How to implement serverless authentication with Okta in a Nest.js application

  Arif Babu

         

  NodeJS



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To implement serverless authentication with Okta in a Nest.js application, you can follow these general steps:

  1. Set up an Okta Developer Account: If you haven't already, sign up for an Okta Developer Account at https://developer.okta.com/signup/.

  2. Create an Okta Application: After signing in to your Okta Developer Account, create a new application. Choose "Single-Page App" as the platform.

  3. Install Required Dependencies: Install necessary packages in your Nest.js application:

    bash
    npm install @okta/okta-auth-js @nestjs/passport passport passport-jwt jwks-rsa

  4. Configure Okta Authentication in Nest.js:

    • Create a new file called auth.service.ts to handle authentication logic:
    typescript
    // auth.service.ts
import { Injectable } from '@nestjs/common';
import { AuthConfig } from './auth.config';

@Injectable()
export class AuthService {
    private readonly authConfig: AuthConfig;

    constructor() {
        this.authConfig = new AuthConfig();
    }

    getOktaConfig() {
        return this.authConfig.oktaConfig;
    }
}
    • Create a new file called auth.config.ts to hold your Okta configuration:
    typescript
    // auth.config.ts
import { AuthConfig as OktaAuthConfig } from '@okta/okta-auth-js';

export class AuthConfig {
    readonly oktaConfig: OktaAuthConfig = {
        issuer: 'https://your-okta-domain.okta.com/oauth2/default',
        clientId: 'your-client-id',
        redirectUri: 'http://localhost:3000/callback',
        scopes: ['openid', 'profile', 'email'],
        pkce: true,
    };
}

  5. Create Authentication Middleware:

    • Create a new file called auth.middleware.ts to handle authentication middleware:
    typescript
    // auth.middleware.ts
import { Injectable, NestMiddleware } from '@nestjs/common';
import { Request, Response, NextFunction } from 'express';
import { AuthService } from './auth.service';

@Injectable()
export class AuthMiddleware implements NestMiddleware {
    constructor(private readonly authService: AuthService) {}

    use(req: Request, res: Response, next: NextFunction) {
        // Use Okta SDK to validate JWT token
        // Check req.headers.authorization or req.cookies for JWT token
        // Implement Okta SDK logic for token validation
        // On success, set req.user with authenticated user data
        next();
    }
}

  6. Secure Your Routes:

    • Use the AuthMiddleware to protect routes that need authentication:
    typescript
    // app.module.ts
import { Module, NestModule, MiddlewareConsumer } from '@nestjs/common';
import { AuthService } from './auth.service';
import { AuthMiddleware } from './auth.middleware';

@Module({
    imports: [],
    controllers: [],
    providers: [AuthService],
})
export class AppModule implements NestModule {
    configure(consumer: MiddlewareConsumer) {
        consumer
            .apply(AuthMiddleware)
            .forRoutes('secured-route');
    }
}

  7. Handle Authentication Callback:

    • Create a callback route to handle authentication callbacks from Okta:
    typescript
    // auth.controller.ts
import { Controller, Get, Req, Res } from '@nestjs/common';
import { AuthService } from './auth.service';

@Controller('auth')
export class AuthController {
    constructor(private readonly authService: AuthService) {}

    @Get('callback')
    async handleAuthCallback(@Req() req, @Res() res) {
        // Handle Okta callback logic here
    }
}

  8. Implement Okta Authentication Logic:

    • Use Okta's JavaScript SDK (@okta/okta-auth-js) in the AuthMiddleware to validate JWT tokens and handle authentication callbacks in the AuthController.

Remember to replace placeholders like 'your-okta-domain.okta.com' and 'your-client-id' with your actual Okta domain and client ID.

This is a basic outline of how to implement serverless authentication with Okta in a Nest.js application. You may need to adjust the implementation based on your specific requirements and use case.

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