Authentication Providers
As an alternative to logging into Thirdlane Connect and the Configuration Manager using a username and password, users can authenticate using external identity providers via the OIDC (OpenID Connect) standard.
Navigate to System Settings > Authentication Providers to configure one or more identity providers.
Supported Providers
| Provider | Type | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Native | Access to Google contacts via scopes | |
| Microsoft | Native | Access to Microsoft contacts via scopes |
| Okta | Native + OIDC | Uses Okta-specific discovery; also works via generic OIDC |
| Microsoft Entra ID | OIDC | Standard OIDC discovery with your tenant ID |
| Google Workspace | OIDC | Standard OIDC discovery via accounts.google.com |
| Auth0 | OIDC | Standard OIDC discovery with your Auth0 domain |
| Keycloak | OIDC | Standard OIDC discovery with your realm URL |
| Authentik (OIDC) | OIDC | Self-hosted identity provider, standard OIDC |
| Zoho | Native | Uses Zoho-specific endpoints |
| Generic OIDC | OIDC | Any OIDC-compliant identity provider |
Providers marked OIDC all use the same protocol under the hood: they connect to your identity provider’s /.well-known/openid-configuration endpoint to automatically discover authorization, token, and userinfo URLs. The named entries (Entra ID, Auth0, etc.) are convenience labels — they use the same OIDC mechanism as the generic option.
Adding a Provider
- Click Add
- Select the provider type from the dropdown
- Fill in:
- Client ID and Client Secret — obtained from your identity provider’s developer console
- Issuer URL (for OIDC-based providers) — the base URL of your IdP
- Button Label (optional) — custom text for the SSO login button
- Click Save
- Copy the displayed Redirect URIs and register them in your identity provider’s allowed callback URLs
Redirect URIs
After saving, two redirect URIs are shown:
- Config Manager Redirect URI — for admin SSO login to the Configuration Manager
- Connect Redirect URI — for user SSO login to Thirdlane Connect
Both must be registered as allowed redirect/callback URLs in your identity provider.
Provider Setup Guides
- Go to Google Cloud Console > APIs & Services > Credentials
- Create an OAuth 2.0 Client ID (Web application type)
- Add both redirect URIs to Authorized redirect URIs
- Enable the People API if you want contact access
- Copy the Client ID and Client Secret to the Authentication Providers form
- Select Google as the provider (no Issuer URL needed)
Microsoft / Entra ID
- Go to Azure Portal > App registrations > New registration
- Set redirect URIs (Web platform) to both callback URLs
- Under Certificates & secrets, create a new client secret
- Copy Application (client) ID and the secret value
- For Microsoft (native): select Microsoft as provider, no Issuer URL needed
- For Microsoft Entra ID (OIDC): select Microsoft Entra ID, set Issuer URL to
https://login.microsoftonline.com/{your-tenant-id}/v2.0
Okta
- In the Okta Admin Console, go to Applications > Create App Integration
- Select OIDC - OpenID Connect, then Web Application
- Add both redirect URIs
- Copy the Client ID and Client Secret
- Select Okta as provider, set Issuer URL to
https://your-org.okta.com
Authentik
- In Authentik Admin, create a new OAuth2/OIDC Provider
- Set the redirect URIs to both callback URLs
- Set Client Type to Confidential
- Copy the Client ID and Client Secret
- Select Authentik (OIDC) as provider
- Set Issuer URL to
https://your-server/application/o/your-app/
For a complete walkthrough including MFA configuration, see SSO and MFA.
Generic OIDC
For any other OIDC-compliant provider (OneLogin, PingIdentity, Duo, etc.):
- Create an OIDC/OAuth2 application in your provider
- Set both redirect URIs
- Select Generic OIDC as provider
- Enter the Issuer URL (the base URL your provider uses for OIDC discovery)
User Mapping
When a user authenticates via SSO, the system matches their identity provider email address to an existing account:
- Configuration Manager: matches against admin usernames and email addresses
- Thirdlane Connect: matches against user extension names and email addresses
Users must have pre-existing accounts. SSO does not automatically create new accounts.
Directory Services vs SSO
These are related but distinct features:
- Directory Services (under Organization Settings > Integrations) sync user accounts from Microsoft/Okta/LDAP into the PBX. This is about provisioning — creating and updating user records.
- Authentication Providers (this page) enable SSO login. This is about authentication — how users prove their identity.
You can use both together: Directory Services to automatically create user accounts from your corporate directory, and Authentication Providers to let those users log in with their corporate credentials via SSO.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Solution |
|---|---|
| SSO button not visible | Verify provider is configured and saved in Authentication Providers |
| ”Invalid or expired state” | Login took too long (>10 min). Try again. |
| Redirect back to login after SSO | No matching PBX user found for the IdP email. Create a user with matching username or email. |
| Connect OIDC button missing | Check that /oauth2/providers returns the provider in the list |
| ”Provider error” on callback | Verify Client ID, Client Secret, and Issuer URL are correct |
| Wrong redirect URI error | Ensure both redirect URIs shown after saving are registered in your IdP |
| Token exchange fails | Check that the Client Secret has not expired (common with Azure AD) |