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Using NetBird with Auth0

This guide is a part of the NetBird Self-hosting Guide and explains how to integrate self-hosted NetBird with Auth0.

Auth0 is a flexible, drop-in solution to add authentication and authorization services to your applications. It is a 3rd party managed service and can't be self-hosted. Auth0 is the right choice if you don't want to manage an Identity Provider (IDP) instance on your own.

self-hosted idp

If you prefer to have full control over authentication and authorization of your NetBird network, there are good self-hosted alternatives to the managed Auth0 service like Keycloak.

Step 1: Create Auth0 account​

To create an Auth0 account, sign up at https://auth0.com.

There are five properties of the setup.env file that we will configure in this guide:

  • NETBIRD_AUTH_CLIENT_ID
  • NETBIRD_AUTH_OIDC_CONFIGURATION_ENDPOINT
  • NETBIRD_USE_AUTH0
  • NETBIRD_AUTH_AUDIENCE
  • NETBIRD_AUTH_DEVICE_AUTH_CLIENT_ID (Optional)

Step 2: Create and configure Auth0 application​

This Auth0 application will be used to authorize access to NetBird Dashboard (Web UI).

  • Follow the steps in the Auth0 React SDK Guide up until "Install the Auth0 React SDK".

  • Use https://YOUR DOMAIN as: Allowed Callback URLs, Allowed Logout URLs, Allowed Web Origins, Allowed Origins (CORS)

    caution

    Make sure that Token Endpoint Authentication Method is set to None.

  • Use Client ID to set NETBIRD_AUTH_CLIENT_ID property in the setup.env file.

  • Use Domain to configure NETBIRD_AUTH_OIDC_CONFIGURATION_ENDPOINT property in the setup.env file like so:

    https://<DOMAIN>/.well-known/openid-configuration
    caution

    Double-check if the endpoint returns a JSON response by calling it from your browser.

Step 3: Create and configure Auth0 API​

This Auth0 API will be used to access NetBird Management Service API.

  • Follow the steps in the Auth0 Create An API.
  • Use API Identifier to set NETBIRD_AUTH_AUDIENCE property in the setup.env file.
  • Set NETBIRD_USE_AUTH0 to truein the setup.env file.

Step 4: Enable Interactive SSO Login (Optional)​

The Interactive SSO Login feature allows for machine authorization with your Identity Provider. This feature can be used as an alternative to setup keys and is optional.

You can enable it by following these steps:

  • Log in to your Auth0 account https://manage.auth0.com/
  • Go to Applications (left-hand menu)
  • Click Create Application button (top right)
  • Fill in the form with the following values:
    • Name: Interactive Login
    • Application type: Native
  • Click Create

  • Click Settings tab
  • Copy Client ID to NETBIRD_AUTH_DEVICE_AUTH_CLIENT_ID in the setup.env file

  • Scroll down to the Advanced Settings section
  • Enable Device Code
  • Click Save Changes

Step 4: Continue with the self-hosting guide​

You can now continue with the NetBird Self-hosting Guide.