Using IdM API
Using IdM API with Python scripts
Abstract
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Chapter 1. Introduction to IdM API Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
You can access the services of the Red Hat Identity Management with command-line and web-based interfaces. With the Identity Management API, you can interact with Identity Management services through the third-party applications and scripts that are written in Python.
The Identity Management API has the JavaScript Object Notation Remote Procedure Call (JSON-RPC) interface. To use the automation for various important parts, access the Identity Management API through Python. For example, you can retrieve metadata from the server with all available commands.
Chapter 2. Basics of IdM API Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
You can use the IdM API to automate the access to IdM environment with your custom scripts.
2.1. Initializing IdM API Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
To use the IdM API, first initialize it in your environment.
Prerequisites
- The IdM server or IdM client package is installed.
- A valid Kerberos ticket is issued.
Procedure
To initialize the IdM API, include the following code in the beginning of your script:
from ipalib import api api.bootstrap(context="server") api.finalize()
from ipalib import api api.bootstrap(context="server") api.finalize()Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow To establish a connection with the LDAP server, add the following logic to your script after API initialization:
if api.env.in_server: api.Backend.ldap2.connect() else: api.Backend.rpcclient.connect()if api.env.in_server: api.Backend.ldap2.connect() else: api.Backend.rpcclient.connect()Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - If you run your script on the IdM server, this logic allows your script to connect directly to LDAP server.
- If you run your script on the IdM client, the script uses the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) client.
2.2. Running IdM API commands Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
You can run IdM API commands within your script. To run an IdM API command, use the api.Command structure in your script.
Prerequisites
- The IdM API is initialized. For more information, see Initializing IdM API.
Procedure
For example, to list the information about user, include the following code in your script:
api.Command.user_show("user_name", no_members=True, all=True)api.Command.user_show("user_name", no_members=True, all=True)Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow In this example, you also pass arguments and options to the command
user_show.
2.3. IdM API commands output structure Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
Each IdM API command has four sections for its output. These sections contain various information about the command execution.
IdM API output structure
result- This section provides the result of the command. It contains various details about the command operation, such as options and arguments which were passed to the command.
values- This section indicates the argument for the command.
messages-
This section shows various information which
ipatool provides after the execution of the command. summary- This section shows the summary for the operation.
In this example, your script executes the add_user command:
api.Command.user_add("test", givenname="a", sn="b")
api.Command.user_add("test", givenname="a", sn="b")
The output structure of that command is below:
2.4. Listing the IdM API commands and parameters Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
You can list information about the IdM API command and its parameters by using the commands command_show and param_show.
Prerequisites
- The IdM API is initialized. For more information, see Initializing IdM API.
Procedure
To display information about
user_addcommand, execute the following code:api.Command.command_show("user_add")api.Command.command_show("user_add")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow The result for this command is as follows:
Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow To display information about the
givennameparameter for theuser_addcommand, execute the following code:api.Command.param_show("user_add", name="givenname")api.Command.param_show("user_add", name="givenname")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow The result for this command is as follows:
Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow
2.5. Using batches for executing IdM API commands Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
You can execute multiple IdM API commands with a single call by using the batch command. The following example shows how to create multiple IdM users.
Prerequisites
- The IdM API is initialized. For more information, see Initializing IdM API.
Procedure
To create 100 IdM users in one batch, include the following code into your script:
Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow
2.6. IdM API context Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
IdM API context determines which plug-ins the API uses. Specify the context during API initialization. For example on how to use the IdM API context, see Initializing IdM API.
IdM API context
server- Set of plug-ins which validate arguments and options that are passed to IdM API commands for execution.
client- Set of plug-ins which validate arguments and options that are forwarded to the IdM server for execution.
installer- Set of plug-ins which are specific to the installation process.
updates- Set of plug-ins which are specific to the updating process.
Chapter 3. IdM API and IdM CLI commands comparison Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
You can use the IdM API commands in the Python interactive console. The IdM API commands are different from the ipa tool commands.
