Teleport
Database Access with Self-Hosted MongoDB
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Setting up Teleport Database Access for MongoDB
Length: 12:54
Teleport can provide secure access to MongoDB via the Teleport Database Service. This allows for fine-grained access control through the Teleport RBAC system.
The Teleport Database Service proxies traffic from database clients to self-hosted databases in your infrastructure. Teleport maintains a certificate authority (CA) for database clients. You configure your database to trust the Teleport database client CA, and the Teleport Database Service presents certificates signed by this CA when proxying user traffic. With this setup, there is no need to store long-lived credentials for self-hosted databases.
Meanwhile, the Teleport Database Service verifies self-hosted databases by checking their TLS certificates against either the Teleport database CA or a custom CA used with the database.
In this guide, you will:
- Configure your MongoDB database for Teleport access.
- Add the database to your Teleport cluster.
- Connect to the database via Teleport.
How it works
The Teleport Database Service authenticates to your self-hosted MongoDB database using mutual TLS. MongoDB trusts the Teleport certificate authority for database clients, and presents a certificate signed by either the Teleport database CA or a custom CA. When a user initiates a database session, the Teleport Database Service presents a certificate signed by Teleport. The authenticated connection then proxies client traffic from the user.
Prerequisites
-
A running Teleport cluster version 16.4.10 or above. If you want to get started with Teleport, sign up for a free trial or set up a demo environment.
-
The
tctl
admin tool andtsh
client tool.Visit Installation for instructions on downloading
tctl
andtsh
.
-
MongoDB cluster (standalone or replica set) version
3.6
or newer.NoteTeleport database access supports MongoDB
3.6
and newer. Older versions have not been tested and are not guaranteed to work. MongoDB3.6
was released in November 2017 and reached EOL in April 2021 so if you're still using an older version, consider upgrading. -
To check that you can connect to your Teleport cluster, sign in with
tsh login
, then verify that you can runtctl
commands using your current credentials.For example:
tsh login --proxy=teleport.example.com --user=[email protected]tctl statusCluster teleport.example.com
Version 16.4.10
CA pin sha256:abdc1245efgh5678abdc1245efgh5678abdc1245efgh5678abdc1245efgh5678
If you can connect to the cluster and run the
tctl status
command, you can use your current credentials to run subsequenttctl
commands from your workstation. If you host your own Teleport cluster, you can also runtctl
commands on the computer that hosts the Teleport Auth Service for full permissions. -
A certificate authority for MongoDB Replica Set, and the public certificate for that CA, in PEM format: /path/to/your/ca.crt. You can also configure Teleport to trust this CA for standalone MongoDB instances.
Distributed databases like MongoDB Replica Set use mTLS for node-to-node communication. Teleport requires that you have your own CA to issue certificates for node-to-node mTLS communication.
Teleport uses a split-CA architecture for database access. The Teleport
db
CA issues server certificates and thedb_client
CA issues client certificates.Databases are configured to trust the Teleport
db_client
CA for client authentication, but not thedb
CA. Additionally, Teleport only issues ephemeraldb_client
CA certificates.When a MongoDB Replica Set node connects to another MongoDB Replica Set node, it must present a certificate that the other node trusts for client authentication. Since Teleport does not issue long-lived
db_client
certificates, the node needs to have a long-lived certificate issued by another CA that its peer node trusts.The split
db
anddb_client
CA architecture was introduced as a security fix in Teleport versions: 13.4.17, 14.3.7, and 15.See Database CA Migrations for more information.
Step 1/3. Install and configure Teleport
Set up the Teleport Database service
The Database Service requires a valid join token to join your Teleport cluster.
