authelia/docs/content/integration/openid-connect/clients/kubelogin/index.md

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title	description	summary	date	draft	images	weight	toc	aliases	support	seo
Kube Login	Integrating Kube Login with the Authelia OpenID Connect 1.0 Provider.		2025-07-11T12:25:57+00:00	false		620	true	/integration/openid-connect/kubelogin/	level versions integration community true true	title description canonical noindex Kube Login | OpenID Connect 1.0 | Integration Step-by-step guide to configuring Kube Login with OpenID Connect 1.0 for secure SSO. Enhance your login flow using Authelia’s modern identity management. false

Tested Versions

• Authelia
  • v4.39.24
• Kube Login
  • v1.33.0

{{% oidc-common %}}

Assumptions

This example makes the following assumptions:

• Authelia Root URL: https://{{< sitevar name="subdomain-authelia" nojs="auth" >}}.{{< sitevar name="domain" nojs="example.com" >}}/
• Client ID: kube_login
• Client Secret: insecure_secret

Some of the values presented in this guide can automatically be replaced with documentation variables.

{{< sitevar-preferences >}}

Configuration

Authelia

The following YAML configuration is an example Authelia client configuration for use with Kube Login which will operate with the application example:

identity_providers:
  oidc:
    ## The other portions of the mandatory OpenID Connect 1.0 configuration go here.
    ## See: https://www.authelia.com/c/oidc
    clients:
      - client_id: 'kube_login'
        client_name: 'Kubernetes Cluster Access'
        client_secret: 'insecure_secret'
        public: false
        authorization_policy: 'two_factor'
        redirect_uris:
          - 'http://localhost:8000'
          - 'http://localhost:18000'
        scopes:
          - 'openid'
          - 'groups'
          - 'email'
          - 'profile'
        userinfo_signed_response_alg: 'none'
        token_endpoint_auth_method: 'client_secret_basic'

{{< callout context="note" title="Token Authentication" icon="outline/info-circle" >}} Kubernetes uses OIDC ID tokens (JWTs) for user authentication. While Kube Login supports access tokens (opaque) per the OAuth2 specification, Kubernetes has minimal support for this method. {{< /callout >}}

Kubernetes API Server Configuration

Configure your Kubernetes API server to trust Authelia as an OIDC provider by adding these arguments:

--oidc-issuer-url=https://{{< sitevar name="subdomain-authelia" nojs="auth" >}}.{{< sitevar name="domain" nojs="example.com" >}}
--oidc-client-id=kube_login
--oidc-groups-claim=groups

See the Kubernetes Flags Documentation for more information on these options.

How to Apply These Arguments

The method for configuring API server arguments varies by Kubernetes distribution. Consult the Kubernetes OIDC Authentication documentation for detailed instructions on applying these arguments to your specific setup.

Common distributions:

• K3s: Add to /etc/rancher/k3s/config.yaml under kube-apiserver-arg:
• kubeadm: Edit /etc/kubernetes/manifests/kube-apiserver.yaml
• Managed services: Use provider-specific tools (AWS CLI, gcloud, az cli)

RBAC Configuration

After configuring OIDC authentication, create RBAC rules to authorize your users. Choose the approach that fits your needs:

Group-Based Access

# Admins group - full cluster access
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRoleBinding
metadata:
  name: 'authelia-admins'
subjects:
- kind: Group
  name: 'admins'
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
roleRef:
  kind: ClusterRole
  name: 'cluster-admin' # NOTE this role gives COMPLETE access to the kubernetes api
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io

---
# Developers group - namespace-specific access
apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: RoleBinding
metadata:
  name: 'authelia-developers'
  namespace: development
subjects:
- kind: Group
  name: 'developers'
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
roleRef:
  kind: ClusterRole
  name: 'edit'
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io

Per User Access

apiVersion: rbac.authorization.k8s.io/v1
kind: ClusterRoleBinding
metadata:
  name: 'authelia-user-admin'
subjects:
- kind: User
  name: 'https://{{< sitevar name="subdomain-authelia" nojs="auth" >}}.{{< sitevar name="domain" nojs="example.com" >}}#your-user-sub-claim'
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io
roleRef:
  kind: ClusterRole
  name: 'cluster-admin' # NOTE this role gives COMPLETE access to the kubernetes api
  apiGroup: rbac.authorization.k8s.io

Note: You can obtain all user sub identifiers using the following command: authelia storage user identifiers export

Client Configuration (kubectl + kubelogin)

Install Required Tools

1. Install kubectl (if not already installed) - Installation Guide
2. Install krew (kubectl plugin manager): - Installation Guide
3. Install kubelogin - kubectl krew install oidc-login

Configure kubeconfig

Use kubectl commands to set up the OIDC user on your local machine:

kubectl config set-credentials authelia \
  --exec-api-version=client.authentication.k8s.io/v1beta1 \
  --exec-command=kubectl \
  --exec-arg=oidc-login \
  --exec-arg=get-token \
  --exec-arg=--oidc-issuer-url=https://{{< sitevar name="subdomain-authelia" nojs="auth" >}}.{{< sitevar name="domain" nojs="example.com" >}} \
  --exec-arg=--oidc-client-id=kube_login \
  --exec-arg=--oidc-client-secret=insecure_secret \
  --exec-arg=--oidc-extra-scope=groups

Setup Context

Create and use a context with the OIDC user:

# Create context (replace 'your-cluster' with your actual cluster name)
kubectl config set-context authelia \
  --cluster=your-cluster \
  --user=authelia

# Switch to the new context
kubectl config use-context authelia

Testing the Configuration

# This should start the OIDC authentication flow in your browser.
kubectl get nodes

See Also

• Kube Login Usage Documentation