Cloud Native Data Security with OAuth

Chapter 11. Managing a Cloud Native Authorization Server

An authorization server is a critical security component that you must manage over time. When getting started, you may have a number of concerns:

• How do I ensure zero-downtime upgrades?

• How do I manage changes to security settings across multiple teams?

• How do I ensure that my authorization server is highly available?

• How do I troubleshoot failures during OAuth flows?

• How do I monitor API security and receive early warning of threats?

You might prefer to use a managed identity-as-a-service (IDaaS) solution for your authorization server. You then get some deployment conveniences and can point your applications and APIs to internet OAuth endpoints. You do not need to deploy any containers and upgrades occur automatically. You also trust the provider to ensure high availability. You still need to manage identity data like user accounts and configuration settings for all stages of your deployment pipeline. In some cases, an IDaaS service may meet all of your main requirements.

Your requirements may evolve over time. With a cloud native authorization server, you get more control over how to adapt to your specific needs and future requirements. We think that control is important because the authorization server is, after all, a critical component to your business. We believe that if you can manage APIs using cloud native patterns, you can manage a cloud native authorization server as well. You then get a solution that ...