Implementing Keycloak with LDAP for IAM in Spring Boot Microservices

Introduction to Auth0 | Keycloak |Okta :

these are all Identity and Access Management (IAM) solutions and very much popular in market. Below are the major differences between these tools, explained with examples to illustrate their unique capabilities. Whether you’re seeking Java development services or exploring IAM for microservices, understanding these differences will help you make informed decisions.

Deployment Model:

Auth0

Deployment: SaaS

Example: You need to sign up for Auth0 and then can configure it through their web dashboard and then you can integrate it with your applications through APIs and SDKs. Here no server setup is required on our part.

Keycloak

Deployment: Open-source, self-hosted, offering complete control over deployment and customization, particularly useful for businesses utilizing Java outsourcing services to manage large-scale applications.
Example: You need to download Keycloak and then install it on your own servers or cloud infrastructure. Here you need to manage the deployment and scaling, and maintenance by yourself.

Okta

Deployment: SaaS
Example: Actually similar to Auth0, you have to sign up for Okta and then we can use its web interface to configure it and can integrate it with your applications through APIs and SDKs.

Ease of Use and Setup:

Auth0

Ease of Use: It is really very user-friendly and provides extensive documentation and also a wide range of SDKs.
Setup Example: You need to create an Auth0 tenant and then configure connections (social, enterprise or database) and then integrate it with your app using provided SDKs.

Keycloak

Ease of Use: This requires more technical expertise to set up and maintain.
Setup Example: You need to install Keycloak on a server and then configure the realm, clients and users via the admin console and then integrate it with your app using the Keycloak adapters.

Okta

Ease of Use: Okta also very User-friendly and it provides comprehensive documentation and SDKs.
Setup Example: You have to create an Okta organization and then you can configure applications and user groups and then integrate it with your app through Okta’s SDKs and APIs.

Features and Customization:

Auth0

Features: It provides extensive set of features that includes social logins, multi-factor authentication (MFA)and passwordless login as well as custom user roles and rules for custom logic.
Customization Example: you can use Auth0 rules to run custom JavaScript code during authentication flows.

Keycloak

Features: Comprehensive IAM features with strong support for standard protocols (OIDC, SAML), user federation, fine-grained authorization, and customizable login themes.
Customization Example: You need to customize the Keycloak login theme with Freemarker templates or integrate with external identity providers using LDAP or Kerberos.

Okta

Features: It provides much feature set including adaptive MFA and API Access Management as well as user lifecycle management and also extensive integrations.
Customization Example: You need to use Okta’s hooks to add custom logic during authentication or user registration processes.

Integrations and Ecosystem:

Auth0

Integrations: It provides wide range of integrations that are pre-built by using its popular applications and services.
Example: You can integrate with applications like Salesforce and Office 365 or Google Workspace by using Auth0’s built-in connectors.

Keycloak

Integrations: This also provides strong integration capabilities with open standards and custom identity providers.
Example: Use Keycloak to federate identities from an existing LDAP directory or another SAML identity provider.

Okta

Integrations: Extensive catalog of integrations with third-party applications and services.
Example: You can use Okta’s integration network to connect with applications like AWS, Slack, and GitHub.

Pricing:

Auth0

Pricing: It offers tiered pricing model with a free tier and paid plans based on active users and features.
Example: The free plan includes up to 7,000 active users and basic features. Paid plans offer advanced features like MFA and custom domains.

Keycloak

Pricing: Free and open-source. Actually costs are related to hosting, maintenance and any additional support or enterprise features.
Example: If we have to run Keycloak on your own infrastructure that will incur costs for servers storage and network usage but the software itself is free.

Okta

Pricing: It also offers tiered pricing model with a free developer tier and paid plans based on active users and features.
Example: Actually, developer plan offers 1,000 active users for free. Paid plans include additional features like API access management and advanced user management.

Community and Support

Auth0

Community: Large and active community with extensive documentation forums n third-party tutorials.
Support: Paid support plans available.
Example: Access to community forums and extensive documentation for troubleshooting and guidance.

Keycloak

Community: Active open-source community with forums, mailing lists, and GitHub repositories.
Support: Community support and optional paid support from Red Hat.
Example: Engage with the community on GitHub issues or mailing lists, or purchase Red Hat support for enterprise needs.

