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Azure AppFabric Access Control Service (ACS) v 2.0 High Level Architecture – REST Web Service Application Scenario

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This is a follow up to a previous post Azure AppFabric Access Control Service (ACS) v 2.0 High Level Architecture – Web Application Scenario. This post outlines the high level architecture for a scenario where Azure AppFabric Access Control Service (ACS) V2 involved in authentication and identity flow process between a client and a RESTful Web Service. Good description of the scenario, including visuals and solution summary, can be found here - App Scenario – REST with AppFabric Access Control. The sequence diagram can be found here - Introduction (skip to Web Service Scenario).

In this case there is no involvement of end user, so that User Experience part is irrelevant here.

Important to mention on when to use what for token signing. As per Token Signing:

  • Add an X.509 certificate signing credential if you are using the Windows Identity Foundation (WIF) in your relying party application.
  • Add a 256-bit symmetric signing key if you are building an application that uses OAuth WRAP.

These keys or certificates are used to protect tokens from tampering while on transit. These certificates and keys are not for authentication. They help maintaining trust between Azure AppFabric Access Control Service (ACS) and the Web Service.

AppFabric Access Control Service (ACS) v2 and RESTful Web Service Scenario

Try out yourself using bootstrap samples available here:

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