OAuth 2.0 authorization

Create authentication configuration

1. In an .http file, in the Run with list, select an environment to which you want to add an authentication configuration.

2. In the toolbar, click and select Auth Configuration.

   This will add an authentication configuration template to the public environment file, in the "Auth" object under "Security" of the selected environment. For example:

   { "dev": { "Security": { "Auth": { "auth-id": { "Type": "OAuth2", "Grant Type": "", "Client ID": "" } } } } }

3. Replace the placeholder auth-id with a meaningful name that you will use to refer to this configuration in your .http file.

4. Specify the authentication parameters. The required parameters depend on the selected "Grant Type". Use IntelliJ IDEA coding assistance while filling out the authentication parameters: Start typing a parameter name or press Ctrl+Space to get the list of available JSON keys.

Use authentication configuration in HTTP requests

Once an authentication configuration is created, you can use it to get an access token and authenticate your requests.

1. Pass the name of an authentication configuration to the {{$auth.token()}} variable, for example, {{$auth.token("my-config")}}. You can use this variable in the request Authorization header or in query parameters.

2. Click to send the request. Before accessing the protected resource, the HTTP Client will send a request to the authorization server to obtain an access token.

3. When prompted, complete the authentication process. If the authentication is successfully completed, the HTTP Client will access the protected resource.

To quickly add the {{$auth.token()}} variable, you can use live templates: Under the HTTP method, in the header section, start typing AuthorizationToken and select an available authentication from the list of suggestions that appears.

When you run such a request, the Show Auth Log button will be available in the Services tool window. It lets you view the redirect page, access token, and other authentication details.

Manually acquire access token

When you refer to an authentication configuration in an HTTP request, the HTTP Client automatically gets (or refreshes) an access token before accessing the protected resource. If you want to get an access token without sending an actual request to the protected resource, you can acquire the access token manually.

1. In the http-client.env.json file, click next to your authentication configuration name.

2. If the authentication configuration contains private variables, select a private environment file in the popup that appears.

3. When prompted, complete the authentication process.

If the authentication is completed successfully, IntelliJ IDEA will get the access token. If you already have the access token, but it has expired, IntelliJ IDEA will refresh it.

Get new access token

Besides refreshing the token, you can get a new one by re-authenticating, that is, by repeating the original flow that you used to get the initial access token.

1. In the http-client.env.json file, place the caret on the authentication configuration name.

2. Press Alt+Enter (Show Context Actions), and select Force Acquire Auth Token.

3. If the authentication configuration contains private variables, select a private environment file in the popup that appears.

You can invoke the same action when your caret is on the $auth.token variable in the .http file. In this case, you don't need to select a private environment file because the HTTP Client will use the one located in the same folder as your .http file.