How-To Guide: Okta and Akamai Integration

Unlike many other applications, Okta doesn’t have a ready-made SAML integration for Akamai for SSO, and getting it to work requires another step in Okta’s API.

Allow us save you a few hours with this step-by-step guide. You’re welcome!

These are the steps needed in Okta’s UI:

1. Create a new SAML2.0 app in Okta

2. Give it a name and a logo and continue to Configure SAML

3. Fill the following:

1. Single sign on URL is https://control.akamai.com/ids-sso/v1/sp/login
2. Audience URI is https://control.akamai.com

Continue, provide Okta feedback (optional) and Finish and we’re ready to move on to the fun part.

Steps needed in Okta’s APIs:

Okta’s certificates are valid for 10 years by default. Akamai doesn’t trust certificates who’s expiry date is over 5 years. Something needs to be done! This tutorial uses Postman, so if you want to follow it, download and install Postman and Okta’s Apps postman collection https://app.getpostman.com/run-collection/4857222012c11cf5e8cd
I’ll also provide quick and dirty curl commands

1. Create an API token in Okta (security -> API -> Create Token) and save it somewhere safe
   
   
2. Go to the newly created application, and from the url copy the part after /instance/ and before /# and save it somewhere safe. This is your application id
   
   
3. If you’re using postman, add/update your environment variables to match the following:
   a. url with your Okta domain (in my case - globaldots.okta.com)
   b. appId with your application ID
   c. Apikey with your api token
   
   
4. Select “Certificate Operations” and “Generate Certificate” - PREPEND HTTPS TO THE REQUEST, change validity Years parameter to 5 (Akamai’s max) and hit Send.
   a. Curl alternative for the lazy - replace okta Domain with your domain, appid with appid, API key with API key
    
   curl -X POST \
'https:///api/v1/apps//credentials/keys/generate?validityYears=5' \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate' \
-H 'Authorization: SSWS ' \
-H 'Cache-Control: no-cache' \
-H 'Connection: keep-alive' \
-H 'Content-Length: 0' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Host: ' \
-H 'User-Agent: PostmanRuntime/7.19.0' \
-H 'cache-control: no-cache'                     
5. From the response, grab the key id (kid) and save it somewhere
   
   
6. Send another API call to get the full app details and note the app name, label and SignOnMode parameters. In Postman select “Get App” and in curl use:
   
   curl -X GET \
https:///api/v1/apps/ \
-H 'Accept: application/json' \
-H 'Accept-Encoding: gzip, deflate' \
-H 'Authorization: SSWS ' \
-H 'Cache-Control: no-cache' \
-H 'Connection: keep-alive' \
-H 'Content-Type: application/json' \
-H 'Cookie: JSESSIONID=D0C79026910B893FA804BA0A6868E373' \
-H 'Referer: http:///api/v1/apps/' \
-H 'cache-control: no-cache’ --compressed                     
7. To update the certificate we just created, use “Update Application Certificate” in postman, navigate to the “Body” tab and replace with the kid you got on stage 4. Again prepend with HTTPS, fill in the rest of the application details
   1. 
      curl -v -X PUT \
-H "Accept: application/json" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Authorization: SSWS ${api_token}" \
-d '{
  "name": “",
  "label": “",
  "signOnMode": "SAML_2_0",
  "credentials": {
    "signing": {
      "kid": “${kid}"
    }
  }
}' "https://${yourOktaDomain}/api/v1/apps/${aid}”
      Go back to Okta’s UI, open your newly created app, and copy the Identity provider metadata URL to your clipboard
      
8. Open Akamai’s Control Panel and navigate to Identity -> manage sso
9. Create a new configuration and paste the metadata URL under “Load metadata from a URL"

Done! By default SSO is enabled but not enforced, so on sign in you can decide how you want to log in. You can force SSO if you want to.