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Mohammad Waseem
Mohammad Waseem

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Streamlining Authentication Flows with Open Source Tools on Linux

#devops #linux #automation

Automating Authentication Flows Using Linux and Open Source Tools

In today's fast-paced development environments, seamless and secure authentication flows are crucial for user experience and system security. As a DevOps specialist, leveraging open source tools on Linux to automate these flows can significantly reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and improve scalability.

Understanding the Challenge

Automating authentication involves managing tokens, sessions, user credentials, and multi-factor authentication (MFA) methods across various environments. Manual processes are error-prone and inefficient, especially when dealing with multiple services and distributed systems. The goal is to create an automated, reliable, and secure flow that handles user authentication from initiation to token management.

Core Open Source Tools

To execute this automation effectively, I rely on several open source tools:

  • OAuth2 Proxy: Acts as a reverse proxy providing OAuth 2.0 authentication.
  • HashiCorp Vault: Manages secrets, tokens, and dynamic credentials.
  • cURL and jq: For scripting API calls and processing JSON data.
  • systemd services: To orchestrate and schedule authentication routines.
  • certbot: For managing SSL/TLS certificates, ensuring secure communication.

Implementation Strategy

  1. Set Up OAuth2 Proxy

OAuth2 Proxy intercepts user requests, enforces OAuth 2.0 authentication, and manages tokens seamlessly.

docker run -d \
  --name oauth2-proxy \
  -p 4180:4180 \
  -v /etc/oauth2-proxy.cfg:/etc/oauth2-proxy.cfg \
  quay.io/oauth2-proxy/oauth2-proxy
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Configure OAuth2 Proxy with your identity provider (IdP) details, client IDs, secrets, and redirect URLs.

  1. Automate Token Retrieval & Refresh

Using curl and jq, scripts can request tokens from the IdP's token endpoint, handle refreshes, and store tokens securely in Vault.

TOKEN=$(curl -X POST -d "client_id=YOUR_CLIENT_ID" -d "client_secret=YOUR_SECRET" \
  -d "grant_type=client_credentials" \
  https://your-idp.com/oauth/token | jq -r '.access_token')

# Store token securely in Vault
vault kv put secret/auth_token token=$TOKEN
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  1. Manage Secrets with Vault

Vault’s dynamic secret generation ensures credentials are rotated automatically, minimizing security risks.

vault login YOUR_ROOT_TOKEN
vault read secret/yourapp
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  1. Secure Communications

Use certbot to obtain SSL certificates and configure Nginx or your preferred reverse proxy to serve OAuth2 Proxy securely.

sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com
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  1. Orchestrate with systemd

Create systemd service units to run refresh scripts periodically, ensuring tokens and credentials are always current.

[Unit]
Description=OAuth Token Refresh

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/refresh_tokens.sh

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
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Putting It All Together

This setup creates an automated, secure, and scalable authentication flow. When a user accesses the system, OAuth2 Proxy handles the login, Vault supplies dynamic credentials, and systemd ensures tokens remain fresh—all orchestrated on Linux, with open source tools.

Final Thoughts

Automating auth flows using Linux and open source components not only streamlines operations but also enhances security posture. Proper configuration, regular updates, and auditing are key to maintaining a robust authentication infrastructure.

By adopting this approach, organizations can reduce manual intervention, improve user experience, and reinforce their security defenses—all underpinned by reliable, community-driven tools.

🛠️ QA Tip

To test this safely without using real user data, I use TempoMail USA.

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