IdM CLI and IdM API commands difference
- Command naming structure
-
The
ipaCLI commands use the hyphen, as inuser-add, but IdM API commands use the underscore instead, as inuser_add. - Parameter naming
-
The parameters are different for IdM CLI commands and IdM API commands. For example, the IdM CLI
user-addcommand has a parameterfirstbut the IdM APIuser_addcommand has a parametergivenname. - Date format
The following date formats are available for IdM CLI:
-
%Y%m%d%H%M%SZ -
%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M:%SZ -
%Y-%m-%dT%H:%MZ -
%Y-%m-%dZ -
%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%SZ %Y-%m-%d %H:%MZAdditionally, the IdM API can use the Python built-in class
datetime.
-
Useful CLI tools
-
The
consolestarts an interactive Python console, which you can use to run IdM API commands. -
The
helpcommand shows description of the topics and the commands and includes various examples. -
The
show-mappingcommand shows the mapping between CLI parameter names and LDAP attributes.
Chapter 4. IdM API example scenarios Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
The following examples provide you with the common scenarios of using IdM API commands.
4.1. Managing users with IdM API commands Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
The examples below show common scenarios of how you can manage IdM users with the IdM API commands.
Examples of managing IdM users with IdM API commands
- Creating an IdM user
In this example, you create an IdM user with the username
exampleuserand the supported userone-time password (OTP)authentication.api.Command.user_add("exampleuser", givenname="Example", sn="User", ipauserauthtype="otp")api.Command.user_add("exampleuser", givenname="Example", sn="User", ipauserauthtype="otp")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Showing an IdM user information
In this example, you display all available information about the IdM user
exampleuser.api.Command.user_show("exampleuser", all=True)api.Command.user_show("exampleuser", all=True)Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Modifying an IdM user
In this example, you change the e-mail address for the IdM user
exampleuser.api.Command.user_mod("exampleuser", mail="exampleuser@example.org")api.Command.user_mod("exampleuser", mail="exampleuser@example.org")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Searching for an IdM user
In this example, you search for all IdM users that match
exampleuserin the IdM groupadmins.api.Command.user_find(criteria="exampleuser", in_group="admins")
api.Command.user_find(criteria="exampleuser", in_group="admins")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Deleting an IdM user
In this example, you delete the IdM user
exampleuser.api.Command.user_del("exampleuser")api.Command.user_del("exampleuser")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow To restore the user in future, use the
preserveoption. If you use this option, you can restore the user with theuser_undelcommand.- Adding and removing a certificate for an IdM user
You can add or remove
Base64 encodedcertificate for a user with theuser_add_certanduser_remove_certcommands. In this example, you add a certificate for a userexampleuser.Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Enabling and disabling an IdM user
You can enable or disable an IdM user with the
user_enableanduser_disablecommands. In this example, you disable the IdM userexampleuser.api.Command.user_disable("exampleuser")api.Command.user_disable("exampleuser")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow
4.2. Managing groups with IdM API commands Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
The examples below show common scenarios of how you can manage IdM groups with the IdM API commands.
Examples of managing IdM users with IdM API commands
- Creating an IdM group
In this example, you create an IdM group
developers, with a specified Group ID number.api.Command.group_add("developers", gidnumber=500, description="Developers")api.Command.group_add("developers", gidnumber=500, description="Developers")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding a user as a member to an IdM group
In this example, you add the
adminuser to thedevelopersgroup.api.Command.group_add_member("developers", user="admin")api.Command.group_add_member("developers", user="admin")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding a service as a member to an IdM group
In this example, you add the
HTTP/server.ipa.testservice to thedevelopersgroup.api.Command.group_add_member("developers", service="HTTP/server.ipa.test")api.Command.group_add_member("developers", service="HTTP/server.ipa.test")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding a group as a subgroup to an IdM group
In this example, you add another group,
admins, to thedevelopersgroup.api.Command.group_add_member("developers", group="admins")api.Command.group_add_member("developers", group="admins")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding IdM group managers
In this example, you add the
bobuser as a group manager for thedevelopersgroup.api.Command.group_add_member_manager("developers", user="bob")api.Command.group_add_member_manager("developers", user="bob")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Finding an IdM group
You can search for an IdM group using various parameters. In this example, you find all groups that the user
bobis managing.api.Command.group_find(membermanager_user="bob")
api.Command.group_find(membermanager_user="bob")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Displaying IdM group information
In this example, you display group information about the
developersgroup, without the members list.api.Command.group_show("developers", no_members=True)api.Command.group_show("developers", no_members=True)Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Modifying an IdM group
In this example, you convert a non-POSIX group
testgroupto a POSIX group.api.Command.group_mod("testgroup", posix=True)api.Command.group_mod("testgroup", posix=True)Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Removing members from an IdM group
In this example, you remove the
adminuser from thedevelopersgroup.api.Command.group_remove_member("developers", user="admin")api.Command.group_remove_member("developers", user="admin")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Removing IdM group managers
In this example, you remove the user
bobas a manager from thedevelopersgroup.api.Command.group_remove_member_manager("developers", user="bob")api.Command.group_remove_member_manager("developers", user="bob")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Removing an IdM group
In this example, you remove the
developersgroup.api.Command.group_del("developers")api.Command.group_del("developers")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow
4.3. Managing access control with IdM API commands Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
The examples below show common scenarios of how you can manage access control with the IdM API commands.
