OAuth2 basics

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Spring Security: OAuth2Spring Security: OAuth2
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Sang ShinSang Shin
““Code with Passion!”Code with Passion!”

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Topics
• What is OAuth2?
• Why OAuth2?
• Authorization code flow

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What is OAuth2?What is OAuth2?

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What is OAuth2?
• A protocol for conveying authorization decisions (via access token)
> It is NOT an authentication protocol
• Standard means of obtaining a token – there are four grant types
> Authorization code
> Resource owner password grant
> Implicit
> Client credentials
• Separation of client application from resource owner
> I, resource owner, authorize this app (client app) to perform these
actions on my behalf

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What is OAuth2 Not?
• It is NOT an authentication protocol
> The user must be authenticated to obtain a token
> How the user is authenticated is outside of the spec
> How the token is validated is outside of the spec
> What the token contains is outside of the spec

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Why OAuth2?Why OAuth2?

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Securing Monolithic App
• You only need to authenticate the request once per user
• If there has been no session
> Verify user credentials
> Start a user session
> Provide role-based access control
• Else (session is already created)
> Verify session has not expired
• Method calls are trusted

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Securing Monolithic App
• Pros
> Limited attack space
• Cons
> Once granted permission, the user has all the credentials for the rest of
the application including database access – once it is hacked, the whole
application is in danger

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OAuth2 Secures Micro Services
• Single sign on (SSO)
• Stateless – backend services do not want to maintain user sessions
• Delegated access (access some resource on behalf of me)
• User credentials not exposed
• Fine grained authorization
• Interoperability with non browser clients

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Authorization CodeAuthorization Code
FlowFlow

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Authorization Code Flow - Actors
• Actors
> Resource owner (user)
> Client web app
> Resource server
> Auth. server
• Use case
> Microservices architecture –
client web app access
resources server on behalf of
user
> Consumer space – photo-
sharing app (client) want to
access user's friends data from
Facebook (resource server)
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Authorization Code Flow – step 1
• User (Resource owner)
accesses the client web app for
the first time
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Authorization Code Flow – step 2
• Client redirects the request to
the “./oauth/authorize” endpoint
of the auth-server
• Note – the client web app has
to be configured with endpoint
location of the
“./oauth/authorize” of the auth
server via “user-authorization-
uri” property in its
application.yml
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Authorization Code Flow – step 3
• Auth server redirects the user to
its login page since the user
isn't logged in to the auth server
(authentication)
• User logs in and is redirected
back to the “./oauth/authorize”
endpoint
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Authorization Code Flow – step 4
• Use is then presented with “do
you approve for the client app
to perform some actions
specified in the scope?”
• User authorizes (or approve)
them
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Authorization Code Flow – step 5
• Auth server redirects the user
back to the client web app with
“authorization code” (in the
query params of the redirect)
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Authorization Code Flow – step 6
• Client web app accesses
“./oauth/token” endpoint of the
auth server with the
authorization code
• Note – the client web app has
to be configured with endpoint
location of the “./oauth/token” of
the auth server via “access-
token-uri” property in its
application.yml
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Authorization Code Flow – step 7
• Auth server responds with
“access token”
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Authorization Code Flow – step 8
• Client web app accesses the
resource server with access
token
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Authorization Code Flow – step 9
• Resource server verifies the
token with the auth-server
• Note – resource server has to
be configured with “user-info-
uri” in its application.yml
• Auth server sends back user
info back after verification
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Authorization Code Flow – step 10
• Resource server responds back
with protected resource
• Client web app presents the
resource to the user
client
web app
auth server
resource
server

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Code with Passion!Code with Passion!
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