Rork

Add legally binding e-signatures to any Rork mobile app using serverless functions and the Firma REST API.

Firma lets you add legally binding e-signatures to any mobile application built with Rork. Since Rork generates React Native (Expo) apps, you can call the Firma API from a lightweight backend and render the signing experience in a WebView within your mobile app.

This guide covers the recommended integration path: a serverless backend function that calls the Firma REST API, with a React Native WebView for embedded signing.

Prerequisites

• A Firma account with an API key
• A Rork-generated mobile app (React Native / Expo)
• At least one Firma template with signing fields configured
• A backend for secure API calls. Options include Rork Backend, Supabase Edge Functions, Vercel Serverless Functions, or any Node.js/Python server

Firma uses the raw API key as the Authorization header value - do not prefix it with Bearer. This differs from many other APIs.

Step 1: Set up your backend

Rork apps run on the client, so you need a server-side layer to keep your API key secret. This example uses a Supabase Edge Function, but the same logic applies to any backend.

Create the Edge Function:

supabase functions new send-signing-request

Store your Firma API key as a secret:

supabase secrets set FIRMA_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Never call the Firma API directly from your React Native app. The API key would be exposed in the app bundle and could be extracted by anyone who downloads your app.

Then replace the generated index.ts with the following:

// supabase/functions/send-signing-request/index.ts
const FIRMA_API = "https://api.firma.dev/functions/v1/signing-request-api";

const corsHeaders = {
  "Access-Control-Allow-Origin": "*",
  "Access-Control-Allow-Headers": "authorization, x-client-info, apikey, content-type",
};

Deno.serve(async (req) => {
  if (req.method === "OPTIONS") {
    return new Response("ok", { headers: corsHeaders });
  }

  try {
    const { template_id, signer_email, signer_first_name, signer_last_name } =
      await req.json();

    const apiKey = Deno.env.get("FIRMA_API_KEY");
    if (!apiKey) {
      return new Response(
        JSON.stringify({ error: "FIRMA_API_KEY not configured" }),
        { status: 500, headers: { ...corsHeaders, "Content-Type": "application/json" } }
      );
    }

    const response = await fetch(
      `${FIRMA_API}/signing-requests/create-and-send`,
      {
        method: "POST",
        headers: {
          Authorization: apiKey,
          "Content-Type": "application/json",
        },
        body: JSON.stringify({
          name: "Contract for " + signer_first_name + " " + signer_last_name,
          template_id,
          recipients: [
            {
              first_name: signer_first_name,
              last_name: signer_last_name,
              email: signer_email,
              designation: "Signer",
              order: 1,
            },
          ],
        }),
      }
    );

    const data = await response.json();

    if (!response.ok) {
      return new Response(
        JSON.stringify({ error: data }),
        { status: response.status, headers: { ...corsHeaders, "Content-Type": "application/json" } }
      );
    }

    return new Response(
      JSON.stringify({
        signing_request_id: data.id,
        first_signer: data.first_signer,
        status: "sent",
      }),
      { headers: { ...corsHeaders, "Content-Type": "application/json" } }
    );
  } catch (err) {
    return new Response(
      JSON.stringify({ error: err.message }),
      { status: 500, headers: { ...corsHeaders, "Content-Type": "application/json" } }
    );
  }
});

The create-and-send endpoint creates the signing request and sends it to recipients atomically. If you need to review or modify the request before sending, use POST /signing-requests to create a draft, then POST /signing-requests/{id}/send separately.

Deploy the function:

supabase functions deploy send-signing-request --no-verify-jwt

Step 2: Call the backend from React Native

From your Rork app, POST to your Edge Function when the user triggers the signing flow:

const BACKEND_URL = "https://<your-project-ref>.supabase.co/functions/v1";

async function sendSigningRequest(templateId: string) {
  const response = await fetch(`${BACKEND_URL}/send-signing-request`, {
    method: "POST",
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      template_id: templateId,
      signer_email: "[e-mail]",
      signer_first_name: "Alice",
      signer_last_name: "Johnson",
    }),
  });

  const data = await response.json();
  console.log(data);
  // data.signing_request_id - the signing request ID
  // data.first_signer.id - the signing_request_user_id for embedded signing
  // data.first_signer.signing_link - direct link to the signing page
  return data;
}

Step 3: Embedded signing in a WebView

For mobile apps, the signing experience renders inside a WebView instead of an iframe. Install react-native-webview:

npx expo install react-native-webview

Then create a signing screen component. The create-and-send response includes a first_signer.id (the signing_request_user_id) and a ready-made first_signer.signing_link. Use either to build the signing URL:

import React from "react";
import { View, StyleSheet, ActivityIndicator } from "react-native";
import { WebView } from "react-native-webview";

interface EmbeddedSigningProps {
  signingRequestUserId: string;
}

export function EmbeddedSigning({ signingRequestUserId }: EmbeddedSigningProps) {
  return (
    <View style={styles.container}>
      <WebView
        source={{
          uri: `https://app.firma.dev/signing/${signingRequestUserId}`,
        }}
        style={styles.webview}
        startInLoadingState
        renderLoading={() => (
          <ActivityIndicator
            style={styles.loading}
            size="large"
            color="#0066FF"
          />
        )}
        javaScriptEnabled
        domStorageEnabled
      />
    </View>
  );
}

const styles = StyleSheet.create({
  container: { flex: 1 },
  webview: { flex: 1 },
  loading: {
    position: "absolute",
    top: "50%",
    left: "50%",
  },
});

Pass first_signer.id from the response in Step 2 as the signingRequestUserId prop. See the embedded signing guide for full setup including security best practices.

Webhook integration

To track when documents are signed, add a webhook Edge Function and register it in the Firma dashboard.

// supabase/functions/firma-webhook/index.ts
Deno.serve(async (req) => {
  const payload = await req.json();
  const { type, data } = payload;

  if (type === "signing_request.completed") {
    const signingRequestId = data.signing_request.id;

    // Update your database, send a push notification, or trigger
    // the next step in your workflow
    console.log(`Signing request ${signingRequestId} completed`);
  }

  if (type === "signing_request.recipient.signed") {
    const recipientEmail = data.recipient?.email;
    console.log(`${recipientEmail} signed the document`);
  }

  return new Response(JSON.stringify({ received: true }), {
    headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
  });
});

Deploy and register the webhook:

1. Deploy the function: supabase functions deploy firma-webhook --no-verify-jwt
2. In the Firma dashboard under Settings → Webhooks, add a webhook pointing to https://<your-project-ref>.supabase.co/functions/v1/firma-webhook
3. Select the events you want to receive. See the webhooks guide for all event types and signature verification

For production use, always verify the webhook signature using your Firma webhook signing secret. See the webhooks guide for implementation details.

Bonus: MCP connection for AI-assisted building

Firma offers a Docs MCP server that can be connected to AI coding tools. When connected, AI assistants search Firma documentation while generating code so they use accurate endpoints, field names, and patterns. This is a build-time aid and does not affect your deployed app.

Next steps

• API authentication - API keys and workspace scoping
• Webhooks guide - event types, payloads, and signature verification
• Embedded signing - in-app signing experience
• Creating workspaces - multi-tenant setups for SaaS apps
• Complete setup guide - end-to-end Firma integration walkthrough
• API reference - full endpoint documentation