Workbench authentication process¶

1. When the user goes to workbench, it checks for a session cookie or ?api_token=xxx on the URL to get the API token. If no API token is found, the user is directed to the workbench "welcome" page.
2. The "welcome" page has a "log in" button that directs the user to the API server login URL, with a ?return_to=xxx link embedded in the URL.
3. The 'login' endpoint goes to UserSessionsController#login in the API server. This redirects to /auth/joshid?return_to=xxx
4. /auth/joshid is intercepted by the OmniAuth Rack middleware and invokes the josh_id OmniAuth strategy.
   • The josh_id OmniAuth strategy is implemented in arvados/services/api/lib/josh_id.rb and is a subclass of OmniAuth::Strategies::OAuth2
5. OmniAuth starts the "request_phase" of OmniAuth::Strategies::OAuth2. This redirects to #{options[:custom_provider_url]}/auth/josh_id/authorize using CUSTOM_PROVIDER_URL defined in arvados/services/api/config/initializers/omniauth.rb

Questions¶

• What is workbench's "secret_token" for?