Alert Task – Authorization using API Key

We have seen how an Alert task can be set up in the XO Platform here. In this section, we will see how to configure API authorization.

API Key Setup Overview

An API key can act as both a unique identifier and a secret token for identification as well as authentication to provide a set of access rights on the associated API. Instead of prompting the end-user for both a username and password for access, the user is prompted only for an API key when configuring the task.

To use the API Key Authorization Type, you must first register an account with the web application you want to work with, and then generate an API Key for that application.

To authorize an API key, follow the steps below:

1. Go to Alert Tasks and create or select the task you want to work with.
2. Under API Request, expand Authorization.

3. Select the Authorization Provider. If none is available, create it by clicking on Create New.

4. Ensure that your selected Authorization Type is API Key. Below is an illustration of the fields that you will need to provide information for in order to authorize the API.

5. Name your API to get started, then let us go through these fields in detail.

Tenancy

If required, in the Subdomain section, select Yes if the base URL for a web application or user interface uses a tenant name in the URL. For example, kore is the tenant organization for a web service using tenants as www.kore.someCompany.com.

In the following example configuration, the tenancy URL contains the {tenant} organization placeholder, where Tenant including the braces represents the tenant name.

Form Fields

If the default username and password fields do not meet your needs, you can add new fields displayed to the end-user by adding authorization form fields, for example, if a PIN code is required in the authentication process, in addition to the Username and Password form fields.

To add fields on the authorization form, click + Add Form Field.

The following illustration is an example of a definition to add a password field to the authorization dialog.

The following table describes the fields used to define an authorization IDP form field.

FIELD NAME	DESCRIPTION
Title of Field	Specify the name of the field displayed to the end-user in the authentication dialog.
Field Key	The value represents the end-user input value to the authenticating service.
Help Hint	The help text displayed in the field to describe what should be entered into the field.
Field Type	When Advanced Options is selected, specify the type of field displayed in the end-user interface to collect the user input assigned as the value for the Field Key, one of: Textbox Password
Mandatory	When Advanced Options is selected, select if the end-user must define this field to complete authentication.
Data Type	When Advanced Options is selected, specify the type of data expected as input from the end-user, for example, String.
Visibility	When Advanced Options is selected, specify if the authentication field should be visible, hidden, or displayed as read-only.

Authorization Fields

By default, authorization fields are configured as part of the header of the task request message. If your task request requires additional authorization fields or the expected authorization is not part of the header, for example, social security number or PIN,

1. Click + Add Authorization Field and then define the fields as shown in the following illustration.

   

2. In the Field Type field, you can select one of the following depending on where in the task request message and the type of authorization fields that are required.

3. Header – The VA expects the authorization fields as part of the header of the request.
4. Payload – The VA expects the authorization fields as part of the content of the body of the request.
5. Query String – The VA expects the authorization fields as a query in the body of the request.
6. Path Param – The VA expects the authorization fields as part of the URL path for the request.
7. In the Field Key field, enter the name of the field for the selected Field Type.
8. In the Field Value field, enter the value for the Field Key specified.
9. Click Add. The new authorization field is added in the Authorization Fields section.
10. To add additional authorization fields, click Add in the Authorization Fields section.
11. Click Save Auth to save the authorization settings and close the New Authorization Mechanism dialog.

Testing

After you save the authentication, if you have defined an Authorization Check URL for your new authorization type, you can test your authorization definition on the Authentication tab when you click Test Authorization before continuing to develop the remaining steps of your task.

After you click Test Authorization, the Test Authorization window is displayed and populated with the URL you specified in the Authorization Check URL section, as shown in the following illustration.

To configure the Test Authorization API Key, follow the steps below:

1. In the Auth Check URL field, verify or enter the URL to test the authentication configuration.
2. If your VA uses subdomains, the Tenancy field is displayed and you must specify the tenant.
3. Enter the API key for the application in the API Key field.
4. Select the content type expected for the URL in the Content-Type field.
5. For testing the URL, the Method field is read-only and set to GET.
6. Click Test to begin the authorization test.

When the authentication validation is complete, the Test Authorization dialog is closed and the results of the validation, either success or failure, are displayed to the immediate right of the Test Authorization button. If the authorization fails, the Auth Test Failed message is displayed along with the Headers and Response tabs as shown in the following illustration.