How to Design SSO from scratch

RajeshKumar1

Excellent—this is a classic SSO (Single Sign-On) and cross-system RBAC integration scenario, and it’s a very common challenge for SaaS and marketplace platforms integrating 3rd party/self-hosted dashboards.

Here’s how to solve it for your setup, with reliable, secure, and future-proof architecture:

🚦 SSO Integration between MOTOSHARE.in and traccar.motoshare.in

1. Requirements Recap

User (partner) logs in at MOTOSHARE.in with any method (email, phone, WhatsApp, OpenID)
User clicks “GPS Tracker”
User lands at traccar.motoshare.in, instantly logged in (as corresponding Traccar user, e.g., by email or ID)
No extra login/password prompt at Traccar
RBAC (roles/permissions) match between MOTOSHARE.in (“partner”) and Traccar (“user”)
Preferably, user cannot directly log in to Traccar without first authenticating at MOTOSHARE.in (security best practice)

2. Solution: Use SSO (Single Sign-On) via OpenID Connect or SAML

A. SSO Concepts

Your main app (MOTOSHARE.in) is the Identity Provider (IdP)
Traccar is the Service Provider (SP)
When a user clicks "GPS Tracker," Traccar accepts their identity via a secure SSO handshake

B. Traccar SSO Support

Traccar 4.x+ supports:

OpenID Connect (OIDC)
SAML 2.0
Custom authentication extensions

OpenID Connect is the easiest and most modern (recommended if your tech stack supports it).

3. High-Level Architecture

[Partner logs in at MOTOSHARE.in] 
         │
         │
    Clicks "GPS Tracker"
         │
         ▼
[Redirects to traccar.motoshare.in/gps?token=...]  (SSO)
         │
         ▼
[Traccar validates SSO token with MOTOSHARE.in (OpenID Connect)]
         │
         ▼
[Traccar auto-logs-in user, loads only their data/devices]

4. Implementation Steps

A. Set Up OpenID Connect on Both Ends

1. MOTOSHARE.in as OpenID Provider

Implement (or use existing) OpenID Connect Provider (OAuth2 with ID token) in your Laravel/NodeJS backend
- Popular packages: Laravel Passport OIDC Provider, Node OIDC Provider
- Or use Auth0, Keycloak, or Firebase Auth as an external IdP

2. Traccar as OpenID Connect Client

In traccar.xml config, add your OpenID settings (official doc here):

  <entry key='openid.enabled'>true</entry>
  <entry key='openid.url'>https://auth.motoshare.in/.well-known/openid-configuration</entry>
  <entry key='openid.clientId'>traccar-client-id</entry>
  <entry key='openid.clientSecret'>YOUR_SECRET</entry>
  <entry key='openid.defaultGroup'>user</entry>
  <entry key='openid.logoutUrl'>https://motoshare.in/logout</entry>

Adjust openid.defaultGroup/roles as needed for partner/admin mapping.

B. User Workflow

User logs in at MOTOSHARE.in (with any method)
User clicks “GPS Tracker”
- Browser is redirected to Traccar login page with OpenID SSO enabled
- Traccar detects active session (via OpenID Connect handshake)
- If already authenticated, user is instantly logged in to Traccar as the mapped user (by email or sub/ID)
- Otherwise, user is redirected to MOTOSHARE.in to log in, then sent back

No extra password or registration needed at Traccar!

C. User/Role Mapping

Traccar creates user accounts as needed on first SSO login, or you can pre-provision via API
Roles (“user”/“admin”) mapped based on MOTOSHARE.in’s role claim (partner = user)
For stricter control, configure Traccar to only allow SSO logins (disable password login in config/UI)

5. Alternative: Token-Based One-Click Login (If OIDC Not Possible)

If you can’t use OIDC right now, you can:

Use Traccar’s API-based token login
When user clicks “GPS Tracker,” generate a temporary token in Traccar for the mapped user, redirect to a special Traccar login URL with that token (less secure than OIDC, but works for MVP)

6. Security Best Practices

Use HTTPS everywhere
Set session expiry and logout policies
Never expose raw credentials in URLs
Log SSO events for audit

7. What to Avoid

Don’t keep two separate credential stores for the same user
Don’t allow password login on Traccar for SSO-mapped users

8. References & Resources

🚀 Recommended Approach

Set up MOTOSHARE.in as an OpenID Connect (OIDC) Provider, and Traccar as an OIDC client.