Okta

Community: Large user base with comprehensive documentation, forums, and third-party resources.
Support: Paid support plans available.
Example: Access to Okta’s support portal and community forums for assistance and troubleshooting.

Example Scenario:

Scenario: We need to implement an IAM solution for your new microservices based web application that will have social logins and then MFA as well as custom user roles.

Auth0:

You basically choose Auth0 for its ease of use with rich features.
As I already mentioned, you need to sign up for an Auth0 account first an dthen configure social login providers (ex: Google, Facebook). Then you need to enable MFA and define custom roles and permissions using Auth0’s dashboard.

Integrate Auth0 with your microservices using their JavaScript SDK.

Keycloak:

Choose Keycloak for its open-source nature and flexibility.

You need to download and install Keycloak on your server and then you can configure the realm and clients. Then set up social login providers and you can enable MFA.

You need to define custom roles and permissions through the Keycloak admin console and then integrate Keycloak with your microservices using Keycloak’s adapters.

Okta:

Choose Okta for its extensive integration capabilities and ease of use.
First sign up for an Okta account and then configure social login providers and then you need to enable MFA and then define custom roles and permissions using Okta’s web interface.
You can also integrate Okta with your microservices using Okta’s SDKs and APIs.

Each IAM solution has its strengths and the choice depends on your specific requirements, budget, and technical expertise.

How to implement Identity and Access Management (IAM) using Keycloak in any microservices application?

This involves user authentication authorization and then potentially integrating with various third-party services. Below are detailed examples of where to use Keycloak and Auth0 in real-time microservices applications.

Keycloak Implementation:

Use Case: On-Premise Deployment and Full Control over IAM

Scenario:

Let’s say you have a microservices-based application i.e. hosted on your own private cloud or any AWS or Azure cloud env. Basically you need a flexible and open-source IAM solution which can be fully customized and also you can control it to fit your specific requirements.

Steps to Implement Keycloak

1. Set Up Keycloak Server

You can basically download Keycloak from its official website](https://www.keycloak.org/).

You can then install Keycloak on your server. For example -> on a Linux server

cd keycloak-15.0.2/bin
./add-user-keycloak.sh -u admin -p admin
./standalone.sh

Access the Keycloak admin console at http://<your-server-ip>:8080/auth and log in with the admin credentials.

2. Configure a Realm and Clients

Create a new realm (e.g., myrealm) in the Keycloak admin console.
Under the realm, create clients for your microservices. For example, create a client for your frontend (frontend-client) and backend services (backend-client).
Set the Access Type to confidential for backend clients and configure the credentials (client secret).

3. Set Up User Federation (Optional)

If you have an existing user directory (e.g., LDAP, Active Directory), configure user federation in the Keycloak admin console to sync users.

4. Define Roles and Permissions

Create roles in Keycloak (e.g., admin, user) and assign them to users.
Configure client roles specific to your microservices if needed.

5. Configure Keycloak Adapters

Use Keycloak adapters to secure your microservices development services. For example, in a Spring Boot application, add the Keycloak Spring Boot adapter dependencies:

Configure the adapter in application.properties:

6. Secure Your Endpoints

Annotate your Spring Boot controllers to secure endpoints:

Auth0 Implementation

Use Case: Quick Setup and Managed IAM Solution

Scenario

You have a microservices-based application deployed on a public cloud (e.g., AWS, Azure, GCP). You need a managed IAM solution that provides quick setup, extensive integrations, and robust security features.

Steps to Implement Auth0

1. Sign Up and Create a Tenant

– First you need to sign up for an Auth0 account , then create a tenant (for ex: mytenant.auth0.com).

2. Configure Applications

– In the Auth0 dashboard, create applications for your frontend and backend services.

– For the frontend application, set the type to Single Page Application and configure allowed callback URLs, logout URLs, etc.

– For the backend application, set the type to Regular Web Application and configure client credentials (client ID and client secret).

3. Set Up APIs and Permissions

– Create an API in the Auth0 dashboard to represent your backend services.

– Define scopes (ex: read:messages, write:messages) and configure permissions for your API.

