events.js:96:17)
    at Promise.emit (/Users/naorye/dev/naorye/myproj/node_modules/mongoose/node_modules/mpromise/lib/promise.js:79:38)
    at Promise.fulfill (/Users/naorye/dev/naorye/myproj/node_modules/mongoose/node_modules/mpromise/lib/promise.js:92:20)
    at /Users/naorye/dev/naorye/myproj/node_modules/mongoose/lib/query.js:1822:13

I have read that I should put app.use(passport.initialize()); and app.use(passport.session()); before app.use(app.router); and this is what I did. Here is my express.js that registers the middlewares:

var express = require('express'),
    mongoStore = require('connect-mongo')(express),
    flash = require('connect-flash'),
    helpers = require('view-helpers');

module.exports = function (app, config, passport) {
    app.set('showStackError', true);
    // should be placed before express.static
    app.use(express.compress({
        filter: function (req, res) {
            return /json|text|javascript|css/.test(res.getHeader('Content-Type'));
        },
        level: 9
    }));
    app.use(express.favicon());
    app.use(express.static(config.root + '/public'));

    app.use(express.logger('dev'));

    // set views path, template engine and default layout
    app.set('views', config.root + '/app/views');
    app.set('view engine', 'jade');

    app.configure(function () {
        // use passport session
        app.use(passport.initialize());
        app.use(passport.session());

        // dynamic helpers
        app.use(helpers(config.app.name));

        // cookieParser should be above session
        app.use(express.cookieParser());

        // bodyParser should be above methodOverride
        app.use(express.bodyParser());
        app.use(express.methodOverride());

        // express/mongo session storage
        app.use(express.session({
            secret: 'linkit',
            store: new mongoStore({
                url: config.db,
                collection : 'sessions'
            })
        }));

        // connect flash for flash messages
        app.use(flash());

        // routes should be at the last
        app.use(app.router);

        // assume "not found" in the error msgs
        // is a 404. this is somewhat silly, but
        // valid, you can do whatever you like, set
        // properties, use instanceof etc.
        app.use(function(err, req, res, next){
            // treat as 404
            if (~err.message.indexOf('not found')) {
                return next();
            }

            // log it
            console.error(err.stack);

            // error page
            res.status(500).render('500', { error: err.stack });
        });

        // assume 404 since no middleware responded
        app.use(function(req, res, next){
            res.status(404).render('404', {
                url: req.originalUrl,
                error: 'Not found'
            });
        });
    });
};

What is wrong?

UPDATE According to @Peter Lyons I have changed the configurations order to the following, but I still got the same error:

var express = require('express'),
    mongoStore = require('connect-mongo')(express),
    flash = require('connect-flash'),
    helpers = require('view-helpers');

module.exports = function (app, config, passport) {
    app.set('showStackError', true);
    // should be placed before express.static
    app.use(express.compress({
        filter: function (req, res) {
            return /json|text|javascript|css/.test(res.getHeader('Content-Type'));
        },
        level: 9
    }));
    app.use(express.favicon());
    app.use(express.static(config.root + '/public'));

    app.use(express.logger('dev'));

    // set views path, template engine and default layout
    app.set('views', config.root + '/app/views');
    app.set('view engine', 'jade');

    app.configure(function () {

        // dynamic helpers
        app.use(helpers(config.app.name));

        // cookieParser should be above session
        app.use(express.cookieParser());

        // bodyParser should be above methodOverride
        app.use(express.bodyParser());
        app.use(express.methodOverride());

        // express/mongo session storage
        app.use(express.session({
            secret: 'linkit',
            store: new mongoStore({
                url: config.db,
                collection : 'sessions'
            })
        }));

        // connect flash for flash messages
        app.use(flash());

        // use passport session
        app.use(passport.initialize());
        app.use(passport.session());

        // routes should be at the last
        app.use(app.router);

        // assume "not found" in the error msgs
        // is a 404. this is somewhat silly, but
        // valid, you can do whatever you like, set
        // properties, use instanceof etc.
        app.use(function(err, req, res, next){
            // treat as 404
            if (~err.message.indexOf('not found')) {
                return next();
            }

            // log it
            console.error(err.stack);

            // error page
            res.status(500).render('500', { error: err.stack });
        });

        // assume 404 since no middleware responded
        app.use(function(req, res, next){
            res.status(404).render('404', {
                url: req.originalUrl,
                error: 'Not found'
            });
        });
    });
};

Answer 1

Follow the example to avoid the out-of-order middleware hell that express makes it so easy to enter. Straight from the docs. Note how yours does not match this exactly.

var app = express();
app.use(require('serve-static')(__dirname + '/../../public'));
app.use(require('cookie-parser')());
app.use(require('body-parser').urlencoded({ extended: true }));
app.use(require('express-session')({
  secret: 'keyboard cat',
  resave: true,
  saveUninitialized: true
}));
app.use(passport.initialize());
app.use(passport.session());

Docs

1. cookieParser
2. session
3. passport.initialize
4. passport.session
5. app.router

You

1. passport.initialize
2. passport.session
3. cookieParser
4. session
5. app.router

Answer 2

In my case (same error message) I've forgotten to add the passport initializations at all:

app.configure(function () {
    ...
    app.use(passport.initialize());
    app.use(passport.session());
});

UPDATE: Only working up to express version 3, version 4 does not support app.configure() anymore

Answer 3

In my case the error was because I was trying to promisify req.login without binding this to req, so when the function was called it could not find passport settings. The solution is binding req.login.bind(req) before passing it to promisify if you are using Node v8.

Answer 4

Peter Lyons answer helped me to solve it, but i solved it in abit different way.

app.use(
  cookieSession({
    maxAge: 30 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000,
    keys: [keys.cookieKey],
  }),
);
app.use(passport.initialize());
app.use(passport.session());

Have a look at my GitHub repo for the whole code and not only the code snippet here.

Answer 5

What has helped me also was to put routes AFTER cookies config:

// init Cookies:
app.use(
    cookieSession({
        maxAge: 30 * 24 * 60 * 60 * 1000,
        keys: [keys.cookieKey]
    })
);
app.use(passport.initialize());
app.use(passport.session());

// init routes
const authRoutes = require("./routes/authRoutes")(app);