IdRa

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:

  1. Under Connect your app, copy the Issuer and Client ID. The .env snippet there has the same values, named OIDC_*; this quickstart names them IDRA_*.
  2. 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

.env
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-client

Code

server.js
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, '&lt;')}</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.js

Verify sign-in and sign-out

  1. Open http://localhost:3000 and select Sign in with IdRa. You land on IdRa's sign-in page.
  2. Sign in, with MFA if your policies ask for it. You come back to a Signed in page showing your claims.
  3. 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.

ClaimID tokenUserInfoScope
subYesYesopenid
preferred_username (the email), updated_atYesYesprofile
name, given_name, family_nameNoYesprofile
email, email_verifiedNoYesemail
groups (group names, always including Everyone)YesYesgroups

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 seeCauseFix
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 uriThe 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_scopeThe 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 clientThe authorize request has no PKCE challenge.Send code_challenge with code_challenge_method=S256. IdRa accepts only S256.
invalid_client: invalid client_secretWrong secret, or it was rotated.Use Generate new secret on Sign On.
invalid_client: client registered for client_secret_basic cannot use noneA Web Application is running without its secret.Set IDRA_CLIENT_SECRET.
invalid_client: client registered for client_secret_basic cannot use client_secret_postThe library sent the secret in the body.Send it as HTTP Basic, or change Client authentication on Sign On.
invalid_grant: redirect_uri mismatchThe token request's redirect URI differs from the authorize request's.Use the same value in both.
invalid_grant: code verification failedThe PKCE verifier doesn't match the challenge.Keep the verifier from the authorize step, per sign-in.
404 on discoveryThe 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 pageNo 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.

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