Express
Add IdRa sign-in to an Express app with openid-client: register, configure, run, sign out.
A server-side app using the authorization code flow with PKCE, openid-client and express-session. Node.js 20.6 or later.
Sample repository (being opened soon): IdRaHQ/idra-sample-express. It has this quickstart's code plus a protected page.
Register the app
Use one app for local development and production. Open your organization's admin console at https://<your-org>.idra.team/admin (or /admin on your own IdRa). Go to Applications → Create App Integration, choose OIDC - OpenID Connect, and set:
- Application type: Web Application
- App integration name: any name
- Sign-in redirect URIs:
http://localhost:3000/callback
Leave Assign this app to me so I can test it on, then select Create. Copy the client secret, shown once, and select I've saved it.
The app's Sign On tab opens:
- Under Connect your app, copy the Issuer and Client ID. The
.envsnippet there has the same values, namedOIDC_*; this quickstart names themIDRA_*. - Add
http://localhost:3000/to Sign-out redirect URIs and select Save.
To let other people sign in, assign them or their groups on Assignments.
Local redirects and production
http redirects work on localhost, 127.0.0.1 or [::1], with a port, and match exactly. PKCE stays required while the app has one. For production, add your https URIs (such as https://app.example.com/callback and https://app.example.com/) to the same app, then remove the local ones.
Configure
IDRA_ISSUER=https://<your-org>.idra.team/api/auth
IDRA_CLIENT_ID=<Client ID>
IDRA_CLIENT_SECRET=<client secret>
APP_URL=http://localhost:3000
SESSION_SECRET=<output of: openssl rand -hex 32>Install
mkdir idra-express && cd idra-express
npm init -y && npm pkg set type=module
npm install express express-session openid-clientCode
import express from 'express';
import session from 'express-session';
import * as oidc from 'openid-client';
const { IDRA_ISSUER, IDRA_CLIENT_ID, IDRA_CLIENT_SECRET, APP_URL, SESSION_SECRET } = process.env;
const issuer = new URL(IDRA_ISSUER);
const redirectUri = `${APP_URL}/callback`;
// Discovery reads the endpoints. With a secret: client_secret_basic. Without one: a public client.
const config = await oidc.discovery(
issuer,
IDRA_CLIENT_ID,
undefined,
IDRA_CLIENT_SECRET ? oidc.ClientSecretBasic(IDRA_CLIENT_SECRET) : oidc.None(),
// Only for an IdRa you run locally on http. Never needed for an https issuer.
issuer.protocol === 'http:' ? { execute: [oidc.allowInsecureRequests] } : undefined,
);
const app = express();
app.set('trust proxy', 1);
app.use(
session({
name: 'app.sid',
secret: SESSION_SECRET,
resave: false,
saveUninitialized: false,
cookie: { httpOnly: true, sameSite: 'lax', secure: APP_URL.startsWith('https://') },
}),
);
app.get('/', (req, res) => {
const { user } = req.session;
if (!user) return res.send('<h1>Signed out</h1><a href="/login">Sign in with IdRa</a>');
res.send(`<h1>Signed in</h1><pre>${JSON.stringify(user, null, 2).replace(/</g, '<')}</pre>
<a href="/logout">Sign out</a>`);
});
app.get('/login', async (req, res) => {
const verifier = oidc.randomPKCECodeVerifier();
req.session.flow = { verifier, state: oidc.randomState(), nonce: oidc.randomNonce() };
const url = oidc.buildAuthorizationUrl(config, {
redirect_uri: redirectUri,
scope: 'openid profile email groups',
code_challenge: await oidc.calculatePKCECodeChallenge(verifier),
code_challenge_method: 'S256',
state: req.session.flow.state,
nonce: req.session.flow.nonce,
});
res.redirect(url.href);
});
app.get('/callback', async (req, res) => {
const { flow } = req.session;
if (!flow) return res.redirect('/login');
delete req.session.flow;
try {
const tokens = await oidc.authorizationCodeGrant(
config,
new URL(req.originalUrl, APP_URL),
{ pkceCodeVerifier: flow.verifier, expectedState: flow.state, expectedNonce: flow.nonce },
);
// The ID token has no email or name: they come from UserInfo.
