Spring Authorization Server Guide

Covers setup and configuration of Spring Authorization Server for OAuth 2.1 and OIDC, including authorization code flow, client registration, and JWT issuance.

Sby Skills Guide Bot
DevelopmentIntermediate
008/27/2026
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#spring#oauth2#oidc#authorization-server#jwt

Recommended for


name: spring-authorization-server description: | Spring Authorization Server for building OAuth 2.1 and OpenID Connect providers.

USE WHEN: user mentions "OAuth2 server", "authorization server", "OIDC provider", "token endpoint", asks about "how to implement OAuth2", "create authorization server", "issue JWT tokens", "custom OAuth provider"

DO NOT USE FOR: OAuth2 client configuration - use spring-security instead, resource server JWT validation - use spring-security instead allowed-tools: Read, Grep, Glob, Write, Edit

Spring Authorization Server - Quick Reference

Full Reference: See advanced.md for JPA client persistence, JWT configuration, custom token claims, user info endpoint, consent controller, token revocation, resource server integration, and testing.

Deep Knowledge: Use mcp__documentation__fetch_docs with technology: spring-authorization-server for comprehensive documentation.

Dependencies

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.springframework.boot</groupId>
    <artifactId>spring-boot-starter-oauth2-authorization-server</artifactId>
</dependency>

OAuth 2.1 Flows

Authorization Code + PKCE:

Client ──(1) Authorization Request + code_challenge──▶ Auth Server
      ◀──(2) Authorization Code──────────────────────
      ──(3) Token Request + code_verifier────────────▶
      ◀──(4) Access Token + Refresh Token + ID Token─

Basic Configuration

@Configuration
@EnableWebSecurity
public class SecurityConfig {

    @Bean
    @Order(1)
    public SecurityFilterChain authorizationServerSecurityFilterChain(HttpSecurity http)
            throws Exception {
        OAuth2AuthorizationServerConfiguration.applyDefaultSecurity(http);

        http.getConfigurer(OAuth2AuthorizationServerConfigurer.class)
            .oidc(Customizer.withDefaults());  // Enable OpenID Connect

        http.exceptionHandling(exceptions -> exceptions
                .defaultAuthenticationEntryPointFor(
                    new LoginUrlAuthenticationEntryPoint("/login"),
                    new MediaTypeRequestMatcher(MediaType.TEXT_HTML)
                )
            )
            .oauth2ResourceServer(oauth2 -> oauth2.jwt(Customizer.withDefaults()));

        return http.build();
    }

    @Bean
    @Order(2)
    public SecurityFilterChain defaultSecurityFilterChain(HttpSecurity http) throws Exception {
        http.authorizeHttpRequests(authorize -> authorize.anyRequest().authenticated())
            .formLogin(Customizer.withDefaults());
        return http.build();
    }
}

Client Registration

@Bean
public RegisteredClientRepository registeredClientRepository() {
    RegisteredClient webClient = RegisteredClient.withId(UUID.randomUUID().toString())
        .clientId("web-client")
        .clientSecret("{noop}secret")
        .clientAuthenticationMethod(ClientAuthenticationMethod.CLIENT_SECRET_BASIC)
        .authorizationGrantType(AuthorizationGrantType.AUTHORIZATION_CODE)
        .authorizationGrantType(AuthorizationGrantType.REFRESH_TOKEN)
        .redirectUri("http://localhost:8080/login/oauth2/code/web-client")
        .scope(OidcScopes.OPENID)
        .scope(OidcScopes.PROFILE)
        .scope("read")
        .clientSettings(ClientSettings.builder()
            .requireAuthorizationConsent(true)
            .requireProofKey(true)  // PKCE required
            .build())
        .tokenSettings(TokenSettings.builder()
            .accessTokenTimeToLive(Duration.ofMinutes(15))
            .refreshTokenTimeToLive(Duration.ofDays(7))
            .reuseRefreshTokens(false)
            .build())
        .build();

    return new InMemoryRegisteredClientRepository(webClient);
}

Best Practices

| Do | Don't | |----|-------| | Require PKCE for public clients | Allow plain authorization code | | Use short-lived access tokens | Long-lived access tokens | | Rotate refresh tokens | Reuse refresh tokens indefinitely | | Store keys securely (Vault) | Hardcode keys in config | | Validate redirect URIs strictly | Allow open redirects |

When NOT to Use This Skill

  • OAuth2 Client Configuration - Use spring-security
  • Resource Server - For validating JWT tokens use spring-security
  • Basic Authentication - Use spring-security
  • Session Management - Use spring-session

Anti-Patterns

| Anti-Pattern | Why It's Bad | Better Approach | |-------------|--------------|-----------------| | Reusing refresh tokens | Security risk if compromised | Rotate on each use | | Long-lived access tokens | Increased exposure window | Keep to 15-30 min | | Hardcoded client secrets | Secrets in version control | Use secret management | | No PKCE for SPAs | Code interception vulnerability | Always require PKCE | | Wildcard redirect URIs | Open redirect vulnerability | Whitelist exact URIs |

Quick Troubleshooting

| Issue | Possible Cause | Solution | |-------|---------------|----------| | 401 at /oauth2/authorize | User not authenticated | Check SecurityFilterChain order | | Invalid client error | Client not registered | Verify RegisteredClientRepository | | JWKS endpoint 404 | JWKSource bean missing | Ensure JWKSource configured | | Token validation fails | Issuer mismatch | Check issuer URL matches | | PKCE validation fails | code_verifier mismatch | Verify PKCE implementation |

Production Checklist

  • [ ] HTTPS everywhere
  • [ ] RSA keys in secure storage
  • [ ] Client secrets encrypted
  • [ ] PKCE required for public clients
  • [ ] Token lifetimes configured
  • [ ] Consent flow implemented
  • [ ] Token revocation working
  • [ ] Rate limiting enabled
  • [ ] Audit logging configured

Reference Documentation

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