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SAML, JAAS, & Role-Based Access Control

Web service clients can be implemented as JavaServer Pages, servlets, or Java applications, or as executables written in C++, Perl, Visual Basic, JavaScript. A truly ubiquitous protocol. In this article, I use a Java application as a Web service client and show how to secure that client from an authentication and authorization standpoint via Role-based Access Control (RBAC). Basically, role-based authorization is achieved by using:

  • A SAML (Security Assertion Markup Language) token provisioned as a Group Principal used within the Web service client.
  • The JAAS (Java Authentication and Authorization Service) Framework to contain the Group Principal information in the JAAS Subject.
  • A Custom API that is specified in a similar fashion to standard privileges management systems that provide authorization behavior.
Read the complete article by Frank Teti at Dr Dobbs Portal.
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