🧭 Day 2: Kicking off Auth Service – Exploring Keycloak vs. Duende IdentityServer
In our journey to build a robust, secure, and scalable e-commerce platform (SmartKart 🛒) using .NET Core and Microservices, we are now diving into the Authentication and Authorization layer.
Why Start With AuthService?
Authentication is a cross-cutting concern and a foundational piece for secure APIs. Starting here ensures all downstream services follow a consistent security model.
🔍 What is Keycloak (in simple words)?
Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management tool.
Think of it as a central place where:
- Users register and log in 🔑
- Roles and permissions are managed 🛡️
- Tokens (JWT) are issued for secure API access 🧾
And the best part? It already has all the features built-in — you don’t have to code login pages, password management, token handling, etc., yourself!
✅ Why We Chose Keycloak Over Other Options
As a .NET Core engineer, I evaluated a few options like:
- ASP.NET Identity + JWT (custom)
- Duende IdentityServer (formerly IdentityServer4)
- Keycloak
Here's why I picked Keycloak:
✔️ 1. Fully Open Source
No license needed for commercial use. Duende requires a paid license for most real-world projects.
✔️ 2. Feature-Rich, Out of the Box
Login UI, forgot password, role mapping, token issuance — all ready without writing extra code.
✔️ 3. Centralized User Management
You get a user-friendly admin panel to:
- Add/edit users
- Assign roles
- Configure clients/apps
✔️ 4. Standards-Based Protocols
Supports OAuth2.0, OpenID Connect, and even SAML — works well with .NET Core's JWT middleware.
✔️ 5. Easy to Integrate with .NET Core
Though written in Java, it’s protocol-based, so integration with .NET Core is seamless using:
- JWT Bearer Authentication
- OpenID Connect client libraries
✔️ 6. Scalable & Cloud-Friendly
Supports Docker, Kubernetes, and clustering — ideal for microservices.
📌 Summary Comparison Table :
| Feature | Keycloak ✅ | Duende IdentityServer ❌ |
|---|---|---|
| Open Source (free to use) | ✔️ Yes | ❌ No (requires paid license) |
| Admin UI for users/roles | ✔️ Built-in | ❌ Needs custom development |
| Login/Register/Forgot UI | ✔️ Provided | ❌ Build yourself |
| Protocol Support (OAuth2/OIDC) | ✔️ Yes | ✔️ Yes |
| Easy .NET Core Integration | ✔️ Yes (via JWT/OIDC) | ✔️ Native |
| Multi-tenant support | ✔️ Realms | ❌ Manual effort |
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