4. Configure Authentication in Frontend

– Use Auth0’s SDKs to integrate authentication into your frontend application. For example, in a React application.

npm install @auth0/auth0-react

Configure Auth0 in your React app:

Add authentication logic in your components:

5. Secure Backend Services

Use Auth0’s libraries to verify JWT tokens in your backend services. For example, in a Spring Boot application:

Configure Auth0 in application.properties:

Secure your endpoints by validating the JWT token:

Keycloak is best for those use cases where there is a need for complete ownership of the IAM solution. Hence, open-source software should always be preferred as well as having the resources for managing and maintaining it. It’s especially appropriate for on-premises deployments and very demanding IAM environments. When integrating Keycloak with microservices, businesses can hire Java developers to configure realms, roles, and adapters seamlessly.

Auth0 is good for situations when the low setup time is favored, and the managed IAM solution within ability to connect to other software is preferred. It is ideal for cloud-based applications and teams that do not want to handle IAM infrastructure.

Both strategies are effective with regards to IAM though considering different scenarios such as how the solution will be deployed and available resources will determine which strategy to take.

Keycloak with LDAP Integration

Let’s dive into a more complex n real-time example of implementing Keycloak with LDAP integration for user authentication in a microservices application. This example will cover the following components:

Keycloak Configuration with LDAP integration.
Microservices Setup using Spring Boot Development Services.
Securing Microservices with Keycloak.
User Auth and Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).

Scenario

Let’s say we have a microservices-based web application and this app is deployed on a private cloud or may be onto aws or Azure cloud env. And your user data is stored in an LDAP directory (for ex: Active Directory). And let’s say this microservice app has the following microservices:

1. User Service: It will handle/manage user-related operations.

2. Order Service: This svc manages customer orders.

3. Admin Service: This svc is for Admin-specific operations.

Let’s say we will be going to use Keycloak where you can manage user authentication and authorization. Users will be logging in using their LDAP credentials and then all different microservices will have their respective different access controls based on user roles.

Step 1: Set Up Keycloak Server

1. Download and Install Keycloak:

2. Access Keycloak Admin Console:

Just go to a browser and then navigate http://<your-key-clock-server-ip>:8080/auth. Then you just have to log in with the admin credentials.

3. Create a Realm:

Go to the Master realm.
Then click on Add Realm and from there you can create a new realm (E.g: myrealm).

4. Create Clients for Microservices:

Under the myrealm : go to Clients and create clients for user-service, order-service, and admin-service.
Set the Access Type to confidential for all backend clients and configure the client credentials (client secret).

Step 2: Integrate LDAP

1. Add LDAP Provider:

Just go to User Federation in the myrealm.
Then click on Add provider and from that select ldap.
Configure LDAP settings:

Save these settings.

2. Map LDAP Attributes:

– Map LDAP attributes to Keycloak attributes, such as email and roles.

Step 3: Define Roles and Permissions

1. Create Roles:

Go to Roles in the myrealm.
Create roles such as ROLE_USER, ROLE_ADMIN.

2. Assign Roles to LDAP Groups/Users:

Navigate to Users and add roles to specific LDAP users or groups.

Step 4: Configure Keycloak Adapters in Microservices

Microservices Setup Using Spring Boot

User Service

1. pom.xml Dependencies:

2. application.properties:

3. Security Configuration:

4. Controller:

Order Service

1. pom.xml Dependencies:

keycloak-spring-boot-starter depedency

2. application.properties:

3. Security Configuration:

4. Controller:

Admin Service

1. pom.xml Dependencies:

Keyclock starter spring dependency

2. application.properties:

Same application property as mentioned in previous image

3. Security Configuration:

4. Controller:

Here goes same code as admin endpoint

Step 5: Deploy and Test

1. Deploy Microservices:

Package your services by creating docker images and deploy your microservices.
Ensure that the Keycloak server is running and accessible.

2. Test Authentication and Authorization:

First access the microservices api endpoints.
Test with different user roles (e.g., ROLE_USER, ROLE_ADMIN) to ensure that access is granted or denied appropriately based on the roles defined in Keycloak.

