In this article, we'll be using Keycloak to quickly augment an application with user management and SSO. We will demonstrate the integration by securing a page for logged-in users. This quickly provides a jump-off point to more complex integrations.
Phase Two is a Keycloak as a Service provider enabling SaaS builders to accelerate time-to-market with powerful enterprise features like SSO, identity, and user management features. Phase Two enhances Keycloak through a variety of open-source extentions for modern SaaS use cases. Phase Two supports both hosted and on-premise deployment options.
What is Keycloak?
Keycloak has been a leader in the Identity and Access Management world since its launch almost 8 years ago. It is an open-source offering under the stewardship of Red Hat
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If you just want to skip to the code, visit the Phase Two ReactJS example.
TOC
Setting up a Keycloak Instance
TIP
If you already have a functioning Keycloak instance, you can skip to the next section.
Rather than trying to set up a "from scratch" instance of Keycloak, we're going to short-circuit that process by leveraging a Phase Two free Keycloak starter instance. The Starter provides a free hosted instance of Phase Two's enhanced Keycloak ready for light production use cases. At this point, move on to the next step in the tutorial. We'll be coming back to the Admin Console when its time to start connecting our App to the Keycloak instance.Details
Setting up an OIDC Client
We need to create a OpenID Connect Client in Keycloak for the app to communicate with.
Keycloak's docs provide steps for how to create an OIDC client and all the various configurations that can be introduced. Follow the steps below to create a client and get the right information necessary for app configuration. Under Login settings we need to add a redirect URI and Web origin in order. Assuming you are using the example application: Valid redirect URI (allows redirect back to application) Web origins (allows for Token auth call) Click SaveDetails
URI and Origin Details
The choice of localhost is arbitrary. If you are using an example application running locally, this will apply. If you are using an app that you actually have deployed somewhere, then you will need to substitute the appropriate URI for that.
http://localhost:3000/*
http://localhost:3000
OIDC Config
We will need values to configure our application. To get these values follow the instructions below.Details
realm, auth-server-url, and resource values.
Adding a Non-Admin User
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It is bad practice to use your Admin user to sign in to an Application.
Since we do not want to use our Admin user for signing into the app we will build, we need to add a another non-admin user.
Details
Setting up a ReactJS Project
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We will use the Phase Two ReactJS example code here, but the logic could easily be applied to any existing application.
- Clone the Phase Two example repo.
- Open the ReactJS folder within
/frameworks/reactjs. - Run
npm installand thennpm start. This example leverages react-oidc-context (which uses oidc-client-ts) to provide hook and HOC support. - Open the
index.tsxfile. We will be updating a few values from the prior section where we set up our OIDC client. Taking the values from the OIDC Client Config section, set those values in the code.
const authServerUrl = "https://euc1.auth.ac/auth/";
const realm = "shared-deployment-001";
const client = "reg-example-1";
Those are used to popluate the OIDC config
const oidcConfig = {
authority: `${authServerUrl}realms/${realm}`,
client_id: client,
redirect_uri: "http://localhost:3000/authenticated",
onSigninCallback: (args: any) =>
window.history.replaceState(
{},
document.title,
window.location.pathname
),
};
The config is then provided to the AuthProvider.
<AuthProvider {...oidcConfig}>
<App />
</AuthProvider>
At this point our entire applicationw will be able to access all information and methods needed to perform authentication. View Auth.tsx for exactly how the code is authenticating your user. The sections rendering the "Log in" and "Log out" buttons are conditional areas based on the authenticated context.
This login of using the hook to conditionally determine the Authenticated state, can be used to secure routes, components, and more.
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Open localhost:3000. You will see the Phase Two example landing page. You current state should be "Not authenticated". Click Log In. This will redirect you to your login page.
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Use the non-admin user created in the previous section to sign in. Enter the credentials of the non-admin user you created. Click Submit. You will then be redirected to the application. The Phase Two example landing page now loads your "Authenticated" state, displaying your user's email and their Token.
After your first log in, click Log out. Then click Log in again. Notice how this time you will not be redirected to sign in as your state is already in the browser. Neat! If you clear the browser state for that tab, then you will have to be redirected away to sign-in again.
Learning more
Phase Two's enhanced Keycloak provides many ways to quickly control and tweak the log in and user management experience. Our blog has many use cases from customizing login pages, setting up magic links (password-less sign in), and Organization workflows.
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