Authenticated Middleware on Netlify: Missing Piece?

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Hey there,

I’m trying to use an Edge Function as middleware for a specific path.
Let’s say I have:

  • Function A: /api/create-post.ts
  • Function B: /api/delete-post.ts

Both of these need an authentication layer. I’m using netlify.toml to register an Edge Function called auth that should run before any functions in /api/* according to Edge Functions declarations | Netlify Docs

[[edge_functions]]
    pattern = "/api/(.*)"
    excludedPattern = "/api/session"
    function = "auth"

When a request hits /api/create-post.ts, the auth function runs first. It verifies the user token and is supposed to pass some user data to the next function via the context:

export default function Auth(req: Request, context: Context) {
  const token = context.cookies.get("app-token");

  if (isCool(token)) {
    context.data = "some user data here";
    return context.next(); // proceed to create-post.ts
  }

  return new Response("Not cool!", { status: 401 });
}

The issue is that neither Serverless Functions nor Edge Functions can actually modify the context in a way that persists to the next function. This makes it impossible to implement a proper middleware pattern without rolling our own solution or using a third-party library (like Middy).

So my question is: **Is there any plan to support this natively ?

2

Short-term

- Use tokens or signed data passed via HTTP headers or cookies — this is the most reliable pattern and widely used.

Long-term / ideal

– A built-in Edge → Function “context” propagation feature would be powerful, but it’s not supported currently. Asking Netlify (via GitHub issues / forum) is reasonable.

Be aware of limitations

- Edge Functions are very powerful for lightweight, fast path logic, but they aren’t architecture-identical to serverless functions for passing full “state.”

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