This gives you seamless, passwordless SSO, with robust security and full control of roles and user mapping.

Need code samples or want a step-by-step with a specific provider (Keycloak, Auth0, Firebase, custom Laravel OIDC)?

Let me know your backend stack and I’ll show you how to wire this up, including config files and user mapping!

RajeshKumar1

Absolutely! Let’s break it down to low-level, step-by-step, technical details—with exactly what is sent and received at each step—so you can clearly understand how SSO and OpenID Connect (OIDC) integration works between MOTOSHARE.in (your app) and traccar.motoshare.in.

🟢 Low-Level Flow: SSO from MOTOSHARE.in to Traccar

Roles

MOTOSHARE.in = Identity Provider (IdP)
traccar.motoshare.in = Service Provider (SP), OpenID Connect Client

1. User Logs In at MOTOSHARE.in

The user (Partner) logs in at MOTOSHARE.in (using any method: email, phone, WhatsApp, etc.).
Session is established in your Laravel/Node backend (usually via a secure HTTP cookie or session token).

2. User Clicks “GPS Tracker” Button

In your frontend, this button is a link or redirect to:

  https://traccar.motoshare.in/

(Or directly to the “Login with OpenID” endpoint, if you want.)

3. Traccar Initiates OIDC Flow

When the user lands on traccar.motoshare.in, and OIDC is enabled:

Traccar checks if this user has an active session.

If NOT, Traccar redirects user to MOTOSHARE.in’s OIDC Authorization URL:

    https://motoshare.in/authorize?client_id=traccar-client-id
                                     &redirect_uri=https://traccar.motoshare.in/oidc/callback
                                     &scope=openid profile email
                                     &state=random_state
                                     &nonce=random_nonce
                                     &response_type=code

This is the OIDC Authorization Request (HTTP 302 redirect).

User’s browser follows the redirect, sending their MOTOSHARE.in session cookie (so MOTOSHARE knows who they are).

4. MOTOSHARE.in Authorizes and Issues Authorization Code

Since the user is already logged in, MOTOSHARE.in’s OIDC server immediately approves.

MOTOSHARE.in redirects the browser back to Traccar:

  https://traccar.motoshare.in/oidc/callback?code=XYZ123&state=random_state

The code is a short-lived “authorization code.”

5. Traccar Requests Tokens from MOTOSHARE.in

Traccar server makes a server-to-server POST to MOTOSHARE.in (token endpoint) with:

client_id
client_secret
code (from above)
redirect_uri

grant_type=authorization_code

POST body:

  {
    "grant_type": "authorization_code",
    "code": "XYZ123",
    "redirect_uri": "https://traccar.motoshare.in/oidc/callback",
    "client_id": "traccar-client-id",
    "client_secret": "SECRET"
  }

6. MOTOSHARE.in Returns Tokens to Traccar

Response:
MOTOSHARE.in returns:

ID Token (JWT, contains user info: sub, email, name, roles)
Access Token (for API access, if needed)

(optionally, refresh_token)

Sample response:

  {
    "access_token": "ACCESS123...",
    "id_token": "eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1...",
    "expires_in": 3600,
    "token_type": "Bearer"
  }

7. Traccar Validates the ID Token (JWT)

Traccar:
- Decodes the ID Token (JWT) using the public key from MOTOSHARE.in
- Checks the token’s signature and expiry
- Reads claims: sub (user ID), email, name, roles (if provided), etc.
Traccar matches or creates the user in its own DB (usually by email or sub/userID)
Traccar starts a new session for this user (browser cookie/session, just like normal login)

8. User Is Logged In To Traccar

User is now in their Traccar dashboard, logged in as themselves, no password required.
They only see their assigned vehicles.

9. User Flows Back and Forth

If user logs out from MOTOSHARE.in, you can propagate logout to Traccar (OIDC supports SSO logout).
If user is still logged in to MOTOSHARE.in, re-login to Traccar is instant, without password.

What Information Is Actually Shared?

From MOTOSHARE.in to Traccar:
Only OIDC-standard info, securely via JWT:
- sub (unique user ID)
- email
- name
- (optional) role, groups, etc.
No passwords, sessions, or personal data are sent directly in the browser or URL.
All tokens are signed and validated.
Traccar only sees what MOTOSHARE.in allows/encodes in the ID Token.

