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Credential management

This introduces a versatile system for managing user credentials within the application. It supports various authentication methods, including basic authentication, refresh tokens, and Single Sign-On (SSO), alongside utilities for credential validation, normalization, storage, and retrieval.

Key components​

  • Credential Types and Inputs: Defines specific types and input structures for basic, refresh, and SSO credentials, facilitating clear and type-safe credential management across different authentication flows.
  • Credential Manager Interface (CredentialManager): Specifies the contract for credential management operations, including the creation, validation, storage, and retrieval of credentials.
  • Default Implementation (DefaultCredentialManager): Provides a concrete implementation of the CredentialManager interface, utilizing the analytics library for configurable analytics tracking.
  • Utility Functions: Includes functions for validating and normalizing credentials, supporting legacy credential formats, and determining the best storage mechanism based on browser capabilities.

Usage examples​

Storing user credentials​

import { CredentialManager, BasicCredentialsInput } from '@genesislcap/foundation-comms';

export class MyExampleComponent extends FASTElement {
  @CredentialManager credentialManager: CredentialManager;

  async login(username: string, password: string): Promise<void> {
    const basicCredentials: BasicCredentialsInput = { username, password };
    await this.credentialManager.storeCredentials(basicCredentials);
  }
}

Retrieving user credentials​

import { CredentialManager } from '@genesislcap/foundation-comms';

export class MyExampleClass {
  @CredentialManager credentialManager: CredentialManager;

  async getUserProfile(): Promise<UserProfile> {
    const credentials = await this.credentialManager.getCredentials();
    if (credentials) {
      console.log('Retrieved credentials:', credentials);
    }
  }
}

Best practices​

  • Secure Storage and Transmission: Ensure that credentials are stored and transmitted securely, leveraging HTTPS and secure storage mechanisms provided by the browser.
  • Minimize Credential Exposure: Use credentials judiciously within the application, minimizing their exposure to the client-side environment and utilizing tokens (e.g., refresh tokens, SSO tokens) wherever possible.
  • Legacy Data Handling: Implement appropriate migration strategies for legacy credential formats to ensure compatibility and security, utilizing the normalization utilities provided.

Migration and compatibility​

The system includes functionality for migrating legacy credential formats to the latest expectations, ensuring a smooth transition for existing applications and users. It supports a wide range of browsers while gracefully degrading in environments where certain APIs (e.g., CredentialsContainer) are not available.