I'm developing a system which, when submitting a form through Google Forms, a script will take the data from the sheet which the data is submitted to and then set up a project in a project management software (Zoho projects), and also create Google folder structures based on the information provided.
In other words, a google form is the one location from which all project infrastructure will be created in their corresponding locations and software.
In order for this system to work properly, I need every user who has access to the form to be able to perform the same actions on every software which the script is tied to, regardless of their permissions level for each.
This necessitates the script using only one set of credentials for the 3rd party API which is authorized at a high level, and having all users of the form access only those credentials in order to get the consistent results that are needed.
The problem with this is that I cannot (or at least I don't think I can,) use the OAuth2.0 library for GAS, as user authentication would be to access only the data which the user operating the software has; this would produce many errors in the code because utilizing credentials of different authority levels while attempting to perform the same tasks which require high levels of authority would yield many errors, and lead to inconsistent functionality with the script. On top of this, because I'm referencing a 3rd party API, there's no "Service Account" that I can use to act on behalf of highly authorized users.
To resolve this issue, I've built my own wrapper library for this API in Google Apps Script and built my own authentication system in which user credentials are automatically renewed and managed using the PropertiesService capabilities. I have established access to a highly-authorized user's data through this system. I access this data in my script instead of authenticating with the OAuth2 library for Google Apps Script in order to allow consistent results from the software.
I've found my own method that works for this scenario, but after all the work I've went through, am wondering if I have reinvented the wheel. Is there any other more established way to have multiple users interface with one set of credentials of a 3rd party API through Google Apps Script? Or is this a unique situation that required the solution that I came up with?
Thanks in advance!
You could instead use GAS to create webapp that runs as you every time, and then passes ownership of the related zoho and google drive files to the user after the script runs.
Related
Here is my scenario. Imagine there is a Yoga studio that uses a professional booking and reservation system that exposes an API. Through this API an application can make a reservation for a client. The API takes the client's userid and password to make the reservation. The booking API doesn't use OAuth or any social media sign-ins.
My desire is to create an Assistant Action that would retrieve the list of classes and allow the client to make a booking.
My puzzle is what design/architecture to look towards to supply the userid/password pair required by the booking API.
How have others solved this puzzle?
Should I store the userid/password as "user state" associated with the action?
First, you should have a conversation with the API provider about why they don't provide an OAuth-based solution. This is a security vulnerability waiting to happen, if it hasn't already.
Second, you need to think very carefully about your own risk profile in this case:
Google does not allow you to collect credential information (ie - passwords) through your Action.
Because of this, you must use Account Linking to authenticate them.
This means that you will need something (ie - a database or data store) to manage their account on your side.
This database would be a good place to keep the username/password you need to use for them for the API...
...but it now means that you need to take extreme care about protecting this database.
You don't really say how this API allows for accounts to be created and managed. If these accounts are just used for you (ie - the user doesn't necessarily see them), then you can mitigate some of that risk by treating the username/password as an opaque token that you manage and generate and that the user never sees.
If this is something that the user is aware of, then you'll need to approach the account linking in one of two ways:
Have them log into your service via an app or webapp using this credential info that you will need to save (ack!) and then link to the Assistant using OAuth.
Have them log into your service via an app or webapp using Google Sign-In, which will carry over to your Action. Then have them provide the credential info for the API, which you will need to save (ack!).
I am working on a news media website, and I am looking to add feature to allow users to register, login and make comments.
For example (New York Times login/register screen)
May I know what options are available, what are the common approaches publishers would choose ?
So far I have been looking at:
AWS Cognito: Allows to create own user directory, and authenticate.
Disquss SSO: also implemented commenting.
In house development: Code a new microservice to manage user directory and store/serve comments, alternatively using AWS Lambda. I am very keen to go down that path, example, but this might costs a lot to develop + maintain.
User data security is my top consideration, I would prefer to use a separate system to store user data. Either a robust third party service or complete in house development of a new system.
Any suggestions?
Thank you.
These are web-standards for single sign on:
OpenID
OpenID Connect
Companies like Google and Facebook provide authentication using Google-/Facebook-accounts. As far as I know, Google uses OpenID Connect which is based on OAuth. However, I don't know if you don't have to store user data any more at all when using this.
I believe it's worth checking again if authentication and commenting should be combined, especially when using a third-party-solution. It makes it harder to change one of the two.
This could give you some more ideas: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_single_sign-on_implementations.
I have tried Google with queries similar to the title of this question, but haven't found anything useful.
Background: I am building a web app and would like to add a user authentication level to it. I cannot imagine anything worse than building a user authentication system from the ground up, so I want a quick solution.
I'm looking for open source software I can host on my server that provides an auth layer I can connect to, with multiple user accounts
Criteria:
I want to host the software on my own server
Provide a log in screen that works with multiple sign in strategies - twitter, facebook, vanilla email, etc.
