OAuth 2.0 identity provider API

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GitLab provides an API to allow third-party services to access GitLab resources on a user's behalf with the OAuth 2.0 protocol.

To configure GitLab for this, see Configure GitLab as an OAuth 2.0 authentication identity provider.

This functionality is based on the doorkeeper Ruby gem.

Cross-origin resource sharing

• CORS preflight request support introduced in GitLab 15.1.

Many /oauth endpoints support cross-origin resource sharing (CORS). From GitLab 15.1, the following endpoints also support CORS preflight requests:

• /oauth/revoke
• /oauth/token
• /oauth/userinfo

Only certain headers can be used for preflight requests:

• The headers listed for simple requests.
• The Authorization header.

For example, the X-Requested-With header can't be used for preflight requests.

Supported OAuth 2.0 flows

GitLab supports the following authorization flows:

• Authorization code with Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE): Most secure. Without PKCE, you'd have to include client secrets on mobile clients, and is recommended for both client and server apps.
• Authorization code: Secure and common flow. Recommended option for secure server-side apps.
• Resource owner password credentials: To be used only for securely hosted, first-party services. GitLab recommends against use of this flow.
• Device Authorization Grant (GitLab 17.1 and later) Secure flow oriented toward devices without browser access. Requires a secondary device to complete the authorization flow.

The draft specification for OAuth 2.1 specifically omits both the Implicit grant and Resource Owner Password Credentials flows.

Refer to the OAuth RFC to find out how all those flows work and pick the right one for your use case.

Authorization code (with or without PKCE) flow requires application to be registered first via the /user_settings/applications page in your user's account. During registration, by enabling proper scopes, you can limit the range of resources which the application can access. Upon creation, you obtain the application credentials: Application ID and Client Secret. The Client Secret must be kept secure. It is also advantageous to keep the Application ID secret when your application architecture allows.

For a list of scopes in GitLab, see the provider documentation.

Prevent CSRF attacks

To protect redirect-based flows, the OAuth specification recommends the use of "One-time use CSRF tokens carried in the state parameter, which are securely bound to the user agent", with each request to the /oauth/authorize endpoint. This can prevent CSRF attacks.

Use HTTPS in production

For production, use HTTPS for your redirect_uri. For development, GitLab allows insecure HTTP redirect URIs.

As OAuth 2.0 bases its security entirely on the transport layer, you should not use unprotected URIs. For more information, see the OAuth 2.0 RFC and the OAuth 2.0 Threat Model RFC.

In the following sections you can find detailed instructions on how to obtain authorization with each flow.

Authorization code with Proof Key for Code Exchange (PKCE)

The PKCE RFC includes a detailed flow description, from authorization request through access token. The following steps describe our implementation of the flow.

The Authorization code with PKCE flow, PKCE for short, makes it possible to securely perform the OAuth exchange of client credentials for access tokens on public clients without requiring access to the Client Secret at all. This makes the PKCE flow advantageous for single page JavaScript applications or other client side apps where keeping secrets from the user is a technical impossibility.

Before starting the flow, generate the STATE, the CODE_VERIFIER and the CODE_CHALLENGE.

• The STATE a value that can't be predicted used by the client to maintain state between the request and callback. It should also be used as a CSRF token.
• The CODE_VERIFIER is a random string, between 43 and 128 characters in length, which use the characters A-Z, a-z, 0-9, -, ., _, and ~.
• The CODE_CHALLENGE is an URL-safe base64-encoded string of the SHA256 hash of the CODE_VERIFIER:
  • The SHA256 hash must be in binary format before encoding.
  • In Ruby, you can set that up with Base64.urlsafe_encode64(Digest::SHA256.digest(CODE_VERIFIER), padding: false).
  • For reference, a CODE_VERIFIER string of ks02i3jdikdo2k0dkfodf3m39rjfjsdk0wk349rj3jrhf when hashed and encoded using the Ruby snippet above produces a CODE_CHALLENGE string of 2i0WFA-0AerkjQm4X4oDEhqA17QIAKNjXpagHBXmO_U.

