Node.js Library for Authentication with Windows Azure Active Directory

Node.js developers: add some Windows Azure authentication and access control to your Node app with the newly MS Open Tech’s released open source library for Windows Azure Active Directory service.

Windows Azure Active Directory is a REST based service that provides authentication and access control functionality for web applications. Libraries are available that make integrating the service with web applications easier.

Microsoft Open Technologies, Inc., has developed the Node.js library in the form of Passport strategies and made the code available on github. You can use the Node Package Manager (npm) to use the library and package it into your Node.js. We are also working with the Windows Azure team to integrate this new Node.js library in the Windows Azure SDK.

As most Node.js applications use Passport as the authentication middleware, we created this new library as a couple of Passport strategies that can be used similarly to other ones. These 2 strategies are SAMLp and WSFed .

The GitHub repository also contains source code examples and instructions to configure the Windows Azure service.

Check out the Windows Azure Active Directory site to learn more about the service and get started today typing the following in your command prompt:

npm install passport-azure-ad

Let us know what you think in the comments below!