req.session.user = await oidc.fetchUserInfo(config, tokens.access_token, tokens.claims().sub);
req.session.idToken = tokens.id_token;
res.redirect('/');
} catch (e) {
console.error(e);
res.status(400).send(`Sign-in failed: ${e.error ?? e.message}`);
}
});
app.get('/logout', (req, res) => {
const idTokenHint = req.session.idToken;
req.session.destroy(() => {
if (!idTokenHint) return res.redirect('/');
const url = oidc.buildEndSessionUrl(config, {
id_token_hint: idTokenHint,
post_logout_redirect_uri: `${APP_URL}/`,
});
res.redirect(url.href);
});
});
app.listen(process.env.PORT ?? 3000, () => console.log(`Listening on ${APP_URL}`));Before production
express-session's default memory store is for development. Use a shared store. The allowInsecureRequests line only applies to an http issuer, such as an IdRa on your own machine.
Run
node --env-file=.env server.jsVerify sign-in and sign-out
- Open
http://localhost:3000and select Sign in with IdRa. You land on IdRa's sign-in page. - Sign in, with MFA if your policies ask for it. You come back to a Signed in page showing your claims.
- Select Sign out. You return to Signed out. This also ends the IdRa session, so the next sign-in asks for your credentials again.
Reports → System Log in the admin console shows the sign-in.
What the app receives
The ID token doesn't carry email or name. Read them from UserInfo, as this sample does.
| Claim | ID token | UserInfo | Scope |
|---|---|---|---|
sub | Yes | Yes | openid |
preferred_username (the email), updated_at | Yes | Yes | profile |
name, given_name, family_name | No | Yes | profile |
email, email_verified | No | Yes | email |
groups (group names, always including Everyone) | Yes | Yes | groups |
Add offline_access to the scopes to receive a refresh token. Access tokens last an hour. See OpenID Connect for the rest.
Troubleshooting
| What you see | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Use https on a public host, or for local development http on localhost, 127.0.0.1 or [::1] with a port (…) | The redirect URI is http on another host or without a port, or https on a loopback host. | Use http://localhost:3000/callback locally and https on a public host in production. |
Sign-in error: invalid redirect uri | The app sent a redirect URI that isn't registered. Matching is exact, including port and path. | Make it match Sign-in redirect URIs on the Sign On tab. |
Access to … denied: You are not assigned to this application. | The person isn't assigned. | Assign them on Assignments. |
Access to … denied: This application is currently inactive. | The app is deactivated. | Activate it on the app's page. |
Access denied: This application is not registered with your organization. | Wrong client ID, or a client ID from another organization. | Copy the Client ID from Sign On. |
Access denied: Your organization's sign-on policy does not allow this access., URL has code=invalid_scope | The app asked for a scope that doesn't exist. | Use openid, profile, email, groups, offline_access or a scope defined under Security → API. |
pkce is required for this client | The authorize request has no PKCE challenge. | Send code_challenge with code_challenge_method=S256. IdRa accepts only S256. |
invalid_client: invalid client_secret | Wrong secret, or it was rotated. | Use Generate new secret on Sign On. |
invalid_client: client registered for client_secret_basic cannot use none | A Web Application is running without its secret. | Set IDRA_CLIENT_SECRET. |
invalid_client: client registered for client_secret_basic cannot use client_secret_post | The library sent the secret in the body. | Send it as HTTP Basic, or change Client authentication on Sign On. |
invalid_grant: redirect_uri mismatch | The token request's redirect URI differs from the authorize request's. | Use the same value in both. |
invalid_grant: code verification failed | The PKCE verifier doesn't match the challenge. | Keep the verifier from the authorize step, per sign-in. |
404 on discovery | The issuer is missing /api/auth. | Use the Issuer from Sign On: https://<your-org>.idra.team/api/auth. |
Page says Logged out. The requested post-logout redirect was not registered. | The person was signed out, but the return URL isn't registered. | Add it to Sign-out redirect URIs. |
| Confirm logout page | No id_token_hint, or it's for a different session than the browser's. | Send the ID token as the hint. Without one, the page is the expected safeguard. |
Reports → System Log records refused access as app.access with the reason.