Persists users to a database (preferably postgres) and persists session data
Preferably lets me store a minimal amount of data per user, like key value store
Has a client-side (Javascript) API, like Facebook's JS, so I can use this auth service on multiple sites. Namely, I want to use it on localhost or my own file system (when allowing file cookies). Client side JS API exposes methods like log in / log out
Has a server side API (such as exposes local RESTful endpoints) so that when I do build out my server side app for other data storage outside of the user, my app can query the auth service for log in status.
I want to run this stack completely independently of my own app - in fact I want to run this auth service and purely communicate to it from my local dev environment without building any server side app of my own.
I have used Firebase and they do many of the things that I want, including log in strategies and the client / server side APIs, but I want to be able to host my own version of this.
I can't imagine anyone takes pleasure out of building user authentication of any kind, so I'm surprised I haven't found anything in research.
I also know this is an open-ended question, but as far as I can tell I haven't found anything satisfying my requirements.
I like Devise (https://github.com/plataformatec/devise), which is for Rails. It has an active community with a boatloads of plugins available that can fulfill many of your requirements.
I didn't see a language specified; most languages and frameworks have their own implementations. Can you provide more information?
Example: I use the Flask framework on python. In addition, I use the Authomatic library which provides Oauth access for twitter, google, facebook, etc.
What I was looking for is something called a Single Sign On solution. According to this list there is nothing currently that meets my criteria.
Instead I have chosen to just run a local webserver and implement a regular auth flow.
I have an app where people login to our site, search for FB groups based on keyword, and then download a text file of UIDs (generated by the API, not by scraping), for the purpose of creating a custom audience in the Power Editor and uploading it back.
Is that allowed?
It is okay to do so, as long as it is strictly for the functionality for your app and your users that will be downloading the lists of ids have agreed to keep them confidential. These are the specific items from the Facebook platform policy which address what you cannot do with user ids:
II
6) You will not directly or indirectly transfer any data you receive from
us, including user data or Facebook User IDs, to (or use such data in
connection with) any ad network, ad exchange, data broker, or other
advertising or monetization related toolset, even if a user consents
to such transfer or use. By indirectly we mean you cannot, for
example, transfer data to a third party who then transfers the data to
an ad network. By any data we mean all data obtained through use of
the Facebook Platform (API, Social Plugins, etc.), including
aggregate, anonymous or derivative data.
7) User IDs for any purpose outside your application (e.g., your
infrastructure, code, or services necessary to build and run your
application). Facebook User IDs may be used with external services
that you use to build and run your application, such as a web
infrastructure service or a distributed computing platform, but only
if those services are necessary to running your application and the
service has a contractual obligation with you to keep Facebook User
IDs confidential.
Make sure that your app doesn't break either of those rules or any other rule in the Platform Policy.
i'm in the early stages of developing an API for my site so that third party developers can build an iPhone application for it. The API would have a limited subset of the functionality of the full site. The trouble i have is around security and authentication for the user who downloads the application. I have come up with the following options:
The user enters the same credentials they use on the site to authenticate themselves. My API would then take the credentials when accessing information specific to the user. This is my least preferred solution as the third party application could log these details and use them maliciously on the full site.
Each user generates a unique key on the site which they can then use on the app to login. My API would take the api key as an argument when accessing information specific to the user. The main problem though is that any application can do what they like to the user once they gain access to their key even if the user has not given the application permission to do so.
To overcome the above problem the third party developer would have to register their application with the site and then the user would need to generate a unique key per application they wish to use. This would then be used to login. This is my preferred solution as each key is unique per application and user i can tell which application called the api and whether the user approved it.
My final option is to implement oAuth. We are currently waiting for the 2.0 version to be finalized and do not have the time to keep updating our code as the spec may change.
This is the first API i have had to build and i was wondering if i have understood this correctly? I'm assuming in option 1 the application could log the user credentials and use them maliciously but how does twitter overcome this issue with their third party applications? Or is it simply up to the user to trust the application they are using? If this is the case then would option 2 and/or 3 be feasible in the meantime until i switch to option 4.
I'd appreciate your feedback. Thanks
OAuth 1 and OAuth 2 are both viable options. But you will come a long way with basic authentication aswell (as long as it is over SSL). Don't be scared :)
I've implemented an API provider over OAuth 1.0. And since there are so many ready made libraries for OAuth1.0 for many platforms I would not be scared of using that either, much of the work has been done already, both for you as a provider and for third party implementors.
Anyway: you can always couple basic authentication with some very simple signing of the request using an application key and secret, say for example that as a third party developer you have to call.
https://yourapi.com/?user=11111&password=232123&random_string=23123&api_key=THIRD_PARTY_KEY×tamp=1212121212signature=efefefefefef
where the API implementor has to sign perhaps the random_string, timestamp and api_key with the secret. Then you would at least have a way of shutting down malicious apps.