REST API Authentication On Atlassian using Okta as OAuth Provider

Enhance API Security for Jira REST APIs with OAuth/API Token plugin will let you authenticate any application (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket) APIs using any third-party OAuth/OIDC provider or API Tokens. The app supports Azure AD, Keycloak, Okta, AWS Cognito, Google, Github, Slack, Gitlab, Facebook, and any custom provider.

Atlassian provides REST APIs to perform several operations such as Create Page, Delete Page, Add Comment, Create Space, etc. However, it supports only two authentication methods for REST APIs:
  1. Basic Authentication
  2. Using OAuth 1.0
The Enhance API Security for Jira REST APIs with OAuth/API Token plugin allows you to use any third party OAuth 2.0 provider/ OpenID connect to authenticate REST APIs of any application (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket). Here we will go through a guide to configure Azure AD as Provider.

You can refer the steps to configure REST API Authentication using API Token from the video or documentation given below

Download And Installation



  • Log into your Atlassian instance as an admin.
  • Navigate to the settings menu and click Manage Apps.
  • Click Find new apps or Find new add-ons from the left-hand side of the page.
  • Locate Enhance API Security for Jira REST APIs with OAuth/API Token app.
  • Click Try free to begin a new trial or Buy now to purchase a license.
  • Enter your information and click Generate license when redirected to MyAtlassian.
  • Click Apply license.

Step 1: Configure Okta server:

  • Go to the Applications from the left menu and then click on Add Application button and select Create New App.
    • Rest API OAuth, API token, API Key authentication for Jira and Confluence Okta
  • Choose Web as platform, OpenID Connect as Sign on method, and click on Create.
    • Rest API OAuth, API token, API Key authentication for Jira and Confluence Okta
  • You will be redirected to the app details page. Enter Application name and Login Redirect URIs. Copy Callback URL from the plugin . Click on Save.
    • Rest API OAuth, API token, API Key authentication for Jira and Confluence Okta
  • You will be brought to App details page. Scroll down to Client Credentials section.
    • Rest API OAuth, API token, API Key authentication for Jira and Confluence Okta

Note: Copy the ClientID and Client Secret.

Step 2: Fetch Access token through POSTMAN:

  • Open the Postman Application (Here is the link to download Postman Application).
  • Go to Authorization tab.
  • From the dropdown select type as OAuth 2.0 and  click on Get access token.
  • Add the following information from the table below.
  • Postman starts the authentication flow and prompts you to use the access token.
  • Select Add token to the header.
Field Value
Grant type Authorization Code or Client Credentials
Callback URL Enter the Application's base URL if you dont have a callback URL
Auth URL https://<Domain_Name>/oauth2/default/v1/authorize
Access token URL https://<Domain_Name>/oauth2/default/v1/token
Client ID Enter the Okta Client ID
Client secret Enter the Okta Client secret
Scope openid profile email
State Random String
Client Authentication Send client credentials in the body
  Rest API OAuth, API token, API Key authentication for Jira and Confluence AccessToken
  • Copy the Access Token or click on Use Token.
A sample access token from Okta Provider looks like this. 
A834c0606ba71336423013699db8e971

Step 3: Fetch Username through Okta:

  • Choose the method type as "GET".
  • Enter the interoception Endpoint from the plugin to fetch the username in the Request URL. For Okta it is "https://{Domain_Name}/oauth2/default/v1/userinfo".
  • Go to the Authorization tab select the Bearer Token and enter the access token here.
  • Add the header "content-type: application/json" and click on Send.
Rest API OAuth, API token, API Key authentication for Jira and Confluence Username
Request: 
     curl 
    -X GET 
    -H "Authorization: Bearer <Access Token>" 
    -H "Content-type: application/json" 
    https://{Domain_Name}/oauth2/default/v1/userinfo
Copy the attribute value against the username, you will need to configure it in plugin. In this example, the value is "preferred_username".  

Step 4: Configure the Rest API plugin:

1: Enable Rest API Authentication:
  • After installing the app, click on Configure to configure plugin.
  • Select the Authentication type and navigate to Oauth/OIDC tab, then click on Configure.
  • From the drop down select Okta as OAuth Provider.
  • Enter the Domain Name from Okta.
  • Enter the attribute value against which we received the username in the Postman response.
  • Save the settings.
  • Now navigate to the Global Settings tab.
  • Here you will have to Enable the Authentication through Enable REST API Authentication and click on Save.
  • To configure the username attribute, click on Get username/email Attribute button.

    • Rest API OAuth, API token, API Key authentication for Jira and Confluence Azure AD

  • Paste the OAuth 2.0 Access token obtained from the OAuth provider and click on Get response.
  • In the received response, copy the JSON attribute against which you are receiving the username/email of the user in the local directory and paste it into the Username/Email Attribute input field, and click on Save.

Step 5: Test REST API using access token:

Jira Rest API

API keys and Tokens can be tested with the Test tokens feature. Select the type - Basic/Bearer, paste the token and click on Test token button.

Rest API OAuth, API token, API Key authentication for Jira and Confluence Confluence-Rest-API-AzureAD B2C

Confluence Rest API

Click here to get a  FREE TRIAL  of Bitbucket REST API Plugin

  • Call Confluence REST API endpoint. Include the access token in the Authorization header. Here’s an example of fetching content from Confluence.
  • Go to the Postman application select method type as GET and enter the Request URL. For eg. http://{Confluence_Base_URL}/confluence/rest/api/content/
  • In the Authorization tab select type as Bearer Token.
Token  
  • In the Header tab add the header “content-type: application/json and send the request.
Result
Request: 
     curl
                             -X GET
                             -H "Authorization: Bearer <Access Token>"
                             -H "Content-type: application/json"
                             http://{confluence_base_url}/confluence/rest/api/content/
  • This will show the content in Confluence and will return the status 200.
  • If the token is invalid or missing, the call will return a 401 Unauthorized response

Bitbucket Rest API

Click here to get a  FREE TRIAL  of Bitbucket REST API Plugin

  • Call Bitbucket REST API endpoint. Include the access token in the Authorization header. Here’s an example of fetching content from Bitbucket.
  • Go to the Postman application select method type as GET and enter the Request URL. For eg. http://{Bitbucket_Base_URL}/rest/api/1.0/dashboard/pull-requests
  • In the Authorization tab select type as Bearer Token.
Rest API OAuth, API token, API Key authentication for Jira and Confluence Confluence-Rest-API-AzureAD B2C  
  • In the Header tab add the header “content-type: application/json and send the request.
Rest API OAuth, API token, API Key authentication for Jira and Confluence Confluence-Rest-API-AzureAD B2C
Request: 
     curl 
     -X GET  
     -H "Authorization: Bearer <Access Token>" 
     -H "Content-type: application/json" 
     http://{bitbucket_base_url}/rest/api/1.0/dashboard/pull-requests/
  • This will Retrieve a page of pull requests where the current authenticated user status 200.
  • If the token is invalid or missing, the call will return a 401 Unauthorized response


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