Run the following tctl
command and save the token output in /tmp/token
on the server that will run the Database Service:
tctl tokens add --type=db --format=textabcd123-insecure-do-not-use-this
Install and configure Teleport where you will run the Teleport Database Service:
Install Teleport on your Linux server:
-
Assign edition to one of the following, depending on your Teleport edition:
Edition Value Teleport Enterprise Cloud cloud
Teleport Enterprise (Self-Hosted) enterprise
Teleport Community Edition oss
-
Get the version of Teleport to install. If you have automatic agent updates enabled in your cluster, query the latest Teleport version that is compatible with the updater:
TELEPORT_DOMAIN=example.teleport.comTELEPORT_VERSION="$(curl https://$TELEPORT_DOMAIN/v1/webapi/automaticupgrades/channel/default/version | sed 's/v//')"Otherwise, get the version of your Teleport cluster:
TELEPORT_DOMAIN=example.teleport.comTELEPORT_VERSION="$(curl https://$TELEPORT_DOMAIN/v1/webapi/ping | jq -r '.server_version')" -
Install Teleport on your Linux server:
curl https://cdn.teleport.dev/install-v16.4.10.sh | bash -s ${TELEPORT_VERSION} editionThe installation script detects the package manager on your Linux server and uses it to install Teleport binaries. To customize your installation, learn about the Teleport package repositories in the installation guide.
On the host where you will run the Teleport Database Service, start Teleport with the appropriate configuration.
Note that a single Teleport process can run multiple different services, for
example multiple Database Service agents as well as the SSH Service or Application
Service. The step below will overwrite an existing configuration file, so if
you're running multiple services add --output=stdout
to print the config in
your terminal, and manually adjust /etc/teleport.yaml
.
Generate a configuration file at /etc/teleport.yaml
for the Database Service:
sudo teleport db configure create \ -o file \ --token=/tmp/token \ --proxy=teleport.example.com:443 \ --name=example-mongo \ --protocol=mongodb \ --uri=mongodb://mongo.example.com:27017 \ --labels=env=dev
sudo teleport db configure create \ -o file \ --token=/tmp/token \ --proxy=mytenant.teleport.sh:443 \ --name=example-mongo \ --protocol=mongodb \ --uri=mongodb://mongo.example.com:27017 \ --labels=env=dev
Configure the Teleport Database Service to start automatically when the host boots up by creating a systemd service for it. The instructions depend on how you installed the Teleport Database Service.
On the host where you will run the Teleport Database Service, enable and start Teleport:
sudo systemctl enable teleportsudo systemctl start teleport
On the host where you will run the Teleport Database Service, create a systemd service configuration for Teleport, enable the Teleport service, and start Teleport:
sudo teleport install systemd -o /etc/systemd/system/teleport.servicesudo systemctl enable teleportsudo systemctl start teleport
You can check the status of the Teleport Database Service with systemctl status teleport
and view its logs with journalctl -fu teleport
.
Teleport provides Helm charts for installing the Teleport Database Service in Kubernetes Clusters.
Set up the Teleport Helm repository.
Allow Helm to install charts that are hosted in the Teleport Helm repository:
helm repo add teleport https://charts.releases.teleport.dev
Update the cache of charts from the remote repository so you can upgrade to all available releases:
helm repo update
Install the Teleport Kube Agent into your Kubernetes Cluster with the Teleport Database Service configuration.
JOIN_TOKEN=$(cat /tmp/token)helm install teleport-kube-agent teleport/teleport-kube-agent \ --create-namespace \ --namespace teleport-agent \ --set roles=db \ --set proxyAddr=teleport.example.com:443 \ --set authToken=${JOIN_TOKEN?} \ --set "databases[0].name=example-mongo" \ --set "databases[0].uri=mongodb://mongo.example.com:27017" \ --set "databases[0].protocol=mongodb" \ --set "databases[0].static_labels.env=dev" \ --version 16.4.10
Install the Teleport Kube Agent into your Kubernetes Cluster with the Teleport Database Service configuration.