What are major challenges while implementing Keycloak with Spring Boot microservices ?

in a cloud deployment brings several challenges that need to be addressed for a smooth and secure integration. Here are some of the main challenges and potential solutions:

1. Configuration Management

Challenge

Managing Keycloak configuration across different environments (dev, stage n production) can be complex. Each environment may require different settings and keeping these configurations consistent and secure is crucial.

Solution

Centralized configuration management: You can use tools like Spring Cloud Config or HashiCorp Consul to centrally manage configuration.
Secret management: Use cloud-native secret services (such as AWS Secrets Manager, Azure Key Vault, Google Cloud Secret Manager) to manage sensitive information like customer secrets.
Environment-Specific Configuration: Store environment-specific configurations in external configuration files or environment variables.

2. High Availability and Scalability

Challenge

You have to ensure that Keycloak is highly available and scalable so that it can handle authentication and authorization requests under varying loads in critical conditions and this is very much crucial scenario.

Solution

Cluster Deployment: You can deploy Keycloak in a cluster where you can use Kubernetes or Docker Swarm and be assured of availability and capacity .
Load Balancing: You can use various load balancers where incoming traffics will get distributed across various Keycloak instances.
Database Scaling: You have to make sure that the database backend (such as: PostgreSQL, MySQL) which will be used by Keycloak is scalable and highly available.

3. Network Latency and Performance

Challenge

Basically, one caveat here is network latency between your microservices and Keycloak can also impact performance and this might happen specifically if your keyclock server is not co-located with the microservices.

Solution

Local Caching: You can implement local caching to cache your Keycloak tokens and user information in the microservices to reduce frequent network calls.

Edge Nodes: You need to deploy Keycloak closer to your microservices such as in the same cloud region or using edge nodes.

4. Security Concerns

Challenge

How to ensure the security of the authentication and authorization process is paramount. This includes how you can protect the communication between Keycloak and microservices and then secure the tokens and managing user credentials.

Solution

TLS/SSL: Always you need to use TLS/SSL to encrypt communications between your microservices and Keycloak.
Token Management: You must implement short-lived tokens that should have refresh capabilities to minimize the impact of token theft.
Regular Security Audits: You must perform regular security audits and vulnerability assessments on Keycloak and your microservices.

5. Multi-Tenancy

Challenge

How you can support multi-tenancy where different customers or groups use the same Keycloak instance but with isolated authentication and authorization domains and to implement this can be challenging.

Solution

Realm Management: Use Keycloak’s realm feature so that isolated realms can be created for different tenants.
Realm Configuration: You must ensure that each realm has its own configuration as well as users, role and policies.

6. Migration and Integration

Challenge

It will be really challenging if lets say we want to migrate existing user data from other systems to Keycloak and then integrate Keycloak with existing identity providers (for ex: LDAP, SAML as well as OAuth2) . This can be complex and also challenging.

Solution

Data Migration Tools: We can use Keycloak’s data import and export tools and also the scripts by using which can migrate user data.
Identity Brokering: You need to configure Keycloak to act as a broker between different identity providers and seamless integration can be enabled

7. Operational Monitoring and Logging

Challenge

How can you monitor 3 things: Health } performance } security of both Keycloak server and your microservices?

Solution

Monitoring Tools: We can use various monitoring tools such as Prometheus Grafana or ELK stack by using which we can collect the metrics and then visualize these metrics and logs from Keycloak and our microservices.
Alerting: Also, you need to build/setup alerting mechanisms for crucial and crtiical metrics and events.

How to set up a highly available Keycloak instance in Kubernetes?

Example Implementation: High Availability Keycloak in Kubernetes

Here is a high-level overview of how you can set up a highly available Keycloak instance in Kubernetes:

1. Keycloak Deployment with StatefulSet:

2. Service for Keycloak:

3. Ingress Configuration:

4. Database Setup:

Use a highly available PostgreSQL database (e.g., Amazon RDS, Azure Database for PostgreSQL) for Keycloak.

5. Monitoring and Logging:

Deploy Prometheus and Grafana to monitor Keycloak metrics.
Use Fluentd or the ELK stack for centralized logging.

By addressing these challenges with the provided solutions, you can ensure a robust and secure implementation of Keycloak with Spring Boot microservices in a cloud environment.