Azure Identity

The Azure Identity client library for Java enables developers to easily request security tokens from Azure Active Directory (Azure AD). These tokens can be used to access Azure services that are protected by Azure AD. This library provides a unified interface for obtaining credentials that are automatically managed by Azure.

Introduction to Azure Identity

Managing authentication and authorization for cloud applications can be complex. Azure Identity simplifies this by offering a consistent way to authenticate to Azure services, regardless of where your application is running or what programming language you're using. It abstracts away the complexities of credential management, allowing you to focus on your core application logic.

Azure Identity Libraries

Microsoft provides client libraries for Azure Identity across various programming languages, including:

.NET
Java
Python
JavaScript
Go
C++

These libraries offer pre-built credential types that handle authentication flows automatically.

Key Credential Types

Azure Identity offers several credential types to accommodate different deployment scenarios:

DefaultAzureCredential: This is the recommended credential type for most applications. It attempts to authenticate using a combination of common methods, such as environment variables, managed identity, and Azure CLI.
EnvironmentCredential: Authenticates using environment variables.
ManagedIdentityCredential: Authenticates using a managed identity assigned to an Azure resource (e.g., Virtual Machine, App Service).
ClientSecretCredential: Authenticates using a client ID and a client secret.
CertificateCredential: Authenticates using a client ID and a certificate.
InteractiveBrowserCredential: Authenticates by prompting the user to log in through an interactive browser flow.

Best Practice: Use DefaultAzureCredential whenever possible. It intelligently selects the appropriate authentication method based on the environment, making your application more portable and secure.

Getting Started

To get started with Azure Identity, you'll need to add the appropriate client library to your project. Here's a brief example using Java:

                
// Maven dependency
<dependency>
    <groupId>com.azure</groupId>
    <artifactId>azure-identity</artifactId>
    <version>1.7.0</version>
</dependency>

// Example usage
import com.azure.identity.DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder;
import com.azure.core.credential.TokenCredential;
import com.azure.storage.blob.BlobServiceClient;
import com.azure.storage.blob.BlobServiceClientBuilder;

public class AzureIdentityExample {
    public static void main(String[] args) {
        // Get a credential object using DefaultAzureCredential
        TokenCredential credential = new DefaultAzureCredentialBuilder().build();

        // Replace with your Storage Account Name
        String accountName = "your-storage-account-name";

        // Create a BlobServiceClient using the credential
        BlobServiceClient blobServiceClient = new BlobServiceClientBuilder()
            .accountName(accountName)
            .credential(credential)
            .buildClient();

        System.out.println("Successfully created BlobServiceClient!");
        // Now you can use blobServiceClient to interact with Azure Blob Storage
    }
}
                
            

More Code Examples

.NET Authentication

Learn how to authenticate .NET applications using Azure Identity.

View .NET Example

Python Authentication

See how to integrate Azure Identity into your Python projects.

View Python Example

JavaScript Authentication

Secure your web applications with Azure Identity in JavaScript.

View JavaScript Example

Managed Identity Configuration

To use ManagedIdentityCredential, you need to assign a managed identity to your Azure resource and grant it the necessary permissions on the target Azure service.

Refer to the official Azure Managed Identity documentation for detailed setup instructions.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

If you encounter authentication errors, ensure:

Your application's identity (managed identity or service principal) has been granted appropriate role-based access control (RBAC) permissions on the Azure resource.
Environment variables (e.g., AZURE_TENANT_ID, AZURE_CLIENT_ID, AZURE_CLIENT_SECRET) are correctly set if using EnvironmentCredential or ClientSecretCredential.
You are logged in via Azure CLI (az login) if relying on the Azure CLI credential for local development.

Azure Identity Documentation