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Keycloak

Keycloak is an open-source identity and access management (IAM) solution developed by Red Hat. It provides features for single sign-on (SSO), user authentication, authorization, and identity brokering. Keycloak aims to simplify the implementation of authentication and authorization mechanisms in applications by offering a centralized and configurable platform.

Key Features​

  1. Single Sign-On (SSO): Keycloak enables users to log in once and gain access to multiple applications without the need to re-enter credentials for each application.
  2. Identity Federation: It supports identity brokering, allowing users to log in with existing accounts from social networks (such as Google, Facebook, or GitHub) or other identity providers.
  3. User Authentication: Keycloak provides a variety of authentication mechanisms, including username and password, multi-factor authentication, and support for external identity providers.
  4. Authorization Services: It includes fine-grained access control and authorization policies to manage what users can and cannot do within applications.
  5. User Account Management: Keycloak offers user self-registration, password reset, and other account management features.
  6. LDAP and Active Directory Integration: It supports integration with LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) and Microsoft Active Directory for seamless user management.
  7. Client Adapters: Keycloak provides client adapters for various platforms and languages, making it easier to integrate with applications built using different technologies.
  8. Security and Compliance: Keycloak follows best practices for security and compliance, including support for OAuth 2.0 and OpenID Connect standards.

Developers can integrate Keycloak with their applications using various protocols such as OpenID Connect, OAuth 2.0, SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language), and more. It is commonly used in microservices architectures and distributed systems to manage authentication and authorization in a centralized manner. Keycloak is often employed in scenarios where secure user authentication and access control are crucial, such as enterprise applications, web applications, and APIs.