Smart Authentication Gateway for Incompatible Models
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Solution Overview
Problem
Applications often face difficulties in communicating securely over HTTP when they do not share a compatible authentication model, such as SAML or OAuth, requiring code changes and increased work for application teams.
Innovation Solution
A smart authentication module with a configurable gateway layer that translates between incompatible authentication models, enabling communication between applications by routing requests through the gateway, translating authentication models, and validating access tokens.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If applications use different authentication models (SAML, OAuth, etc.), then each application can maintain its own security standards, but communication between applications becomes complex and requires code changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary authentication service that mediates between applications using different authentication models. This service acts as a translator, converting authentication requests between SAML, OAuth, and other protocols, thereby enabling communication without requiring code changes in the applications themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The authentication service is designed to support multiple authentication models simultaneously (SAML, OAuth, basic authentication, etc.). This multi-functional capability allows it to handle diverse authentication requirements from different applications while providing a unified interface for communication.
2Adaptability or versatility
If applications implement support for multiple authentication models, then compatibility improves, but development work and maintenance burden increase
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of modifying applications to support multiple authentication models, the patent introduces an intermediary service that handles the complexity of multi-model support. This shifts the burden from application development to a centralized service that can be updated independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the authentication model translation logic from the applications themselves and places it in a separate, dedicated authentication service. This separation allows applications to remain simple while the service handles the complexity of supporting multiple authentication models.
3Adaptability or versatility
If code changes are made to support incompatible authentication models, then communication capability improves, but risk of introducing errors and increasing maintenance increases
Solution Approach 1:
The intermediary authentication service acts as a buffer that prevents direct interaction between applications with incompatible authentication models. This isolation eliminates the risk of introducing errors into application code while maintaining compatibility through the service's translation capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the authentication functionality into a separate, modular service component. This segmentation isolates the complexity and potential error sources from the main application code, improving overall system reliability and making it easier to maintain and update authentication logic independently.
Data Source
AI summary
Various methods, apparatuses/systems, and media for automatically establishing a communication between two or more applications that do not share a compatible authentication model are disclosed. A receiver receives a request from a first application to communicate with a second application, wherein the first application supports a first authentication model and the second application supports a second authentication model which is incompatible with the first authentication model. A processor utilizes a configurable gateway layer, in response to receiving the request, to mediate a communication between the first application and the second application; and routes the request from the first application to the configurable gateway layer. The configurable gateway layer translates the first authentication model to the second authentication model. The processor transmits a message to the second application and automatically establishes a communication between the first application and the second application in response to receiving the message by the second application.