Testing a Web App Protected by Passive Federated Auth - asp.net

Question

My team has an ASP.NET MVC-based website and WebAPI that is protected by passive federated authentication. It all works properly. The problem we're having is that we need to test the website and the web API after an automated deployment. How can we authenticate and get the FEDAUTH cookie to the website from automated test code, assuming that the test code is run by a user authorized to access the website?

Answer 1

You can have your Web API support active authentication. It requires some work to change the configuration and authentication handler, but it will make your web API easily accessible from a program client as well. If you just want to get a FEDAUTH cookie in your automated test code, the following code sample can work. It mimics a browser to post the user token to the website and get a cookie back.
// The code needs the STS server and the website url
var stsUrl = "https://your_STS";
var serviceUrl = "https://your_Service";
// Use Windows Credential to get the token
var binding = new WSHttpBinding(SecurityMode.Transport);
binding.Security.Transport.ClientCredentialType = HttpClientCredentialType.Windows;
var factory = new WSTrustChannelFactory(binding, stsUrl) { TrustVersion = TrustVersion.WSTrust13 };
// Override current login user credential if needed:
// factory.Credentials.Windows.ClientCredential = userCredential;
var rst = new RequestSecurityToken
{
RequestType = RequestTypes.Issue,
KeyType = KeyTypes.Bearer,
AppliesTo = new EndpointReference(serviceUrl)
};
RequestSecurityTokenResponse rstr;
var token = factory.CreateChannel().Issue(rst, out rstr);
var fedSerializer = new System.IdentityModel.Services.WSFederationSerializer();
var rstrContent = fedSerializer.GetResponseAsString(rstr, new WSTrustSerializationContext());
// After this the security token is acquired and saved in rstrContent
var client = new HttpClient();
// Initiate a request to the service, which will be redirected to STS. Read WS fed fields from redirected URL.
var response = client.GetAsync(serviceUrl).Result;
response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
var redirectQuery = response.RequestMessage.RequestUri.Query;
var queryParams = System.Web.HttpUtility.ParseQueryString(redirectQuery);
// construct a authentication form
var formData = new Dictionary<string, string>
{
{"wa", queryParams["wa"]},
{"wresult", rstrContent},
{"wctx", queryParams["wctx"] },
};
// post the authentication form to the website.
response = client.PostAsync(serviceUrl, new FormUrlEncodedContent(formData)).Result;
response.EnsureSuccessStatusCode();
// After this, the auth cookie is set in this HttpClient that you can use to access your service