JOIN_TOKEN=$(cat /tmp/token)helm install teleport-kube-agent teleport/teleport-kube-agent \ --create-namespace \ --namespace teleport-agent \ --set roles=db \ --set proxyAddr=mytenant.teleport.sh:443 \ --set authToken=${JOIN_TOKEN?} \ --set "databases[0].name=example-mongo" \ --set "databases[0].uri=mongodb://mongo.example.com:27017" \ --set "databases[0].protocol=mongodb" \ --set "databases[0].static_labels.env=dev" \ --version 16.4.8
Make sure that the Teleport agent pod is running. You should see one
teleport-kube-agent
pod with a single ready container:
kubectl -n teleport-agent get podsNAME READY STATUS RESTARTS AGEteleport-kube-agent-0 1/1 Running 0 32s
A single Teleport process can run multiple services, for example multiple Database Service instances as well as other services such the SSH Service or Application Service.
You can specify either a single connection address or a MongoDB connection string as a URI. For example, when connecting to a replica set:
--uri="mongodb://mongo1.example.com:27017,mongo2.example.com:27017/?replicaSet=rs0"
By default, Teleport will connect to the primary replica set member. If you'd
like to connect to a secondary instead, Teleport will respect readPreference
connection string setting:
--uri="mongodb://mongo1.example.com:27017,mongo2.example.com:27017/?replicaSet=rs0&readPreference=secondary"
Create a Teleport user
To modify an existing user to provide access to the Database Service, see Database Access Controls
Create a local Teleport user with the built-in access
role:
tctl users add \ --roles=access \ --db-users="*" \ --db-names="*" \ alice
Create a local Teleport user with the built-in access
and requester
roles:
tctl users add \ --roles=access,requester \ --db-users="*" \ --db-names="*" \ alice
Flag | Description |
---|---|
--roles | List of roles to assign to the user. The builtin access role allows them to connect to any database server registered with Teleport. |
--db-users | List of database usernames the user will be allowed to use when connecting to the databases. A wildcard allows any user. |
--db-names | List of logical databases (aka schemas) the user will be allowed to connect to within a database server. A wildcard allows any database. |
Database names are only enforced for PostgreSQL, MongoDB, and Cloud Spanner databases.
For more detailed information about database access controls and how to restrict access see RBAC documentation.
If you opt for a stricter selection of database names for your user, which
differs from the wildcard approach illustrated in this guide, it is essential
to include the admin
database. This ensures MongoDB clients won't have
issues while connecting and executing operations such as retrieving server
information, listing databases, and aborting transactions.
Step 2/3. Configure MongoDB
Create a MongoDB user
Teleport will use X.509 authentication
when connecting to a MongoDB instance. Users authenticating with client certificates
must be created in the $external
MongoDB authentication database.
MongoDB treats the entire Subject
line of the client certificate as a username.
When connecting to a MongoDB server, say as a user alice
, Teleport will sign
an ephemeral certificate with the CN=alice
subject.
To create this user in the database, connect to it using the mongosh
or mongo
shell and run
the following command:
db.getSiblingDB("$external").runCommand(
{
createUser: "CN=alice",
roles: [
{ role: "readWriteAnyDatabase", db: "admin" }
]
}
)
Update the roles accordingly to grant the user appropriate database permissions.
Set up mutual TLS
Teleport uses mutual TLS authentication with self-hosted databases. These databases must be configured with Teleport's certificate authority to be able to verify client certificates. They also need a certificate/key pair that Teleport can verify.
To use issue certificates from your workstation with tctl
, your Teleport user
must be allowed to impersonate the system role Db
.
Include the following allow
rule in in your Teleport user's role:
allow:
impersonate:
users: ["Db"]
roles: ["Db"]
When connecting to standalone MongoDB, sign the certificate for the hostname over which Teleport will be connecting to it.
