---
title: Starting an authentication journey in JavaScript
description: PingOne Advanced Identity Cloud PingAM JavaScript
component: orchsdks
page_id: orchsdks:journey:usage/javascript/04-starting-an-authentication-journey
canonical_url: https://developer.pingidentity.com/orchsdks/journey/usage/javascript/04-starting-an-authentication-journey.html
revdate: Tue, 2 Dec 2025 16:32:08 +0000
---

# Starting an authentication journey in JavaScript

[icon: circle-check, set=far]PingOne Advanced Identity Cloud [icon: circle-check, set=far]PingAM [icon: js, set=fab]JavaScript

* [Prepare](01-configuring-the-server.html)

* [Install](02-installing-the-journey-module.html)

* [Configure](03-configuring-the-journey-module.html)

* **Start**

* [Navigate](05-navigating-an-authentication-journey.html)

* [Manage](06-handling-sessions.html)

After instantiating the `journey` class and providing the configuration, you can call the `start()` method to begin an authentication journey, passing in the name of the journey to launch:

Starting a journey

```javascript
let step = await journeyClient.start({
  journey: 'sdkUsernamePasswordJourney',
});
```

You can optionally insert query parameters when starting a journey:

Adding parameters when starting a journey

```javascript
let step = await journeyClient.start({
  journey: 'sdkUsernamePasswordJourney',
  query: {
    forceAuth: true,
    noSession: true,
  },
});
```

The query parameters you might use in the `start()` method includes the following:

* *forceAuth*

  Set this parameter to `true` to force traversal of an authentication journey, even if the user already has a valid session.

  Default is `false`.

* *noSession*

  Set this parameter to `true` to prevent the authentication journey from issuing a new session token upon successful completion.

  Default is `false`.