How to set up Keycloak with NestJS?

Looking to enhance your NestJS application's security and user management capabilities? Integrating Keycloak with NestJS can provide a robust solution. Follow this comprehensive guide to effortlessly set up Keycloak authentication within your NestJS application.

What is Keycloak?

Keycloak is a cutting-edge open-source solution for Identity and Access Management tailored for modern applications and services. It simplifies the process of securing applications and services, requiring minimal code intervention. Leveraging open protocol standards such as OpenID Connect and SAML 2.0, Keycloak excels in scenarios like Identity Federation and Single Sign-On (SSO).

Keycloak offers a comprehensive suite of authentication and authorization features, including:

• Seamless single sign-on and sign-out, with potential integration options for Kerberos (LDAP or Active Directory)

• Full support for OpenID Connect and SAML 2.0

• Social media login capabilities

• User account administration via intuitive web console and REST API

• Precise, fine-grained authorization controls for diverse service requirements.

How does it work?

Keycloak works by configuring applications to connect to and be protected by its server. When a user interacts with a browser application, they are redirected to the Keycloak authentication server to enter their credentials. This ensures that applications never directly handle user credentials, enhancing security. Instead, applications receive a secure identity token containing information like username, address, and permissions, which allows them to make authorization decisions and access REST-based services securely.

This tutorial assumes some intermediate knowledge. I expect you to know how to create Keycloak realms, and clients, and assign roles to them. In summary, I assume you're familiar with Keycloak. This article will demonstrate how to integrate it with NestJS.

Implementation

• Add nest Keycloak library to your codebase

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    npm install nest-keycloak-connect --save
  

• Next, we'll incorporate the Keycloak configuration into NestJs. We'll add this configuration to the app.module.ts file. Alternatively, you can create a separate module specifically for Keycloak configuration and then import that module into app.module.ts.

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     { Module }  ;
     { AppController }  ;
     { AppService }  ;
     {
      KeycloakConnectModule,
      ResourceGuard,
      RoleGuard,
      AuthGuard,
    }  ;
     { APP_GUARD }  ;
    @Module({
      : [
        KeycloakConnectModule.register({
          : ,
          : ,
          : ,
          : ,
          
        }),
      ],
      : [AppController],
      : [
        AppService,
        
        
        
        
        
        
        {
          : APP_GUARD,
          : AuthGuard,
        },
        
        
        
        
        {
          : APP_GUARD,
          : ResourceGuard,
        },
        
        
        
        
        
        {
          : APP_GUARD,
          : RoleGuard,
        },
      ],
    })
     {}