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Using NetBird with Keycloak

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

Keycloak is an open source software product to allow single sign-on with Identity and Access Management aimed at modern applications and services.

managed idp

If you prefer not to self-host an Identity and Access Management solution, then you could use a managed alternative like Auth0.

The following guide is an adapted version of the original Keycloak on Docker guide from the official website.

Expected Result​

After completing this guide, you can log in to your self-hosted NetBird Dashboard and add your machines to your network using the Interactive SSO Login feature over Keycloak.

Step 1: Check your Keycloak Instance​

For this guide, you need a fully configured Keycloak instance running with SSL.

We assume that your Keycloak instance is available at https://YOUR-KEYCLOAK-HOST-AND_PORT. Feel free to change the port if you have configured Keycloak with a different one.

Most of the OIDC software requires SSL for production use. We encourage you to comply with this requirement to make the world more secure 😊.

Step 2: Create a realm​

To create a realm you need to:

  • Open the Keycloak Admin Console
  • Hover the mouse over the dropdown in the top-left corner where it says Master, then click on Create Realm
  • Fill in the form with the following values:
    • Realm name: netbird
  • Click Create

Step 3: Create a user​

In this step we will create a NetBird administrator user.

  • Open the Keycloak Admin Console
  • Make sure, that the selected realm is Netbird
  • Click Users (left-hand menu)
  • Click Create new user
  • Fill in the form with the following values:
    • Username: netbird
  • Click Create

The user will need an initial password set to be able to log in. To do this:

  • Click Credentials tab
  • Click Set password button
  • Fill in the password form with a password
  • Set the Temporary field to Off to prevent having to update password on first login
  • Click Save

Step 4: Create a NetBird client​

In this step we will create NetBird application client and register with the Keycloak instance.

  • Open the Keycloak Admin Console
  • Make sure, that the selected realm is Netbird
  • Click Clients
  • Click Create client button
  • Fill in the form with the following values and click Next:
    • Client Type: OpenID Connect
    • Client ID: netbird-client
  • Your newly client netbird-client will be used later to set NETBIRD_AUTH_CLIENT_ID in the setup.env

  • Check the checkboxes as on the screenshot below and click Save

Step 5: Adjust NetBird client access settings​

In this step we will configure NetBird application client access with the NetBird URLs.

  • Open the Keycloak Admin Console
  • Make sure, that the selected realm is Netbird
  • Click Clients
  • Choose netbird-client from the list
  • Go to Access Settings section
  • Fill in the fields with the following values:
    • Root URL: https://YOUR DOMAIN/ (this is the NetBird Dashboard root URL)
    • Valid redirect URIs: https://YOUR DOMAIN/*
    • Valid post logout redirect URIs: https://YOUR DOMAIN/*
    • Web origins: +
    • Click Save

Step 6: Create a NetBird client scope​

In this step, we will create and configure the NetBird client audience for Keycloak to add it to the generated JWT tokens.

  • Open the Keycloak Admin Console
  • Make sure, that the selected realm is Netbird
  • Click Client scopes (left-hand menu)
  • Click Create client scope button
  • Fill in the form with the following values:
    • Name: api
    • Type: Default
    • Protocol: OpenID Connect
  • Click Save

  • While in the newly created Client Scope, switch to the Mappers tab
  • Click Configure a new mapper
  • Choose the Audience mapping

  • Fill in the form with the following values:
    • Name: Audience for NetBird Management API
    • Included Client Audience: netbird-client
    • Add to access token: On
    • Click Save

Step 7: Add client scope to NetBird client​

  • Open the Keycloak Admin Console
  • Make sure, that the selected realm is Netbird
  • Click Clients
  • Choose netbird-client from the list
  • Switch to Client scopes tab
  • Click Add client scope button
  • Choose api
  • Click Add choosing Default
  • The value netbird-client will be used as audience

Step 8: Ensure that all users will join the same NetBird network (Optional)​

In this step, we will configure custom JWT claims that will be included in every generated token. This step is necessary if you want every user created via Keycloak to join the same NetBird network. Otherwise, every user will have a separate account and network.

  • Open the Keycloak Admin Console
  • Make sure, that the selected realm is Netbird
  • Click Client scopes (left-hand menu)
  • Click Create client scope button
  • Fill in the form with the following values:
    • Name: Domain Token Claims
    • Type: Default
    • Protocol: OpenID Connect
  • Click Save

  • While in the newly created Client Scope, switch to the Mappers tab
  • Click Configure a new mapper
  • Choose the Hardcoded claim mapping

  • Fill in the form with the following values:
    • Name: domain
    • Token Claim Name: netbird-clientwt_account_domain. This is not a typo. The name is a concat of NETBIRD_AUTH_AUDIENCE and a wt_account_domain string
    • Claim value: <YOUR DOMAIN>. E.g. netbird.io
    • Click Save

  • Repeat the same operation and add a new mapper
  • Fill in the form with the following values:
    • Name: domain_category
    • Token Claim Name: netbird-clientwt_account_domain_category. This is not a typo. The name is a concat of NETBIRD_AUTH_AUDIENCE and a wt_account_domain_category string
    • Claim value: private
    • Click Save

  • Open the Keycloak Admin Console
  • Make sure, that the selected realm is Netbird
  • Click Clients
  • Choose netbird-client from the list
  • Switch to Client scopes tab
  • Click Add client scope button
  • Choose Domain_Token_Claims
  • CLick Add choosing Default

Step 9: Continue with the self-hosting guide​

Your authority OIDC configuration will be available under:

https://<YOUR-KEYCLOAK-HOST-AND-PORT>/realms/netbird/.well-known/openid-configuration
caution

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

  • Set properties in the setup.env file:

    • NETBIRD_AUTH_OIDC_CONFIGURATION_ENDPOINT=https://<YOUR-KEYCLOAK-HOST-AND-PORT>/realms/netbird/.well-known/openid-configuration.
    • NETBIRD_AUTH_CLIENT_ID=netbird-client
    • NETBIRD_AUTH_AUDIENCE=netbird-client
    • NETBIRD_AUTH_DEVICE_AUTH_CLIENT_ID=netbird-client. Optional, it enables the Interactive SSO Login feature (Oauth 2.0 Device Authorization Flow)

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

note

Make sure that your Keycloak instance use HTTPS. Otherwise, the setup won't work.