Integrating React Application

We implemented a custom AuthenticationFlow with Authorization Code Flow and its working perfectly fine for that use case.
There we used three custom execution steps integrating a legacy login with custom Authenticators - no problem.

The direct grant flow in the UI suggests we can integrate using the same method, building a multistaged flow for direct grant and chaining the execution steps. This would enable us to reuse the existing login page without “breaking” the UX by redirecting to keycloak.

We guessed this way we can use any HTTP Client like cURL or a Javascript client to execute this flow - executing custom legacy logins and obtaining a token in the end.

Although we set the AUTH_SESSION_ID cookie in the first execution step the session is lost in the second execution Step.

Digging deeper we found that on every request from the CURL client a new session gets initialized - regardless of any AUTH_SESSION_ID cookie set.

The code explains this behaviour: keycloak/TokenEndpoint.java at master · keycloak/keycloak · GitHub

RootAuthenticationSessionModel rootAuthSession = new AuthenticationSessionManager(session).createAuthenticationSession(realm, false);
AuthenticationSessionModel authSession = rootAuthSession.createAuthenticationSession(client);

A bit further down maybe a hint we are on the wrong track:
// Remove authentication session as “Resource Owner Password Credentials Grant” is single-request scoped authentication

We don’t want to operate against core keycloak principles.

Are we wrong trying to use multiple execution steps with Resource Owner Password Credentials Grant?

Hi Ruben,

Yes, you are slightly going against the intended purpose of OAuth2 if you’re using the password credentials grant. The point of using an Authentication Server (like Keycloak) is that the client applications never need to see the user’s password.

I would suggest you use the OAuth2 “Authorization Code grant with PKCE” to allow your React application to authenticate users via Keycloak.

I couldn’t find a doc that’s exactly on target, but some synthesis of these may help you:

https://www.stefaanlippens.net/oauth-code-flow-pkce.html

Hi,

thanks for your Feedback. Your link depicts a potential solution.
We came to the conclusion that “scripting” the loginpage is not a feasible alternative for us. We want to use proper apis and intended behaviour.
It would - if there are no other architectural decisions constraining it - really be great if the password grant flow would allow the same reentry capabilities that the browser flow offers - maybe relying on AUTH_SESSION_ID would be enough.
For now we found another solution.