Centralized Authentication System

A FastAPI-based centralized authentication system with LDAP integration and group-based authorization.

🚀 Features

• LDAP authentication with OpenLDAP integration
• Group-based authorization (GroupA/GroupB access control)
• Secure session management
• Docker containerization
• Interactive API documentation

🛠️ Setup Instructions

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose
• Git

Quick Start

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/Emansaeed331/centralized-auth.git
cd centralized-auth

2. Start the application:

docker-compose up --build

3. Access the application:

• Web App: http://localhost:8080
• API Docs: http://localhost:8080/docs

👤 Test Users

Username	Password	Groups	Dashboard Access
user1	password1	GroupA	Admin Dashboard
user2	password2	GroupB	User Dashboard

🔧 Local Development (Optional)

If you want to run without Docker:

1. Create virtual environment:

python -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate  # Windows: venv\Scripts\activate

2. Install dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

3. Start LDAP server:

docker-compose up openldap -d

4. Run application:

uvicorn main:app --reload --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8000

📋 Usage Instructions

How to Use the Application

1. Start the system:

docker-compose up --build

2. Open your browser and go to: http://localhost:8080

3. Login with test users:

   • user1/password1 → Access to Admin Dashboard
   • user2/password2 → Access to User Dashboard

4. Navigate between dashboards:

   • Admin users see administrative functions
   • Regular users see standard user interface

5. Logout: Click the logout link to end your session

API Endpoints

Endpoint	Method	Description
/	GET	Redirects to appropriate dashboard
/login	GET/POST	Login page and authentication
/dashboard-a	GET	Admin dashboard (GroupA)
/dashboard-b	GET	User dashboard (GroupB)
/logout	GET	Logout and clear session
/docs	GET	Interactive API documentation

🔧 Configuration

Environment Variables (Optional)

Create a .env file to customize:

LDAP_SERVER=localhost
LDAP_PORT=1389
LDAP_BASE_DN=dc=example,dc=org

Docker Commands

# Start services
docker-compose up --build

# Run in background  
docker-compose up -d

# Stop services
docker-compose down

# View logs
docker-compose logs app

🧪 Testing

Manual Testing

1. Start application: docker-compose up --build
2. Go to http://localhost:8080
3. Try logging in with test users (user1, user2)
4. Verify proper dashboard access based on groups
5. Test logout functionality

API Testing

# Test login
curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/login \
  -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
  -d "username=user1&password=password1"

🚨 Troubleshooting

LDAP Connection Issues:

docker-compose logs openldap

Authentication Problems:

• Check username/password (case sensitive)
• Verify user exists in LDAP
• Check application logs: docker-compose logs app

Permission Denied:

• Verify user belongs to correct group
• Check session is active (refresh browser)

📁 Project Structure

centralized-auth/
├── main.py              # FastAPI application
├── auth.py              # LDAP authentication
├── requirements.txt     # Python dependencies
├── Dockerfile           # Container configuration
├── docker-compose.yml   # Multi-service setup
├── ldap-seed.ldif       # Test LDAP data
└── app/templates/       # HTML templates
    ├── login.html
    ├── dashboard_a.html
    └── dashboard_b.html

🔐 Security Features

• Secure session management (1-hour timeout)
• LDAP authentication with group authorization
• CSRF protection
• HttpOnly cookies
• Input validation and sanitization