Project Overview
In this project, I designed and implemented a centralized authentication service for the company’s ecosystem of applications. The service was built to handle over 10,000 daily users with single sign-on (SSO) capabilities, significantly improving the user experience and security posture of the organization.
Technical Challenge
The main challenges included:
- Integrating diverse applications with different technology stacks into a unified authentication system
- Ensuring high availability and performance under heavy load
- Implementing robust security measures to protect sensitive user data
- Supporting complex authorization requirements for different user roles and permissions
- Migrating existing users without disrupting their access
Solution
I developed a comprehensive authentication solution that included:
- Keycloak as the core identity and access management platform
- Custom NodeJS APIs for application-specific authentication flows
- Integration with existing user directories through LDAP
- OAuth2 and OpenID Connect protocols for secure authentication
- JWT token management with proper validation and refresh mechanisms
- Multi-factor authentication options for sensitive operations
Implementation Details
Architecture
The authentication service was designed with a layered architecture:
- Core Identity Provider: Keycloak cluster deployed on Kubernetes for high availability
- API Layer: NodeJS services for custom authentication flows and application-specific logic
- Client Libraries: Custom libraries for different application frameworks (Angular, React, etc.)
- Monitoring & Auditing: Comprehensive logging and monitoring for security events
Security Features
The service implemented several security best practices:
- Password policies with complexity requirements
- Brute force protection with account lockout
- Session management with configurable timeouts
- IP-based access restrictions for administrative functions
- Detailed audit logging for security events
Results
The implementation of the centralized authentication service delivered significant benefits:
- 65% reduction in authentication-related support tickets
- Improved user experience with single sign-on across all company applications
- Enhanced security posture with consistent authentication policies
- Simplified onboarding and offboarding processes
- Comprehensive audit trail for compliance requirements
This project demonstrates my expertise in designing and implementing secure, scalable authentication systems for enterprise environments. The service continues to evolve with new features and integrations as the company’s application ecosystem grows.