Authentication overview
Understand what an auth config does, and decide whether the App you want to connect needs one first.
Some Apps require an auth config before you can connect them. The console defines it this way: an auth config is a blueprint that defines how a toolkit authenticates across all users.
In one sentence: configure the credentials once, and every connector under that App reuses the same authentication method.
Why this is a separate layer
If you had to re-enter the Client ID and Client Secret for every connector, connecting ten accounts under the same App would mean filling in the same values ten times, and rotating credentials would mean editing ten places. The auth config factors that part out:
When you create a connector, you no longer enter credentials — you just pick an existing config from a drop-down list. The console describes it this way in the connect dialog: authentication defines how users create connectors for the current App, and supports choosing the authentication method and credentials.
Which Apps need one
Not every App does. Three Apps currently require an auth config first:
| App | Authentication method |
|---|---|
| Salesforce on Alibaba Cloud | OAuth 2.0 |
| MaxCompute | OAuth 2.0 |
| Yuque | API Key |
Every other App is configured directly in the connect dialog and skips this layer:
| App | What you enter when connecting |
|---|---|
| File connector, table connector | Connector name and storage location |
| OSS | Connector name and storage bucket, plus authorization |
| MySQL, PostgreSQL, PolarDB-X 2.0 | Connector name, plus importing a data source from DMS |
NoteThere is a simple way to tell: click Connect on the App card. If the dialog contains only a Select auth config drop-down list, that App needs a config first.
Two authentication methods
| Method | Console description | Where it applies |
|---|---|---|
| OAuth 2.0 | Delivers a secure, user-friendly sign-in through the OAuth 2.0 authorization flow | The user is redirected to the target system to sign in and authorize, and the platform holds the credentials |
| API Key | Completes authentication with an API Key | You enter the key issued by the target system directly |
You do not pick the method — the App does. Once you enter the creation flow, the Authentication method row shows the method that App supports.
Relationship to connectors
The three layers relate like this:
One auth config can back multiple connectors. Conversely, a connector belongs to exactly one auth config.
Where to start
Auth configs in the left-side navigation of the console is the management entry point for this layer. The first time you open it, the page tells you to complete an auth config first; click Create auth config to begin.
You can also start from the connect flow: expand the Select auth config drop-down list in an App's connect dialog. If it shows that no config exists, clicking Create auth config below jumps straight to the creation page with the current App preselected.
ImportantNext, see Create an auth config for field-by-field instructions.