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Writing on Identity & Security

Practical guides on OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect, SAML, Keycloak, and the platform engineering behind identity systems.

308 posts · page 1 of 16

Sep 11, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

SAML 2.0 in One Diagram

Understand the SAML 2.0 authentication lifecycle through a single diagram. We break down bindings, profiles, and key differences from OIDC.

Part 1 · SAML 2.0 for Engineers

Sep 10, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

Keycloak Audit Logging for GDPR Compliance

Learn how to configure Keycloak audit logs and event listeners to meet GDPR requirements and maintain compliance evidence for security engineers.

Part 5 · Keycloak Security Hardening

Sep 8, 20266 min readSecurityFeatured

Content Security Policy and Security Headers in Keycloak

Learn how to configure Content Security Policy and essential security headers in Keycloak to protect against clickjacking and improve overall authentication security.

Part 3 · Keycloak Security Hardening

Sep 7, 20266 min readDevelopment

Token Lifetimes, Sessions, and Revocation in Keycloak

Explore Keycloak token lifetimes, session handling, and revocation mechanisms to secure SSO environments effectively.

Part 2 · Keycloak Security Hardening

Sep 6, 20266 min readSecurityFeatured

Keycloak Hardening: A Checklist for a Fresh Install

Secure your Keycloak deployment from day one with this essential hardening checklist for security and platform engineers.

Part 1 · Keycloak Security Hardening

Sep 5, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

Keycloak: Multiple IdPs, HRD, and Account Linking

Learn how to implement Home Realm Discovery and account linking in Keycloak to manage multiple identity providers without creating duplicate user profiles.

Part 5 · Keycloak Identity Federation

Sep 4, 20266 min readDevelopment

OIDC and SAML Identity Brokering in Keycloak

Learn how to implement identity brokering in Keycloak using OIDC and SAML providers, including handling first broker login and attribute mappers.

Part 4 · Keycloak Identity Federation

Sep 3, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

Integrating Keycloak with Active Directory: LDAP, Kerberos & Group Mapping

Integrate Keycloak with Active Directory using SAMAccountName, group mapping, and Kerberos. A technical guide for identity engineers.

Part 3 · Keycloak Identity Federation

Sep 2, 20266 min readDevelopment

Keycloak LDAP User Federation: Mechanics, Mapping, and Tuning

Configure Keycloak LDAP user federation effectively. Learn about edit modes, attribute mapping strategies, and tuning for optimal performance in identity management.

Part 2 · Keycloak Identity Federation

Sep 1, 20266 min readDevelopment

Keycloak User Federation vs Identity Provider

A technical breakdown of Keycloak's user federation and identity provider mechanisms, helping architects choose the right integration strategy.

Part 1 · Keycloak Identity Federation

Aug 31, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

Writing a Keycloak Custom Authenticator

Learn how to implement a custom authenticator in Keycloak using Java and the Authenticator SPI to extend authentication flows.

Part 5 · Keycloak Themes and SPIs

Aug 30, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

The Keycloak Service Provider Interface, Explained

Explore how the Keycloak SPI enables deep customization through custom providers and factory patterns, tailored for platform engineers and Java developers.

Part 4 · Keycloak Themes and SPIs

Aug 29, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

What RAG Actually Solves (and What It Doesn't)

RAG is often oversold. This article breaks down the actual mechanics of grounding LLMs with external data, what problems it solves, and where it falls short.

Part 1 · RAG from Zero to Production

Aug 28, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

Branding a Keycloak Login: CSS, Assets, and Email Templates

A practical guide to styling Keycloak login pages with custom CSS, assets, and email templates to match your brand identity.

Part 3 · Keycloak Themes and SPIs

Aug 27, 20266 min readDevelopment

Building a Custom Login Theme With FreeMarker

A practical guide to creating a custom Keycloak login theme with FreeMarker, including template structure, i18n, and key files like login.ftl.

Part 2 · Keycloak Themes and SPIs

Aug 26, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

Keycloak Theme Structure and the Base Theme

Understand how Keycloak themes work, from the base theme foundation to inheritance rules and theme.properties configuration.

Part 1 · Keycloak Themes and SPIs

Aug 25, 20266 min readSecurityFeatured

Rate Limiting, Brute Force Detection, and DDoS Protection in Keycloak

Secure your Keycloak deployment against credential stuffing and DDoS attacks with effective rate limiting, brute force detection, and throttling strategies.

Part 6 · Keycloak in Production

Aug 24, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

AuthenticationManager, Providers, and UserDetailsService

Explore the internal mechanics of Spring Security's authentication flow, focusing on the roles of AuthenticationManager, providers, and UserDetailsService.

Part 8 · Spring Security Filter Chain Mastery

Aug 23, 20266 min readDevelopmentFeatured

ExceptionTranslationFilter: Auth Error Handling

Spring Security's ExceptionTranslationFilter is the central hub for handling security exceptions. Learn how it manages 401 and 403 errors by delegating to AuthenticationEntryPoint and AccessDeniedHandler.

Part 6 · Spring Security Filter Chain Mastery

Aug 22, 20266 min readBackendFeatured

The Keycloak Admin REST API

Learn how to leverage the Keycloak Admin REST API to automate user management and integrate authentication into backend systems using service accounts.

Part 5 · Keycloak in Production