Troubleshooting SSO Issues with Docker Logs: A Case Study

Single Sign-On (SSO) is a crucial feature for many applications, enabling users to log in with a single set of credentials across multiple systems. However, SSO integration can sometimes encounter issues, such as the "invalid client secret" error. In this guide, we'll walk through using Docker logs to troubleshoot this specific SSO issue and resolve it by updating the client secret in Azure and Keycloak.

Understanding the Error

Here's an example of an SSO error logged by a Keycloak container:

2024-06-20 10:04:12,653 ERROR [org.keycloak.broker.oidc.AbstractOAuth2IdentityProvider] (executor-thread-5) Failed to make identity provider oauth callback: org.keycloak.broker.provider.IdentityBrokerException: No access_token from server. error='invalid_client', error_description='AADSTS7000215: Invalid client secret provided. Ensure the secret being sent in the request is the client secret value, not the client secret ID, for a secret added to app 'b1cf80f4-e852-4fe0-ac91-c6d28bf58e2a'. Trace ID: 1c56cc81-e30f-4fac-9496-f463a00f1400 Correlation ID: 0f115f55-5cd0-4fe5-a9f3-bfd323997f6e Timestamp: 2024-06-20 10:04:12Z', error_uri='https://login.microsoftonline.com/error?code=7000215'

The error message indicates that the SSO login attempt failed due to an "invalid client secret." This means the client secret provided in the request does not match the expected value.

Steps to Use Docker Logs for Troubleshooting

1. Identify the Running Container First, list the running Docker containers to identify which one is running your Keycloak instance:

   docker ps

Example output:

   CONTAINER ID   IMAGE             COMMAND             CREATED         STATUS         PORTS                    NAMES
   abc123def456   jboss/keycloak    "/opt/jboss/keyc…"   2 hours ago     Up 2 hours     0.0.0.0:8080->8080/tcp   keycloak

In this case, the container name is keycloak.

2. View the Container Logs Use the docker logs command to view the logs of the Keycloak container:

   docker logs keycloak

To follow the logs in real-time, add the -f flag:

   docker logs -f keycloak

3. Search for Relevant Errors Look through the logs for error messages related to the SSO issue. In our example, we are looking for an "invalid client secret" error. Example error message:

   2024-06-20 10:04:12,653 ERROR [org.keycloak.broker.oidc.AbstractOAuth2IdentityProvider] (executor-thread-5) Failed to make identity provider oauth callback: org.keycloak.broker.provider.IdentityBrokerException: No access_token from server. error='invalid_client', error_description='AADSTS7000215: Invalid client secret provided.

This message provides key details:

• Error Type: invalid_client
• Description: "Invalid client secret provided."

Resolving the Invalid Client Secret Issue

Step 1: Generate a New Client Secret in Azure

1. Log in to Azure Portal Go to the Azure Portal and log in with your credentials.
2. Navigate to the App Registration Find the app registration associated with your Keycloak instance. Navigate to Azure Active Directory > App registrations > Your Application.
3. Generate a New Client Secret

• Go to the Certificates & secrets section.
• Click on New client secret.
• Provide a description and set an expiration period.
• Click Add. Copy the new client secret value immediately, as it will be hidden once you navigate away.

Step 2: Update the Client Secret in Keycloak

1. Log in to Keycloak Admin Console Access the Keycloak admin console and log in with your admin credentials.
2. Navigate to the Identity Provider Configuration Go to Identity Providers and select the identity provider (e.g., Azure AD) that is causing the issue.
3. Update the Client Secret Paste the new client secret value into the appropriate field in the configuration.
4. Save the Configuration Save the changes and ensure the new client secret is applied.

Step 3: Restart the Keycloak Container

To apply the changes, restart the Keycloak container:

docker restart keycloak

Step 4: Verify the Changes

After restarting, check the logs again to ensure the error is resolved:

docker logs -f keycloak

Look for successful login attempts and the absence of the previous error message.

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you can effectively troubleshoot and resolve SSO issues related to an invalid client secret. Using Docker logs helps you identify the root cause of the problem, and updating the client secret in Azure and Keycloak ensures a smooth authentication process for your applications.