Examples of managing access control with IdM API commands
- Adding a permission for creating users
In this example, you add a permission for creating users.
api.Command.permission_add("Create users", ipapermright='add', type='user')api.Command.permission_add("Create users", ipapermright='add', type='user')Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding a permission for managing group membership
In this example, you add a permission for adding users to groups.
api.Command.permission_add("Manage group membership", ipapermright='write', type='group', attrs="member")api.Command.permission_add("Manage group membership", ipapermright='write', type='group', attrs="member")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding a privilege for the user creation process
In this example, you add a privilege for creating users, adding them to groups, and managing user certificates.
Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding a role using a privilege
In this example, you add a role using the privilege created in the previous example.
api.Command.role_add("usermanager", description="Users manager") api.Command.role_add_privilege("usermanager", privilege="User creation")api.Command.role_add("usermanager", description="Users manager") api.Command.role_add_privilege("usermanager", privilege="User creation")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Assigning a role to a user
In this example, you assign the
usermanagerrole to the userbob.api.Command.role_add_member("usermanager", user="bob")api.Command.role_add_member("usermanager", user="bob")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Assigning a role to a group
In this example, you assign the
usermanagerrole to themanagersgroup.api.Command.role_add_member("usermanager", group="managers")api.Command.role_add_member("usermanager", group="managers")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow
4.4. Managing sudo rules with IdM API commands Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
The examples below show common scenarios of how you can manage sudo rules with the IdM API commands.
Examples of managing sudo rules with IdM API commands
- Creating a sudo rule
In this example, you create a sudo rule that holds time change commands.
api.Command.sudorule_add("timechange")api.Command.sudorule_add("timechange")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Creating a sudo command
In this example, you create the
datesudo command.api.Command.sudocmd_add("/usr/bin/date")api.Command.sudocmd_add("/usr/bin/date")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Attaching a sudo command to a sudo rule
In this example, you attach the
datesudo command to thetimechangesudo rule.api.Command.sudorule_add_allow_command("timechange", sudocmd="/usr/bin/date")api.Command.sudorule_add_allow_command("timechange", sudocmd="/usr/bin/date")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Creating and attaching groups of sudo commands
In this example, you create multiple sudo commands, add them to a newly created
timecmdssudo command group, and attach the group to thetimechangesudo rule.Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Denying sudo commands
In this example, you deny the
rmcommand to be run as sudo.api.Command.sudocmd_add("/usr/bin/rm") api.Command.sudorule_add_deny_command("timechange", sudocmd="/usr/bin/rm")api.Command.sudocmd_add("/usr/bin/rm") api.Command.sudorule_add_deny_command("timechange", sudocmd="/usr/bin/rm")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding a user to a sudo rule
In this example, you add the user
bobto thetimechangesudo rule.api.Command.sudorule_add_user("timechange", user="bob")api.Command.sudorule_add_user("timechange", user="bob")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Making a sudo rule available only for a specified host
In this example, you restrict the
timechangerule to be available only for theclient.ipa.testhost.api.Command.sudorule_add_host("timechange", host="client.ipa.test")api.Command.sudorule_add_host("timechange", host="client.ipa.test")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Setting sudo rules to be run as a different user
By default, sudo rules are run as
root. In this example, you set thetimechangesudo rule to be run as thealiceuser instead.api.Command.sudorule_add_runasuser("timechange", user="alice")api.Command.sudorule_add_runasuser("timechange", user="alice")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Setting sudo rules to be run as a group
