Centralized Authentication Framework for Web Session Persistence
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing authentication mechanisms for web applications, such as OAuth, are limited in functionality and require users to log in and out of multiple applications separately, lacking persistence and requiring complex replication of authentication across instances.
Innovation Solution
A framework that enables seamless user authentication across multiple web applications using Salesforce.com as a single source of truth, allowing for single sign-on functionality while maintaining session statelessness and scalability through browser cookies or server-side sessions, with customizable user data retrieval and storage.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If OAuth authentication mechanism is used, then authentication functionality is provided, but functionality is limited and requires separate login/logout for multiple applications
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges authentication functionality across multiple web applications by implementing a centralized authentication service that shares user credentials and session information. This allows a single authentication event to be recognized across multiple applications, eliminating the need for separate logins and reducing authentication management complexity while maintaining security.
2Reliability
If separate authentication is implemented for each web application, then authentication security is maintained, but user session persistence is lost and users must log in and out repeatedly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a centralized authentication service as an intermediary between multiple web applications and users. This service maintains user session information and credentials centrally, allowing authenticated users to access multiple applications without repeated logins. The intermediary preserves security by validating requests against centralized credentials while enabling session persistence across applications.
3Stability of the object's composition
If authentication state is stored in application servers, then session persistence is achieved, but scalability is reduced due to stateful requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts session state information from individual application servers and stores it in a centralized, external location accessible by all applications. This separation allows application servers to remain stateless while maintaining session persistence through the external storage mechanism, thereby preserving both session continuity and system scalability.
4Reliability
If authentication credentials are replicated across multiple application instances, then authentication consistency is maintained, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements a universal authentication service that functions as a shared credential repository for all web applications. Instead of replicating credentials across instances, the universal service provides centralized credential verification, maintaining authentication consistency across all applications while eliminating the complexity of credential replication and synchronization.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and apparatus for enhancing the functionality and utility of an authentication process for web applications is disclosed.