Features
Application Management

Application Management

Applications

Skycloak’s Application Management system provides intelligent guidance and streamlined workflows for integrating your applications with Keycloak authentication. From initial setup to production deployment, get step-by-step guidance tailored to your technology stack.

Overview

The Application Management feature helps you:

  • Guided Integration: Step-by-step setup for popular frameworks
  • Technology Detection: Automatic configuration based on your stack
  • Code Generation: Ready-to-use integration code and examples
  • Testing Tools: Built-in testing and validation capabilities
  • Documentation: Framework-specific guides and best practices

Application Wizard

Getting Started

The Application Wizard guides you through the entire integration process:

  1. Application Type Selection

    • Single Page Applications (SPA)
    • Traditional Web Applications
    • Mobile Applications
    • API/Backend Services
    • Machine-to-Machine Applications

  2. Technology Selection

    • Frontend frameworks (React, Vue, Angular, etc.)
    • Backend technologies (Node.js, Python, Java, etc.)
    • Mobile platforms (iOS, Android, React Native, etc.)
    • API frameworks (Express, FastAPI, Spring Boot, etc.)

  3. Configuration Generation

    • Automatic client configuration
    • Environment-specific settings
    • Security best practices applied
    • Integration code samples

Supported Technologies

Frontend Frameworks:

  • React: Complete integration with popular libraries
  • Vue.js: Vue 2 and Vue 3 support with composition API
  • Angular: Full Angular integration with guards and interceptors
  • Vanilla JavaScript: Pure JavaScript implementation
  • Next.js: Server-side rendering and static site generation
  • Nuxt.js: Vue-based universal applications

Backend Technologies:

  • Node.js: Express, Koa, and Fastify integrations
  • Python: Django, Flask, and FastAPI implementations
  • Java: Spring Boot and JAX-RS integrations
  • PHP: Laravel, Symfony, and vanilla PHP
  • Go: Gin, Echo, and native implementations
  • .NET: ASP.NET Core and Web API

Mobile Platforms:

  • React Native: Cross-platform mobile applications
  • iOS: Native Swift and Objective-C
  • Android: Native Java and Kotlin
  • Flutter: Cross-platform mobile development
  • Xamarin: Microsoft mobile development platform

Application Configuration

Basic Configuration

Application Details:

  • Name: Human-readable application name
  • Description: Purpose and functionality description
  • Type: Application architecture type
  • Environment: Development, staging, or production

Client Settings:

  • Client ID: Unique application identifier
  • Client Secret: Secure authentication credential (when applicable)
  • Redirect URIs: Allowed callback URLs after authentication
  • Logout URIs: Post-logout redirect destinations

Advanced Configuration

Authentication Flow:

  • Authorization Code Flow: Standard for web applications
  • PKCE: Enhanced security for public clients
  • Implicit Flow: Legacy flow for simple applications
  • Client Credentials: Machine-to-machine authentication
  • Device Flow: For devices with limited input capabilities

Token Configuration:

  • Access Token Lifespan: Token validity duration
  • Refresh Token Settings: Refresh token behavior
  • ID Token Claims: Custom claims and mappings
  • Token Encryption: Advanced security options

Scope and Permissions:

  • Default Scopes: Automatically granted permissions
  • Optional Scopes: User-consent required permissions
  • Audience Restrictions: Token audience limitations
  • Role Mappings: Application-specific role assignments

Integration Guidance

Step-by-Step Integration

1. Initial Setup

# Example for React application
npx create-react-app my-app
cd my-app
npm install @skycloak/react-auth

2. Configuration

// src/auth-config.js
export const authConfig = {
  realm: 'your-realm',
  clientId: 'your-client-id',
  serverUrl: 'https://your-cluster.skycloak.io'
};

3. Integration Implementation

// src/App.js
import { AuthProvider, useAuth } from '@skycloak/react-auth';
import { authConfig } from './auth-config';

function App() {
  return (
    <AuthProvider config={authConfig}>
      <Dashboard />
    </AuthProvider>
  );
}

4. Protected Routes

// src/Dashboard.js
import { ProtectedRoute } from '@skycloak/react-auth';

function Dashboard() {
  return (
    <ProtectedRoute>
      <h1>Protected Content</h1>
    </ProtectedRoute>
  );
}

Framework-Specific Guides

React Integration:

  • Hooks-based authentication state management
  • Context providers for global auth state
  • Protected route components
  • Automatic token refresh handling

Vue.js Integration:

