Connecting to Confluence

You can establish a connection to any Confluence Cloud account or Confluence Server instance. To connect set the URL connection property. For example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.

Authenticating to Confluence

Confluence supports the following authentication methods: Basic Authentication, standard OAuth2.0 Authentication and SSO.

Basic Authentication

Confluence Cloud Account

Aquire a Token

An API token is necessary for account authentication. To generate one, login to your Atlassian account and select API tokens > Create API token. The generated token is displayed.

Authenticate Using the Token

To authenticate to a Cloud account, provide the following (Note: Password has been deprecated for connecting to a Cloud Account and is now used only to connect to a Server Instance.):

• AuthScheme: Set this to Basic.
• User: The user to be used to authenticate with the Confluence server.
• APIToken: The API Token associated with the currently authenticated user.
• Url: The URL associated with your Jira endpoint. For example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.

Confluence Server Instance

To authenticate to a Server instance, specify the following:

• AuthScheme: Set this to Basic.
• User: The user which to be used to authenticate with the Confluence instance.
• Password: The password which is used to authenticate with the Confluence server.
• Url: The URL associated with your Jira endpoint. For example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.

OAuth

In all cases, you must set AuthScheme to OAuth and Scope to to the value obtained from your application settings. In all the flows described below, it is assumed that you have done so.

Desktop Applications

This section describes desktop authentication using the credentials for your custom OAuth app. See Creating a Custom OAuth App for more information.

Get an OAuth Access Token

After setting the following, you are ready to connect:

• OAuthClientId: Set to the client Id in your app settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: Set to the client secret in your app settings.
• CallbackURL: Set to the Redirect URL in your app settings.
• OAuthVersion: Set to 2.0.
• Url: The URL to your Confluence endpoint; for example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.
• InitiateOAuth: Set to GETANDREFRESH. You can use InitiateOAuth to avoid repeating the OAuth exchange and manually setting the OAuthAccessToken.

When you connect, the adapter opens the OAuth endpoint in your default browser. Log in and grant permissions to the application. The adapter then completes the following OAuth process:

1. Extracts the access token from the callback URL and authenticates requests.
2. Obtains a new access token when the old one expires.
3. Saves OAuth values in OAuthSettingsLocation. These values persist across connections.

Web Applications

When connecting via a web application, you need to register a custom OAuth app with Confluence. See Creating a Custom OAuth App for more information. You can then use the adapter to get and manage the OAuth token values.

Get an OAuth Access Token

Set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuthAccessToken:

• OAuthClientId: Set to the client Id in your app settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: Set to the client secret in your app settings.
• OAuthVersion: Set to 2.0.
• Url: The URL to your Confluence endpoint; for example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.

Then call stored procedures to complete the OAuth exchange:

1. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB and set the CallbackURL input to the Redirect URI you specified in your app settings. If necessary, set the Permissions parameter to request custom permissions. The stored procedure returns the URL to the OAuth endpoint.
2. Open the URL, log in, and authorize the application. You are redirected back to the callback URL.
3. Call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure. Set the AuthMode input to WEB. Set the Verifier input to the "code" parameter in the query string of the callback URL. If necessary, set the Permissions parameter to request custom permissions.

To connect to data, set the OAuthAccessToken connection property to the access token returned by the stored procedure. When the access token expires after ExpiresIn seconds, call the GetOAuthAccessToken stored procedure again to obtain a new access token.

Headless Machines

To configure the driver to use OAuth with a user account on a headless machine, you need to authenticate on another device that has an internet browser.

1. Choose one of two options:
   • Option 1: Obtain the OAuthVerifier value as described in "Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code" below.
   • Option 2: Install the adapter on a machine with a browser and transfer the OAuth authentication values after you authenticate through the usual browser-based flow, as described in "Transfer OAuth Settings" below.

2. Then configure the adapter to automatically refresh the access token on the headless machine.

Option 1: Obtain and Exchange a Verifier Code

To obtain a verifier code, you must authenticate at the OAuth authorization URL.

Follow the steps below to authenticate from the machine with an internet browser and obtain the OAuthVerifier connection property.

1. Create the Authorization URL by setting the following properties:
   • InitiateOAuth: Set to OFF.
   • OAuthClientId: Set to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
   • OAuthClientSecret: Set to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
   • OAuthVersion: Set to 2.0.
2. Call the GetOAuthAuthorizationURL stored procedure with the CallbackURL input parameter set to the exact Redirect URI you specified in your app details under APIS AND FEATURES > OAuth 2.0 (3LO).
3. Open the returned URL in a browser. Log in and grant permissions to the adapter. You are then redirected to the callback URL, which contains the verifier code.
4. Save the value of the verifier code. You need to set this in the OAuthVerifier connection property.

Next, you need to exchange the OAuth verifier code for OAuth refresh and access tokens. Set the following properties:

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to obtain the OAuth authentication values.

