Configure Keycloak (OIDC)

If your organization uses Keycloak Identity Provider (IdP) for user authentication, you can configure Rancher to allow your users to log in using their IdP credentials. Rancher supports integration with Keycloak using the OpenID Connect (OIDC) protocol and the SAML protocol. Both implementations are functionally equivalent when used with Rancher. This page describes the process to configure Rancher to work with Keycloak using the OIDC protocol.

If you prefer to use Keycloak with the SAML protocol instead, refer to this page.

If you have an existing configuration using the SAML protocol and want to switch to the OIDC protocol, refer to this section.

Prerequisites

  • On Rancher, Keycloak (SAML) is disabled.

  • You must have a Keycloak IdP Server configured.

  • In Keycloak, create a new OIDC client, with the settings below. See the Keycloak documentation for help.

    Setting Value

    Client ID

    <CLIENT_ID> (e.g. rancher)

    Name

    <CLIENT_NAME> (e.g. rancher)

    Client Protocol

    openid-connect

    Access Type

    confidential

    Valid Redirect URI

    https://yourRancherHostURL/verify-auth

  • In the new OIDC client, create Mappers to expose the users fields.

    • Create a new "Groups Mapper" with the settings below.

      Setting Value

      Name

      Groups Mapper

      Mapper Type

      Group Membership

      Token Claim Name

      groups

      Add to ID token

      OFF

      Add to access token

      OFF

      Add to user info

      ON

    • Create a new "Client Audience" with the settings below.

      Setting Value

      Name

      Client Audience

      Mapper Type

      Audience

      Included Client Audience

      <CLIENT_NAME>

      Add to access token

      ON

    • Create a new "Groups Path" with the settings below.

      Setting Value

      Name

      Group Path

      Mapper Type

      Group Membership

      Token Claim Name

      full_group_path

      Full group path

      ON

      Add to user info

      ON

Configuring Keycloak in Rancher

  1. In the Rancher UI, click ☰ > Users & Authentication.

  2. In the left navigation bar, click Auth Provider.

  3. Select Keycloak (OIDC).

  4. Complete the Configure a Keycloak OIDC account form. For help with filling the form, see the configuration reference.

  5. After you complete the Configure a Keycloak OIDC account form, click Enable.

    Rancher redirects you to the IdP login page. Enter credentials that authenticate with Keycloak IdP to validate your Rancher Keycloak configuration.

    You may need to disable your popup blocker to see the IdP login page.

Result: Rancher is configured to work with Keycloak using the OIDC protocol. Your users can now sign into Rancher using their Keycloak logins.

Configuration Reference

Field Description

Client ID

The Client ID of your Keycloak client.

Client Secret

The generated Secret of your Keycloak client. In the Keycloak console, select Clients, select the client you created, select the Credentials tab and copy the value of the Secret field.

Private Key / Certificate

A key/certificate pair to create a secure shell between Rancher and your IdP. Required if HTTPS/SSL is enabled on your Keycloak server.

Endpoints

Choose whether to use the generated values for the Rancher URL, Issue, and Auth Endpoint fields or to provide manual overrides if incorrect.

Keycloak URL

The URL for your Keycloak server.

Keycloak Realm

The name of the realm in which the Keycloak client was created in.

Rancher URL

The URL for your Rancher Server.

Issuer

The URL of your IdP.

Auth Endpoint

The URL where users are redirected to authenticate.

Migrating from SAML to OIDC

This section describes the process to transition from using Rancher with Keycloak (SAML) to Keycloak (OIDC).

Reconfigure Keycloak

  1. Change the existing client to use the OIDC protocol. In the Keycloak console, select Clients, select the SAML client to migrate, select the Settings tab, change Client Protocol from saml to openid-connect, and click Save

  2. Verify the Valid Redirect URIs are still valid.

  3. Select the Mappers tab and create a new Mapper with the settings below.

    Setting Value

    Name

    Groups Mapper

    Mapper Type

    Group Membership

    Token Claim Name

    groups

    Add to ID token

    ON

    Add to access token

    ON

    Add to user info

    ON

Reconfigure Rancher

Before configuring Rancher to use Keycloak (OIDC), Keycloak (SAML) must be first disabled.

  1. In the Rancher UI, click ☰ > Users & Authentication.

  2. In the left navigation bar, click Auth Provider.

  3. Select Keycloak (SAML).

  4. Click Disable.

Configure Rancher to use Keycloak (OIDC) by following the steps in this section.

After configuration is completed, Rancher user permissions will need to be reapplied as they are not automatically migrated.

Annex: Troubleshooting

If you are experiencing issues while testing the connection to the Keycloak server, first double-check the configuration options of your OIDC client. You may also inspect the Rancher logs to help pinpoint what’s causing issues. Debug logs may contain more detailed information about the error. Please refer to How can I enable debug logging in this documentation.

All Keycloak related log entries will be prepended with either [generic oidc] or [keycloak oidc].

You are not redirected to Keycloak

When you fill the Configure a Keycloak OIDC account form and click on Enable, you are not redirected to your IdP.

  • Verify your Keycloak client configuration.

The generated Issuer and Auth Endpoint are incorrect

  • On the Configure a Keycloak OIDC account form, change Endpoints to Specify (advanced) and override the Issuer and Auth Endpoint values. To find the values, go to the Keycloak console and select Realm Settings, select the General tab, and click OpenID Endpoint Configuration. The JSON output will display values for issuer and authorization_endpoint.

Keycloak Error: "Invalid grant_type"

  • In some cases, this error message may be misleading and is actually caused by setting the Valid Redirect URI incorrectly.