1. Request authorization code. To do that, you should redirect the user to the /oauth/authorize page with the following query parameters:

   https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/authorize?client_id=APP_ID&redirect_uri=REDIRECT_URI&response_type=code&state=STATE&scope=REQUESTED_SCOPES&code_challenge=CODE_CHALLENGE&code_challenge_method=S256

   This page asks the user to approve the request from the app to access their account based on the scopes specified in REQUESTED_SCOPES. The user is then redirected back to the specified REDIRECT_URI. The scope parameter is a space-separated list of scopes associated with the user. For example,scope=read_user+profile requests the read_user and profile scopes. The redirect includes the authorization code, for example:

   https://example.com/oauth/redirect?code=1234567890&state=STATE

2. With the authorization code returned from the previous request (denoted as RETURNED_CODE in the following example), you can request an access_token, with any HTTP client. The following example uses Ruby's rest-client:

   parameters = 'client_id=APP_ID&code=RETURNED_CODE&grant_type=authorization_code&redirect_uri=REDIRECT_URI&code_verifier=CODE_VERIFIER'
   RestClient.post 'https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/token', parameters

   Example response:

   {
    "access_token": "de6780bc506a0446309bd9362820ba8aed28aa506c71eedbe1c5c4f9dd350e54",
    "token_type": "bearer",
    "expires_in": 7200,
    "refresh_token": "8257e65c97202ed1726cf9571600918f3bffb2544b26e00a61df9897668c33a1",
    "created_at": 1607635748
   }

3. To retrieve a new access_token, use the refresh_token parameter. Refresh tokens may be used even after the access_token itself expires. This request:

   • Invalidates the existing access_token and refresh_token.
   • Sends new tokens in the response.

     parameters = 'client_id=APP_ID&refresh_token=REFRESH_TOKEN&grant_type=refresh_token&redirect_uri=REDIRECT_URI&code_verifier=CODE_VERIFIER'
     RestClient.post 'https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/token', parameters

   Example response:

   {
     "access_token": "c97d1fe52119f38c7f67f0a14db68d60caa35ddc86fd12401718b649dcfa9c68",
     "token_type": "bearer",
     "expires_in": 7200,
     "refresh_token": "803c1fd487fec35562c205dac93e9d8e08f9d3652a24079d704df3039df1158f",
     "created_at": 1628711391
   }

NOTE: The redirect_uri must match the redirect_uri used in the original authorization request.

You can now make requests to the API with the access token.

Authorization code flow

NOTE: Check the RFC spec for a detailed flow description.

The authorization code flow is essentially the same as authorization code flow with PKCE,

Before starting the flow, generate the STATE. It is a value that can't be predicted used by the client to maintain state between the request and callback. It should also be used as a CSRF token.

1. Request authorization code. To do that, you should redirect the user to the /oauth/authorize page with the following query parameters:

   https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/authorize?client_id=APP_ID&redirect_uri=REDIRECT_URI&response_type=code&state=STATE&scope=REQUESTED_SCOPES

   This page asks the user to approve the request from the app to access their account based on the scopes specified in REQUESTED_SCOPES. The user is then redirected back to the specified REDIRECT_URI. The scope parameter is a space-separated list of scopes associated with the user. For example,scope=read_user+profile requests the read_user and profile scopes. The redirect includes the authorization code, for example:

   https://example.com/oauth/redirect?code=1234567890&state=STATE

2. With the authorization code returned from the previous request (shown as RETURNED_CODE in the following example), you can request an access_token, with any HTTP client. The following example uses Ruby's rest-client:

   parameters = 'client_id=APP_ID&client_secret=APP_SECRET&code=RETURNED_CODE&grant_type=authorization_code&redirect_uri=REDIRECT_URI'
   RestClient.post 'https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/token', parameters

   Example response:

   {
    "access_token": "de6780bc506a0446309bd9362820ba8aed28aa506c71eedbe1c5c4f9dd350e54",
    "token_type": "bearer",
    "expires_in": 7200,
    "refresh_token": "8257e65c97202ed1726cf9571600918f3bffb2544b26e00a61df9897668c33a1",
    "created_at": 1607635748
   }

3. To retrieve a new access_token, use the refresh_token parameter. Refresh tokens may be used even after the access_token itself expires. This request:

   • Invalidates the existing access_token and refresh_token.
   • Sends new tokens in the response.

     parameters = 'client_id=APP_ID&client_secret=APP_SECRET&refresh_token=REFRESH_TOKEN&grant_type=refresh_token&redirect_uri=REDIRECT_URI'
     RestClient.post 'https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/token', parameters

   Example response:

   {
     "access_token": "c97d1fe52119f38c7f67f0a14db68d60caa35ddc86fd12401718b649dcfa9c68",
     "token_type": "bearer",
     "expires_in": 7200,
     "refresh_token": "803c1fd487fec35562c205dac93e9d8e08f9d3652a24079d704df3039df1158f",
     "created_at": 1628711391
   }

NOTE: The redirect_uri must match the redirect_uri used in the original authorization request.