In this example, you set the
timechangesudo rule to be run as thesysadminsgroup.api.Command.sudorule_add_runasgroup("timechange", group="sysadmins")api.Command.sudorule_add_runasgroup("timechange", group="sysadmins")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Setting a sudo option for a sudo rule
In this example, you set a sudo option for the
timechangesudo rule.api.Command.sudorule_add_option("timechange", ipasudoopt="logfile='/var/log/timechange_log'")api.Command.sudorule_add_option("timechange", ipasudoopt="logfile='/var/log/timechange_log'")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Enabling a sudo rule
In this example, you enable the
timechangesudo rule.api.Command.sudorule_enable("timechange")api.Command.sudorule_enable("timechange")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Disabling a sudo rule
In this example, you disable the
timechangesudo rule.api.Command.sudorule_disable("timechange")api.Command.sudorule_disable("timechange")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow
4.5. Managing Host-based Access Control with IdM API commands Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
The examples below show common scenarios of how you can manage Host-based Access Control (HBAC) with the IdM API commands.
Examples of managing HBAC with IdM API commands
- Creating an HBAC rule
In this example, you create a base rule that will handle SSH service access.
api.Command.hbacrule_add("sshd_rule")api.Command.hbacrule_add("sshd_rule")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding a user to an HBAC rule
In this example, you add the user
johnto thesshd_ruleHBAC rule.api.Command.hbacrule_add_user("sshd_rule", user="john")api.Command.hbacrule_add_user("sshd_rule", user="john")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding a group to an HBAC rule
In this example, you add the group
developersto thesshd_ruleHBAC rule.api.Command.hbacrule_add_user("sshd_rule", group="developers")api.Command.hbacrule_add_user("sshd_rule", group="developers")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Removing a user from an HBAC rule
In this example, you remove the user
johnfrom thesshd_ruleHBAC rule.api.Command.hbacrule_remove_user("sshd_rule", user="john")api.Command.hbacrule_remove_user("sshd_rule", user="john")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Registering a new target HBAC service
You must register a target service before you can attach it to an HBAC rule. In this example, you register the
chronydservice.api.Command.hbacsvc_add("chronyd")api.Command.hbacsvc_add("chronyd")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Attaching a registered service to an HBAC rule
In this example, you attach the
sshdservice to thesshd_ruleHBAC rule. This service is registered in IPA by default, so there is no need to register it usinghbacsvc_addbeforehand.api.Command.hbacrule_add_service("sshd_rule", hbacsvc="sshd")api.Command.hbacrule_add_service("sshd_rule", hbacsvc="sshd")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Adding a host to an HBAC rule
In this example, you add
workstationshost group to thesshd_ruleHBAC rule.api.Command.hbacrule_add_host("sshd_rule", hostgroup="workstations")api.Command.hbacrule_add_host("sshd_rule", hostgroup="workstations")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Testing an HBAC rule
In this example, you use the
sshd_ruleHBAC rule against theworkstation.ipa.testhost. It targets the servicesshdthat comes from the userjohn.api.Command.hbactest(user="john", targethost="workstation.ipa.test", service="sshd", rules="sshd_rule")
api.Command.hbactest(user="john", targethost="workstation.ipa.test", service="sshd", rules="sshd_rule")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Enabling an HBAC rule
In this example, you enable the
sshd_ruleHBAC rule.api.Command.hbacrule_enable("sshd_rule")api.Command.hbacrule_enable("sshd_rule")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow - Disabling an HBAC rule
In this example, you disable the
sshd_ruleHBAC rule.api.Command.hbacrule_disable("sshd_rule")api.Command.hbacrule_disable("sshd_rule")Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow
Chapter 5. Auditing IdM API operations Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
Identity Management (IdM) servers use the systemd journal to create audit records of all IdM API operations. To audit operations and troubleshoot issues, you can query the journal to see who performed actions, when, and on which server.
