In today’s world of seamless and secure authentication methods, QR code login offers a user-friendly alternative to traditional login processes. In this guide, we'll walk you through how to integrate QR code-based login into Keycloak using WebSocket for real-time QR code generation and validation.
We’ll cover everything from the Keycloak configuration to WebSocket setup for real-time QR code generation and validation. This blog is meant to be easy to follow, fun to read, and future-proof for your authentication needs.
Why Use QR Code Authentication in Keycloak?
QR code authentication offers several advantages:
- Easy and Fast: Users can scan a QR code instead of typing credentials.
- Secure: Reduces the risk of keylogging and phishing attacks.
- Future-Proof: A flexible approach for multi-factor authentication (MFA).
In this guide, we'll show how to implement a solution that generates QR codes on the frontend and validates them on the Keycloak backend, creating a seamless user experience.
Roadmap: What We Need to Do
- Keycloak Setup:
- Create a custom authentication flow.
- Implement a custom QR code authenticator.
- Backend Setup:
- Set up a WebSocket server to generate QR codes in real-time.
- Send QR code data to the frontend.
- Frontend Setup:
- Use WebSocket to receive the QR code data and display it to the user.
- Keycloak Validation:
- Validate the QR code on the backend and create a session for the user.
- Testing and Debugging:
- Test the QR code login flow end-to-end.
Step-by-Step Implementation
1. Setting Up Keycloak for QR Code Login
Creating a Custom Authentication Flow in Keycloak
In Keycloak, you can create custom authentication flows to handle different login methods, including QR code-based authentication.
- Go to the Keycloak Admin Console > Authentication > Flows.
- Create a new flow (e.g.,
QR Code Authentication
).
Create a Custom Authenticator
A custom authenticator handles the QR code validation. Here’s how to create it:
After this, don’t forget to register your custom authenticator in Keycloak.
2. Backend WebSocket Server for Real-Time QR Code Generation
We’ll use Spring Boot and WebSocket to generate QR codes dynamically.
Step 1: Add Dependencies
Add the following dependencies in your pom.xml
file:
Step 2: WebSocket Configuration
Step 3: WebSocket Handler to Generate QR Code
3. Frontend: WebSocket Client to Display QR Code
On the frontend, you need a WebSocket client to connect to the backend and display the QR code in real-time.
Step 1: HTML and JavaScript
This code sets up a WebSocket connection to the backend, receives the QR code, and displays it as an image.
4. Keycloak QR Code Validation and Session Creation
After the user scans the QR code, Keycloak will need to validate it and create a session for the user.
Keycloak Authenticator to Validate QR Code
Once validated, Keycloak will automatically create a user session and authenticate the user.
5. Testing and Debugging
Before going live, ensure the following:
- Test WebSocket Connections: Ensure the frontend can successfully connect to the WebSocket server.
- Validate QR Code: Verify that the QR code token is correctly passed to Keycloak for validation.
- Session Creation: Confirm that Keycloak creates a session and the user is authenticated.
Conclusion
By integrating QR code authentication into Keycloak with real-time WebSocket communication, you provide a secure, efficient, and user-friendly login solution. This implementation is easy to maintain, future-proof, and ensures that your authentication process stays modern and robust.
Feel free to follow the code snippets provided above to set up the system in your own environment. With this solution, you can offer your users a seamless authentication experience while keeping security at the forefront.
Happy coding