You can now make requests to the API with the access token returned.

Device authorization grant flow

• Introduced in GitLab 17.2 with a flag named oauth2_device_grant_flow.
• Enabled by default in 17.3.

FLAG: The availability of this feature is controlled by a feature flag. For more information, see the history.

NOTE: Check the RFC spec for a detailed description of the device authorization grant flow, from device authorization request to token response from the browser login.

The device authorization grant flow makes it possible to securely authenticate your GitLab identity from input constrained devices where browser interactions are not an option.

This makes the device authorization grant flow ideal for users attempting to use GitLab services from headless servers or other devices with no, or limited, UI.

1. To request device authorization, a request is sent from the input-limited device client to https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/authorize_device. For example:

     parameters = 'client_id=UID&scope=read'
     RestClient.post 'https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/authorize_device', parameters

   After a successful request, a response containing a verification_uri is returned to the user. For example:

   {
       "device_code": "GmRhmhcxhwAzkoEqiMEg_DnyEysNkuNhszIySk9eS",
       "user_code": "0A44L90H",
       "verification_uri": "https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/device",
       "verification_uri_complete": "https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/device?user_code=0A44L90H",
       "expires_in": 300,
       "interval": 5
   }

2. The device client displays the user_code and verification_uri from the response to the requesting user. That user then, on a secondary device with browser access:

   1. Goes to the provided URI.
   2. Enters the user code.
   3. Completes an authentication as prompted.

3. Immediately after displaying the verification_uri and user_code, the device client begins polling the token endpoint with the associated device_code returned in the initial response:

   parameters = 'grant_type=urn:ietf:params:oauth:grant-type:device_code
   &device_code=GmRhmhcxhwAzkoEqiMEg_DnyEysNkuNhszIySk9eS
   &client_id=1406020730'
   RestClient.post 'https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/token', parameters

4. The device client receives a response from the token endpoint. If the authorization was successful, a success response is returned, otherwise, an error response is returned. Potential error responses are categorized by either of the following:

   • Those defined by the OAuth Authorization Framework access token error responses.
   • Those specific to the device authorization grant flow described here. Those error responses specific to the device flow are described in the following content. For more information on each potential response, see the relevant RFC spec for device authorization grant and the RFC spec for authorization tokens.

   Example response:

   {
     "error": "authorization_pending",
     "error_description": "..."
   }

   On receipt of this response, the device client continues polling.

   If the polling interval is too short, a slow down error response is returned. For example:

   {
     "error": "slow_down",
     "error_description": "..."
   }

   On receipt of this response, the device client reduces its polling rate and continues polling at the new rate.

   If the device code expires before authentication is complete, an expired token error response is returned. For example:

   {
     "error": "expired_token",
     "error_description": "..."
   }

   At that point, the device-client should stop and initiate a new device authorization request.

   If the authorization request was denied, an access denied error response is returned. For example:

   {
     "error": "access_denied",
     "error_description": "..."
   }

   The authentication request has been rejected. The user should verify their credentials or contact their system administrator

5. After the user successfully authenticates, a success response is returned:

   {
       "access_token": "TOKEN",
       "token_type": "Bearer",
       "expires_in": 7200,
       "scope": "read",
       "created_at": 1593096829
   }

At this point, the device authentication flow is complete. The returned access_token can be provided to GitLab to authenticate the user identity when accessing GitLab resources, such as when cloning over HTTPS or accessing the API.

A sample application that implements the client side device flow can be found at: https://gitlab.com/johnwparent/git-auth-over-https.

Resource owner password credentials flow

NOTE: Check the RFC spec for a detailed flow description.