5.1. Overview of IdM API auditing Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
An IdM server records any use of the Identity Management (IdM) API in the systemd journal. This provides a unified method to collect logs for auditing API operations.
The systemd journal allows for centralized collection of logs from individual systems, which can then be queried and filtered.
Each log entry is tagged with an IPA.API marker and contains the following details in a structured format:
-
The authenticated Kerberos principal that performed the action, or
[autobind]if the operation was performed by therootuser directly on the server through LDAPI. - The name of the API command that was executed.
-
The result of the execution, which is either
SUCCESSor an exception name. - An LDAP backend instance identifier, which is the same for all operations performed as part of the same request.
- A list of arguments and options passed to the command, in JSON format.
You can query these entries with the journalctl utility. Using journalctl with the -x option provides a more detailed, human-readable explanation of the log entry, including links to the relevant documentation.
All IdM API audit entries have a MESSAGE_ID property set to the application UID 6d70f1b493df36478bc3499257cd3b17.
5.2. Viewing the IdM API audit logs Copy linkLink copied to clipboard!
You can view the IdM API audit logs and details of a specific entry by querying the systemd journal. This procedure shows how to identify and display logs of a user deletion using the IdM API.
Prerequisites
- You have root access to the IdM server.
- The IdM server is running RHEL 9.5 or later.
Procedure
To see a list of all IdM API operations recorded in the journal, filter the journal for the
IPA.APImarker:journalctl -g IPA.API May 23 10:30:15 idmserver.idm.example.com /usr/bin/ipa[247422]: [IPA.API] [autobind]: user_del: SUCCESS [ldap2_140328582446688] {"uid": ["example_user"], "continue": false, "version": "2.253"} May 23 10:32:01 idmserver.idm.example.com /usr/bin/ipa[247555]: [IPA.API] admin@IDM.EXAMPLE.COM: user_add: SUCCESS [ldap2_140328582446999] {"uid": ["new_user"], "givenname": "New", "sn": "User", "cn": "New User"} May 23 10:33:10 idmserver.idm.example.com /mod_wsgi[247035]: [IPA.API] admin@IDM.EXAMPLE.COM: ping: SUCCESS [ldap2_139910420944784] {"version": "2.253"} May 23 10:34:05 idmserver.idm.example.com /usr/bin/ipa[247888]: [IPA.API] [autobind]: group_add_member: SUCCESS [ldap2_140328582447111] {"cn": "admins", "user": "new_user"}# journalctl -g IPA.API May 23 10:30:15 idmserver.idm.example.com /usr/bin/ipa[247422]: [IPA.API] [autobind]: user_del: SUCCESS [ldap2_140328582446688] {"uid": ["example_user"], "continue": false, "version": "2.253"} May 23 10:32:01 idmserver.idm.example.com /usr/bin/ipa[247555]: [IPA.API] admin@IDM.EXAMPLE.COM: user_add: SUCCESS [ldap2_140328582446999] {"uid": ["new_user"], "givenname": "New", "sn": "User", "cn": "New User"} May 23 10:33:10 idmserver.idm.example.com /mod_wsgi[247035]: [IPA.API] admin@IDM.EXAMPLE.COM: ping: SUCCESS [ldap2_139910420944784] {"version": "2.253"} May 23 10:34:05 idmserver.idm.example.com /usr/bin/ipa[247888]: [IPA.API] [autobind]: group_add_member: SUCCESS [ldap2_140328582447111] {"cn": "admins", "user": "new_user"}Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow The output shows a summary of each API call, including the user, the command, the result, the unique connection ID, and parameters used.
-
Identify a unique identifier for the specific entry you want to inspect. For example, the
user_delcall has the LDAP backend instance identifierldap2_140328582446688. Use
journalctlwith the-xoption and the unique identifier value to get a detailed explanation of the user deletion log entry:Copy to Clipboard Copied! Toggle word wrap Toggle overflow
Additional resources
-
journalctl(1)man page on your system