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Version: 16.x

Authentication options

Teleport authenticates users either via the Proxy Service or with an identity provider via authentication connectors.

Local (no authentication connector)​

Local authentication is used to authenticate against a local Teleport user database. This database is managed by the tctl users command. Teleport also supports multi-factor authentication (MFA) for the local connector. There are several possible values (types) of MFA:

  • otp is the default. It implements the TOTP standard. You can use Google Authenticator, Authy or any other TOTP client.
  • webauthn implements the Web Authentication standard for utilizing second factor authenticators and hardware devices. You can use YubiKeys, SoloKeys or any other authenticator that implements FIDO2 or FIDO U2F standards. See our Second Factor - WebAuthn guide for detailed instructions on setting up WebAuthn for Teleport.
  • on enables both TOTP and WebAuthn, and all local users are required to have at least one MFA device registered.
  • optional enables both TOTP and WebAuthn but makes it optional for users. Local users that register a MFA device will be prompted for it during login. This option is useful when you need to gradually enable MFA usage before switching the value to on.
  • off turns off multi-factor authentication.
note

If you are using Teleport with a Single Sign-On solution, users can also register MFA devices, but Teleport will not prompt them for MFA during login. MFA for SSO users should be handled by the SSO provider.

You can modify these settings either using a static configuration file or dynamic configuration resources.

Static configuration​

Add the following to your Teleport configuration file, which is stored in /etc/teleport.yaml by default.

auth_service:
  authentication:
    type: local
    second_factor: on
    webauthn:
      rp_id: example.teleport.sh

Dynamic resource​

Edit your cluster_auth_preference resource:

$ tctl edit cap

Ensure that the resource includes the following content:

kind: cluster_auth_preference
metadata:
  name: cluster-auth-preference
spec:
  type: local
  second_factor: "on"
  webauthn:
    rp_id: example.teleport.sh
version: v2

Save and close the file in your editor to apply changes.

Local user policies​

Teleport requires that passwords for local users be at least 12 characters long.

Additionally, Teleport will lock local user accounts if there are multiple failed login attempts within a 30-minute window. The account will remain locked for 30 minutes before the user can attempt to log in again.

Overriding a block is available to users with rights to maintain user resources, available in the built-in editor role. To turn off a block, update the user entry, following these steps.

Open the user resource in your editor:

$ tctl edit users/username

The resource should resemble the following:

kind: user
metadata:
  name: jeff
spec:
  roles:
  - access
  status:
    is_locked: true
    lock_expires: "2023-04-22T01:55:02.228158166Z"
    locked_message: user has exceeded maximum failed login attempts
version: v2

Update the is_locked field under status to false, save the file, and close your editor.

The user will now be unblocked from login attempts and can attempt to authenticate again.

Authentication connectors​

GitHub​

This connector implements GitHub's OAuth 2.0 authentication flow. Please refer to GitHub's documentation on Creating an OAuth App to learn how to create and register an OAuth app.

Here is an example of this setting in a cluster_auth_preference resource:

kind: cluster_auth_preference
metadata:
  name: cluster-auth-preference
spec:
  type: github
version: v2

See GitHub OAuth 2.0 for details on how to configure it.

SAML​

This connector type implements SAML authentication. It can be configured against any external identity manager like Okta or Auth0.

Here is an example of this setting in a cluster_auth_preference resource:

kind: cluster_auth_preference
metadata:
  name: cluster-auth-preference
spec:
  type: saml
version: v2

OIDC​

Teleport implements OpenID Connect (OIDC) authentication.

Here is an example of this setting in a cluster_auth_preference resource:

kind: cluster_auth_preference
metadata:
  name: cluster-auth-preference
spec:
  type: oidc
version: v2