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Authentication and Setting the Acrolinx URL

Acrolinx URL

The Acrolinx Sidebar SDKs usually handle the Acrolinx URL setting. Some scenarios might require an admin to set the Acrolinx URL for all users:

  1. CMS administrator sets the Acrolinx URL for all users.

    • Make sure that you properly validate the Acrolinx URL.
    • To validate an Acrolinx Platform URL, check if <SERVER:PORT>/sidebar/v14/index.html exists and a meta tag with the name sidebar-version is present, for example: <meta name="sidebar-version" content="14.5.0">.
    • Each Acrolinx Platform version has a different Sidebar version.

  2. You're a customer and you're building an integration only for your company's use. You can hard-code the Acrolinx URL.

  3. A web server delivers the integration.

    • The web server also acts as a proxy to the Acrolinx Platform.
    • Use a relative Acrolinx URL and set the value on the server side.

  4. You use a software distribution system to roll out the integration. You can set the Acrolinx URL with the roll-out mechanism.

Authentication

By default, authentication takes place in the Sidebar. The Sidebar opens a web browser page for sign-in. If users are already authenticated in a CMS, then you ideally use Acrolinx single sign-on (SSO). See points 4 and 5. The Sidebar and Acrolinx Platform support different authentication options:

  1. Acrolinx Authentication works with a user database on the Acrolinx Platform.

    • Create and manage users in the Acrolinx Dashboard.
    • The Sidebar opens a browser window where users sign in to Acrolinx.
    • This option only requires managing users on the Acrolinx Platform. You don't have to do any coding in the integration.
    • You cannot use this option if Acrolinx traffic is tunneled through a reverse proxy and provided as a subpath like https://myserver/acrolinx/proxy/
    • If the Acrolinx services are provided on the top-level domain name, then you can use a reverse proxy like https://myserver/.

  2. The Acrolinx Platform uses External Authentication like LDAP (Lightweight Directory Access Protocol) or Active Directory.

    • The sign-in user experience is the same as in option 1, but you don't configure users in the Acrolinx Dashboard.
    • Instead, you configure users on the LDAP-Server.
    • This option only requires configuration to the external directory on the Acrolinx Platform.
    • You don't have to do any coding in the integration. \

  3. The Acrolinx Platform uses Enterprise Federated Authentication.

    • The user experience will be similar to option 1 and 2.
    • Instead of signing in to the Acrolinx Platform, the user will see a Sign-in page of a 3rd-party system.
    • You can also use this option when traffic is tunneled through a reverse proxy.
    • This option only requires configuration to the external directory on the Acrolinx Platform.
    • You don't have to do any coding in the integration.

  4. Communication is tunneled through an Acrolinx single sign-on (SSO) reverse proxy using a shared secret.

    • The user is already authenticated in a CMS.
    • A proxy built in to the CMS knows the username of the current session.
    • The Acrolinx Platform and the CMS share a secret. The Acrolinx Platform trusts all requests sent with this secret.
    • For security reasons, prevent the Acrolinx Integration from having access to the secret.
    • This option is currently only available for JavaScript-based integrations.

  5. For embedded integrations, you can use the same approach as in option 4.

    • You can use the secret directly instead of tunneling all traffic through a proxy.
    • This approach is secure since users won't have access to the token of the embedded integration.

  6. For automated integrations, you might want to use an API token.

    • To create an API token, navigate to the Dashboard Settings page of the relevant user.
    • All checks will be associated with the same user whose API token you're using.
    • Some parts of Analytics Dashboards expecting usernames might not work as expected.
    • Consult with your CSM or account manager to confirm whether your license includes this kind of usage.

Do not hard-code any usernames for checks run by different users.

The authentication you use often influences the recommended check type. See checking features.