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
• OAuthVerifier: Set this to the verifier code.
• OAuthClientId: (custom applications only) Set this to the client Id in your custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthClientSecret: (custom applications only) Set this to the client secret in the custom OAuth application settings.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to persist the encrypted OAuth authentication values to the specified location.
• InitiateOAuth: Set to REFRESH.

After the OAuth settings file is generated, you need to re-set the following properties to connect:

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
• OAuthClientId: Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location containing the encrypted OAuth authentication values. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the adapter to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
• OAuthVersion: Set to 2.0.
• Url: The URL to your Confluence endpoint; for example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.

Option 2: Transfer OAuth Settings

Prior to connecting on a headless machine, you need to install and create a connection with the driver on a device that supports an internet browser. Set the connection properties as described in "Desktop Applications" above.

After completing the instructions in "Desktop Applications", the resulting authentication values are encrypted and written to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. The default filename is OAuthSettings.txt.

After you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine.

On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

• InitiateOAuth: Set this to REFRESH.
• OAuthClientId: Set this to the client Id assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthClientSecret: Set this to the client secret assigned when you registered your application.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set this to the location of your OAuth settings file. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the adapter to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
• CallbackURL: Set to the Callback URL in your app details under APIS AND FEATURES > OAuth 2.0 (3LO).

Test the connection to authenticate. The resulting authentication values are written, encrypted, to the location specified by OAuthSettingsLocation. Once you have successfully tested the connection, copy the OAuth settings file to your headless machine. On the headless machine, set the following connection properties to connect to data:

• InitiateOAuth: Set to REFRESH.
• OAuthSettingsLocation: Set to the location of your OAuth settings file. Make sure this location gives read and write permissions to the adapter to enable the automatic refreshing of the access token.
• OAuthVersion: Set to 2.0.
• Url: The URL to your Confluence endpoint; for example, https://yoursitename.atlassian.net.

Crowd

Set the AuthScheme to Crowd. The following connection properties are used to connect to Crowd:

• User: The CROWD user account.
• Password: The password associated with the Crowd account.
• SSOLoginURL: The login URL associated with the Crowd account. You can find the IDP URL by navigating to your application -> SSO -> SSO information -> Identity provider single sign-on URL.
• SSOAppName: The name of the application in which SSO is enabled.
• SSOAppPassword: The password of the application in which SSO is enabled.
• SSOExchangeUrl: The URL used used to exchange the SAML token for Confluence cookies. This URL may have the following formats:
  • https://<authority of Confluence instance>/plugins/servlet/samlconsumer
  • https://<authority of Confluence instance>/plugins/servlet/samlsso

The following is an example connection string:

AuthScheme=Crowd;Url=https://yoursitename.atlassian.net;SSOLoginURL='https://<authority>/crowd/console/secure/saml/sso.action';User=crowdUserName;Password=crowdPassword;SSOExchangeUrl=https://<authority of Confluence instance>/plugins/servlet/samlconsumer;SSOAppName=CrowdAppName;SSOAppPassword=CrowdAppPassword;

Okta

To connect to Okta, set the AuthScheme to Okta, and set these properties:

• User: The Okta user.
• Password: The Okta user's password.
• SSOLoginURL: The SSO provider's login URL.
• SSOExchangeUrl: The URL used used to exchange the SAML token for Confluence cookies. This URL may have the following formats:
  • https://<authority of Confluence instance>/plugins/servlet/samlconsumer
  • https://<authority of Confluence instance>/plugins/servlet/samlsso

If you are using a trusted application or proxy that overrides the Okta client request OR configuring MFA, you must use combinations of SSOProperties to authenticate using Okta. Set any of the following, as applicable:

• APIToken: When authenticating a user via a trusted application or proxy that overrides the Okta client request context, set this to the API Token the customer created from the Okta organization.
• MFAType: If you have configured the MFA flow, set this to one of the following supported types: OktaVerify, Email, or SMS.
• MFAPassCode: If you have configured the MFA flow, set this to a valid passcode.
  If you set this to empty or an invalid value, the adapter issues a one-time password challenge to your device or email. After the passcode is received, reopen the connection where the retrieved one-time password value is set to the MFAPassCode connection property.
• MFARememberDevice: True by default. Okta supports remembering devices when MFA is required. If remembering devices is allowed according to the configured authentication policies, the adapter sends a device token to extend MFA authentication lifetime. If you do not want MFA to be remembered, set this variable to False.

Example connection string:

AuthScheme=Okta;Url=https://yoursitename.atlassian.net;SSOLoginURL='https://example.okta.com/home/appType/0bg4ivz6cJRZgCz5d6/46';User=oktaUserName;Password=oktaPassword;SSOExchangeUrl=https://<authority of Confluence instance>/plugins/servlet/samlconsumer;