Managing authentication and authorization in modern web applications can quickly become a maintenance nightmare. Between handling password resets, multi-factor authentication (MFA), social logins, and role-based access control (RBAC), building an in-house solution consumes valuable time that could be spent on core business logic.
Enter Keycloak: an open-source Identity and Access Management (IAM) solution maintained by Red Hat. Keycloak acts as a centralized authentication server that supports industry standards like OAuth 2.0, OpenID Connect (OIDC), and SAML 2.0.
Whether you are building a microservices architecture or a single-page application (SPA), understanding Keycloak's foundation is crucial. In this guide, we will break down the essential Keycloak concepts and look at how to integrate it into your application workflow.
Core Concepts: Demystifying Keycloak Terminology
To work effectively with Keycloak, you need to understand its core building blocks. Let's look at how Keycloak organizes users, permissions, and applications.