For example, if your MongoDB server is accessible at mongo.example.com
hostname, run:
tctl auth sign --format=mongodb --host=mongo.example.com --out=mongo --ttl=2190h
We recommend using a shorter TTL, but keep mind that you'll need to update the database server certificate before it expires to not lose the ability to connect. Pick the TTL value that best fits your use-case.
The command will create two files: mongo.cas
with Teleport's certificate
authority and mongo.crt
with the generated certificate and key pair. You will
need these files to enable mutual TLS on your MongoDB server.
If your MongoDB instance already has a CA that it uses to sign certificates , you only need to export a Teleport CA certificate for MongoDB to authenticate traffic from the Teleport Database Service.
-
Replace example.teleport.sh:443 with the host and web port of the Teleport Proxy Service in your cluster. Run the following command on your workstation:
tctl auth export --type=db-client --auth-server=example.teleport.sh:443 > server.casThe command creates 1 file,
server.cas
. -
Generate a certificate and key pair for MongoDB to present to Teleport by retrieving them from the CA you use for MongoDB. Append them to a single file,
mongo.crt
. -
Modify the Teleport Database Service to trust your MongoDB CA:
databases: - name: "example-mongodb" protocol: "mongodb" uri: "mongodb.example.com:27017" static_labels: "env": "example" tls: ca_cert_file: "/path/to/your/ca.crt"
Now the Teleport Database Service will trust certificates presented by your MongoDB.
Export the Teleport Database Client CA from Teleport, and then add it as an additional trusted CA by concatenating it with your CA's certificate:
tctl auth export --type=db-client > db-client-ca.crtcat /path/to/your/ca.crt db-client-ca.crt > /etc/certs/mongo.cas
When MongoDB is configured to trust these CAs, it will trust the Teleport Database Client CA and allow access via Teleport, while still allowing MongoDB replication over TLS using your CA's certs for peer verification.
Modify the Teleport Database Service to trust your MongoDB Replica Set CA:
databases:
- name: "example-mongodb"
protocol: "mongodb"
uri: "mongodb.example.com:27017"
static_labels:
"env": "example"
tls:
ca_cert_file: "/path/to/your/ca.crt"
Now the Teleport Database Service will trust certificates presented by your MongoDB Replica Set.
Use the generated secrets to enable mutual TLS in your mongod.conf
configuration
file and restart the database:
net:
ssl:
mode: requireSSL
PEMKeyFile: /etc/certs/mongo.crt
CAFile: /etc/certs/mongo.cas
net:
tls:
mode: requireTLS
certificateKeyFile: /etc/certs/mongo.crt
CAFile: /etc/certs/mongo.cas
When configuring a replica set, make sure to do it for each member and use secrets generated for the particular server.
Once mutual TLS has been enabled, you will no longer be able to connect to
the cluster without providing a valid client certificate. You can use the
net.tls.allowConnectionsWithoutCertificates
setting to allow connections
from clients that do not present a certificate.
See Configure TLS/SSL in the MongoDB documentation for more details.
Step 3/3. Connect
Log in to your Teleport cluster and see available databases:
tsh login --proxy=teleport.example.com --user=alicetsh db lsName Description Labels
------------- --------------- --------
example-mongo Example MongoDB env=dev
tsh login --proxy=mytenant.teleport.sh --user=alicetsh db lsName Description Labels
------------- --------------- --------
example-mongo Example MongoDB env=dev
To retrieve credentials for a database and connect to it:
tsh db connect --db-user=alice --db-name dev example-mongo
Either the mongosh
or mongo
command-line clients should be available in PATH
in order to be
able to connect. The Database Service attempts to run mongosh
first and, if mongosh
is not in PATH
, runs mongo
.
To log out of the database and remove credentials:
Remove credentials for a particular database instance.
tsh db logout example-mongoRemove credentials for all database instances.
tsh db logout
Next steps
- Learn how to restrict access to certain users and databases.
- View the High Availability (HA) guide.
- Take a look at the YAML configuration reference.
- See the full CLI reference.