> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.openg2p.org/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.openg2p.org/products/g2p-bridge/deployment/keycloak-client.md).

# Keycloak Client

The G2P Bridge chart provisions a Keycloak OIDC client through the `keycloak-init` subchart. This page explains **why** that client is required and how it is created.

## Why a Keycloak client is required

The G2P Bridge does not talk to sponsor banks (or, in in-kind mode, to PBMS and the Registry) with anonymous calls. Several of its outbound and inbound interactions are secured, and the security model is **OAuth2 / OIDC backed by Keycloak**:

1. **Authenticating to MOSIP Keymanager.** Partner API requests are protected by partner **signature validation**, which uses MOSIP Keymanager. To call Keymanager, the Bridge authenticates as a confidential OIDC client using the **client-credentials** grant. The credentials come from the `g2p-bridge` Keycloak client. This is controlled by `global.g2pBridgeKeymanagerAuthEnabled`.
2. **A single, named service identity.** Giving the Bridge its own client (`g2p-bridge`) provides a dedicated machine identity in the `staff` realm, so its access can be granted, audited and revoked independently of human users and of other components.
3. **Consistency with the OpenG2P platform.** Other OpenG2P products (NSR, SPAR, PBMS) provision their service clients the same way via `keycloak-init`. The Bridge follows the same convention so a single Keycloak realm secures the whole platform.

{% hint style="info" %}
The client is a **confidential, service-account** client (it authenticates machine-to-machine, not on behalf of a logged-in user). `keycloak-init` enables service accounts and marks the client non-public automatically.
{% endhint %}

## How the client is created

When `keycloak-init.enabled` is `true` (the default), a post-install job:

1. Creates the OIDC client `global.g2pBridgeAuthClientId` (default `g2p-bridge`) in realm `global.keycloakRealm` (default `staff`) at `global.keycloakBaseUrl`.
2. Generates the client secret and stores it in a Kubernetes **Secret named after the client id** (`g2p-bridge`), under the key `client_secret`.
3. The Bridge workloads read that secret (`global.g2pBridgeAuthClientSecret` / `…SecretKey`) to obtain tokens.

{% hint style="warning" %}
**Secret-name collision.** Because `keycloak-init` names the client secret after the client id (`g2p-bridge`), the Bridge **database** secret is deliberately named `<release>-db` (not the bare release name) to avoid clashing with it. This is the one place the Bridge differs from NSR's naming.
{% endhint %}

## Key values

| Value                                   | Default                                    | Description                                                            |
| --------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------ | ---------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `keycloak-init.enabled`                 | `true`                                     | Create the client + secret.                                            |
| `global.keycloakBaseUrl`                | `https://keycloak.<namespace>.openg2p.org` | Keycloak base URL.                                                     |
| `global.keycloakRealm`                  | `staff`                                    | Realm in which the client lives / is created.                          |
| `global.g2pBridgeAuthClientId`          | `g2p-bridge`                               | OIDC client id (and the name of the K8s secret holding its password).  |
| `global.g2pBridgeAuthClientSecretKey`   | `client_secret`                            | Key inside that secret.                                                |
| `global.g2pBridgeKeymanagerAuthEnabled` | `false`                                    | When `true`, the Bridge authenticates to Keymanager using this client. |

## Enabling for production

On `develop`/demo, `global.g2pBridgeKeymanagerAuthEnabled` is `false` — the client is still created (so it is ready), but the Bridge does not yet enforce Keymanager authentication. **In production**, set `global.g2pBridgeKeymanagerAuthEnabled: true` (with `keycloak-init.enabled: true`) so Partner API signature validation against Keymanager is active.

{% hint style="info" %}
The Keycloak realm/client lives in Keycloak, not in the release namespace, so it **survives** `helm uninstall` and the [uninstall script](/products/g2p-bridge/deployment/teardown.md). `keycloak-init` is idempotent — reinstalling reuses the existing client.
{% endhint %}


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