Questions on okta ciam password policy

Questions
1

Hi,

I have few questions regarding password policy. Does okta client sdk has a way to validate password complexity against okta password policy on the client side?

When creating a user profile with password using /users API, does Okta validate the password complexity against the password policy? if so, what does the error response look like if password complexity policy check fails? Another related question is when creating user profile, if the user has an IDP, would password still be required?

Thank you!
Alan

2

Hello Alan,

When it comes to password policy and Okta, here are some answers to your questions:

  1. Client-Side Password Complexity Validation: The Okta Client SDKs primarily focus on authentication and interaction with Okta’s authentication flows and APIs. While they can help with password-based sign-in and registration, they may not include built-in client-side password complexity validation. Password complexity requirements are often handled on the server side to ensure security. However, you can implement client-side password complexity checks in your application independently. Then, before sending the password to Okta, you can verify whether it meets your desired complexity requirements.
  2. Password Complexity Validation During User Creation: When you create a user profile using the Okta /users API, Okta will enforce password complexity checks against the Okta organization’s password policy if one is configured. If the provided password does not meet the complexity requirements, the API request will return an error response, typically with an HTTP status code of 400 (Bad Request). The exact error message may vary, but it will indicate that the password complexity policy check has failed.
  3. User Creation with IDP: When creating a user profile with an Identity Provider (IDP) linked to the user, the password field may not be required. It depends on your specific configuration and use case. If you’re using an IDP for authentication, the user’s credentials might be managed by the IDP, and Okta may not enforce a password requirement for users authenticating through that IDP. In such cases, the user’s authentication is typically handled by the IDP, and Okta may act as a federated authentication provider.

Keep in mind that the exact behavior can be influenced by your Okta configuration, policies, and settings. If you have specific requirements or configurations, you should review the Okta admin console settings to ensure they align with your desired password complexity and user management policies.

If you’re looking to implement client-side password complexity checks, you can incorporate custom validation logic in your application to ensure that user-provided passwords meet the required complexity before sending them to Okta.