NOTE: The Resource Owner Password Credentials is disabled for users with two-factor authentication turned on. These users can access the API using personal access tokens instead.

NOTE: Ensure the Allow password authentication for Git over HTTP(S) checkbox is selected for the GitLab instance to support the password credentials flow.

In this flow, a token is requested in exchange for the resource owner credentials (username and password).

The credentials should only be used when:

• There is a high degree of trust between the resource owner and the client. For example, the client is part of the device operating system or a highly privileged application.
• Other authorization grant types are not available (such as an authorization code).

WARNING: Never store the user's credentials and only use this grant type when your client is deployed to a trusted environment, in 99% of cases personal access tokens are a better choice.

Even though this grant type requires direct client access to the resource owner credentials, the resource owner credentials are used for a single request and are exchanged for an access token. This grant type can eliminate the need for the client to store the resource owner credentials for future use, by exchanging the credentials with a long-lived access token or refresh token.

To request an access token, you must make a POST request to /oauth/token with the following parameters:

{
  "grant_type"    : "password",
  "username"      : "user@example.com",
  "password"      : "secret"
}

Example cURL request:

echo 'grant_type=password&username=<your_username>&password=<your_password>' > auth.txt
curl --data "@auth.txt" --request POST "https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/token"

You can also use this grant flow with registered OAuth applications, by using HTTP Basic Authentication with the application's client_id and client_secret:

echo 'grant_type=password&username=<your_username>&password=<your_password>' > auth.txt
curl --data "@auth.txt" --user client_id:client_secret \
     --request POST "https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/token"

Then, you receive a response containing the access token:

{
  "access_token": "1f0af717251950dbd4d73154fdf0a474a5c5119adad999683f5b450c460726aa",
  "token_type": "bearer",
  "expires_in": 7200
}

By default, the scope of the access token is api, which provides complete read/write access.

For testing, you can use the oauth2 Ruby gem:

client = OAuth2::Client.new('the_client_id', 'the_client_secret', :site => "https://example.com")
access_token = client.password.get_token('user@example.com', 'secret')
puts access_token.token

Access GitLab API with access token

The access token allows you to make requests to the API on behalf of a user. You can pass the token either as GET parameter:

GET https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/user?access_token=OAUTH-TOKEN

or you can put the token to the Authorization header:

curl --header "Authorization: Bearer OAUTH-TOKEN" "https://gitlab.example.com/api/v4/user"

Access Git over HTTPS with access token

A token with scope read_repository or write_repository can access Git over HTTPS. Use the token as the password. You can set the username to any string value. You should use oauth2:

https://oauth2:<your_access_token>@gitlab.example.com/project_path/project_name.git

Alternatively, you can use a Git credential helper to authenticate to GitLab with OAuth. This handles OAuth token refresh automatically.

Retrieve the token information

To verify the details of a token, use the token/info endpoint provided by the Doorkeeper gem. For more information, see /oauth/token/info.

You must supply the access token, either:

• As a parameter:

  GET https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/token/info?access_token=<OAUTH-TOKEN>

• In the Authorization header:

  curl --header "Authorization: Bearer <OAUTH-TOKEN>" "https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/token/info"

The following is an example response:

{
    "resource_owner_id": 1,
    "scope": ["api"],
    "expires_in": null,
    "application": {"uid": "1cb242f495280beb4291e64bee2a17f330902e499882fe8e1e2aa875519cab33"},
    "created_at": 1575890427
}

Deprecated fields

The fields scopes and expires_in_seconds are included in the response but are now deprecated. The scopes field is an alias for scope, and the expires_in_seconds field is an alias for expires_in. For more information, see Doorkeeper API changes.

Revoke a token

To revoke a token, use the revoke endpoint. The API returns a 200 response code and an empty JSON hash to indicate success.

parameters = 'client_id=APP_ID&client_secret=APP_SECRET&token=TOKEN'
RestClient.post 'https://gitlab.example.com/oauth/revoke', parameters

OAuth 2.0 tokens and GitLab registries

Standard OAuth 2.0 tokens support different degrees of access to GitLab registries, as they:

• Do not allow users to authenticate to:
  • The GitLab container registry.
  • Packages listed in the GitLab Package registry.
• Allow users to get, list, and delete registries through the container registry API.