  • Composition API authentication composables
  • Vue Router integration and guards
  • Reactive authentication state
  • Plugin-based configuration

Angular Integration:

  • Service-based authentication management
  • Route guards for protected routes
  • HTTP interceptors for token management
  • Dependency injection patterns

Testing and Validation

Built-in Testing Tools

Authentication Testing:

  • Login Flow Validation: Test complete authentication flows
  • Token Verification: Validate token format and claims
  • Logout Testing: Verify proper session cleanup
  • Refresh Token Testing: Test token renewal processes

Integration Testing:

  • API Endpoint Testing: Test protected API endpoints
  • CORS Configuration: Validate cross-origin settings
  • Redirect URI Testing: Test callback URL configurations
  • Error Handling: Test error scenarios and recovery

Development Tools

Debug Dashboard:

  • Real-time authentication events
  • Token inspection and decoding
  • Network request monitoring
  • Error diagnosis and troubleshooting

Test Users:

  • Pre-configured test accounts
  • Different role and permission sets
  • Automated test scenario execution
  • Performance testing capabilities

Security Best Practices

Implementation Security

Token Management:

  • Secure token storage (httpOnly cookies recommended)
  • Automatic token refresh implementation
  • Proper token expiration handling
  • Cross-site scripting (XSS) protection

Network Security:

  • HTTPS enforcement for all communications
  • Proper CORS configuration
  • Content Security Policy (CSP) implementation
  • Secure redirect URI validation

Client Configuration:

  • Public vs confidential client types
  • PKCE implementation for public clients
  • Client secret protection and rotation
  • Minimum required scope principle

Vulnerability Prevention

Common Security Issues:

  • Token leakage through logs or error messages
  • Insecure redirect URI configurations
  • Cross-site request forgery (CSRF) attacks
  • Session fixation vulnerabilities

Prevention Strategies:

  • Regular security audits and reviews
  • Automated vulnerability scanning
  • Security-focused code reviews
  • Penetration testing recommendations

Production Deployment

Deployment Checklist

Pre-Deployment:

  • Security review completed
  • Performance testing passed
  • Error handling implemented
  • Monitoring and logging configured
  • Backup and recovery plan ready

Configuration Review:

  • Production redirect URIs configured
  • Client secrets properly secured
  • Token lifespans appropriately set
  • Scope and permissions reviewed
  • Rate limiting configured

Post-Deployment:

  • Authentication flows tested
  • Monitoring dashboards configured
  • Error alerts set up
  • Performance metrics baseline established
  • Documentation updated

Monitoring and Maintenance

Performance Monitoring:

  • Authentication success rates
  • Token refresh frequency
  • API response times
  • Error rates and patterns

Security Monitoring:

  • Failed authentication attempts
  • Suspicious user behavior
  • Token abuse patterns
  • Compliance audit trails

Troubleshooting

Common Integration Issues

Authentication Failures:

  • Invalid client configuration
  • Incorrect redirect URI setup
  • Token expiration issues
  • Network connectivity problems

Configuration Problems:

  • Missing or incorrect scopes
  • Wrong authentication flow selection
  • CORS configuration errors
  • SSL/TLS certificate issues

Performance Issues:

  • Slow authentication responses
  • Token refresh failures
  • Network latency problems
  • Resource exhaustion

Debugging Tools

Built-in Diagnostics:

  • Real-time error logging
  • Authentication flow visualization
  • Token introspection tools
  • Network request analysis

External Tools:

  • Browser developer tools integration
  • Postman collection for API testing
  • Curl command examples
  • SDK debugging features

Advanced Features

Multi-Environment Support

Environment Management:

  • Development, staging, and production configurations
  • Environment-specific client settings
  • Automated deployment pipelines
  • Configuration synchronization

Environment Variables:

  • Secure credential management
  • Environment-specific URLs and settings
  • Configuration templating
  • Secret rotation automation

Enterprise Features

Advanced Analytics:

  • Application usage analytics
  • User behavior tracking
  • Performance metrics
  • Security event monitoring

Compliance Support:

  • Audit trail logging
  • Compliance reporting
  • Data retention policies
  • Regulatory requirement tracking

Custom Integrations:

  • Webhook-based notifications
  • Custom authentication flows
  • API gateway integration
  • Legacy system connectors

Integration Documentation

Once you’ve created your application, follow our comprehensive integration guides:

🚀 Quick Links by Technology

Frontend Frameworks:

Backend Technologies:

Mobile Platforms:

📚 Complete Integration Resources

Next Steps

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