Diagram of the Flow

[Partner logged in at MOTOSHARE.in]
     │
     │ Clicks "GPS Tracker"
     ▼
 [Redirect to Traccar (OIDC Client)]
     │
     │ (redirect to MOTOSHARE.in OIDC /authorize)
     ▼
 [MOTOSHARE.in OIDC Authorization]
     │
     │ (issues code to Traccar callback)
     ▼
 [Traccar exchanges code for ID Token]
     │
     │ (validates, starts user session)
     ▼
 [User lands in Traccar, fully logged in]

Key Points:

Traccar never gets the user’s password, only a verified identity “token.”
No need to maintain a duplicate password system.
User sees a seamless SSO experience.

Summary Table

| Step | Who Sends/Receives | What’s Sent | How |
| ---- | ---------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------- |
| 1 | Browser | click “GPS Tracker” | HTTP Redirect |
| 2 | Traccar → MOTOSHARE.in | OIDC Auth request (GET) | Redirect |
| 3 | MOTOSHARE.in → Traccar | OIDC Auth code (GET) | Redirect |
| 4 | Traccar → MOTOSHARE.in | Token exchange (POST) | Backend API |
| 5 | MOTOSHARE.in → Traccar | ID Token (JWT, JSON) | Backend API |
| 6 | Traccar | User session established | Local |

If you want to test it:

Use Keycloak or Auth0 as the OIDC IdP to experiment before building your own in Laravel/Node.
Traccar setup is just XML config.
Your “GPS Tracker” button is simply a link to Traccar.

Let me know if you want:

Actual config file examples (Traccar + Laravel/Node)
Example JWT contents
Test login scripts
Troubleshooting tips

Happy to walk through implementation step-by-step!

RajeshKumar1

Absolutely—this is a common point of confusion!
Let’s clarify how Identity Provider (IdP) and Service Provider (SP) roles work in an OpenID Connect (OIDC) scenario, with very practical and simple explanations.

🟢 What is an Identity Provider (IdP)?

The Identity Provider (IdP) is the system that “owns” and verifies the user’s identity.
It is the “source of truth” for login and authentication.
When another app (like Traccar) wants to know “Who is this user?”—it trusts the IdP to tell it.

In your setup:

MOTOSHARE.in is the IdP.
- It knows who is logged in (using any method—email, phone, etc.)
- It holds all user profiles, roles, and credentials.
- It issues secure identity tokens (“This user is Rajesh, here’s their email, here’s their role”).

🟢 What is a Service Provider (SP) / Relying Party (RP)?

The Service Provider (SP), sometimes called the “Relying Party,” is the application that wants to “outsource” authentication to the IdP.
Instead of managing its own passwords, it “relies on” the IdP to tell it who the user is.

In your setup:

traccar.motoshare.in is the SP (OpenID Client).
- It does NOT have its own user passwords or login logic (except for local admin or fallback users).
- It says: “I trust MOTOSHARE.in to tell me who is logging in. If MOTOSHARE.in says this is user 123, I’ll log them in as user 123.”
- It uses OIDC to securely “ask” MOTOSHARE.in for a verified identity.

🟢 How the Relationship Works (Story Example)

Let’s say you’re a partner, already logged in to MOTOSHARE.in, and you click “GPS Tracker”:

Traccar (SP) says:
“Hey, I don’t know who this is.
Please, MOTOSHARE.in (IdP), can you tell me?”
MOTOSHARE.in (IdP) replies:
“Yes, this is Rajesh (email: [rajesh@abc.com](mailto:rajesh@abc.com), role: partner). Here’s a signed, tamper-proof token as proof.”
Traccar (SP) verifies the token, then lets the user in as Rajesh, showing only his vehicles.

🟢 Why This is Good

One set of credentials (MOTOSHARE.in controls all logins, passwords, MFA, etc.)
Centralized user and RBAC management
No password sync or duplication
Log out everywhere if needed (SSO)

🟢 Real-World Examples

Google IdP + Github as SP
(You “Login with Google” to Github; Google authenticates you, Github trusts Google’s token)
Microsoft Azure AD IdP + Salesforce as SP
Your SaaS (MOTOSHARE.in) as IdP + Traccar as SP

🟢 In OIDC/SAML Terms

IdP (MOTOSHARE.in): Issues “claims” (user info) via signed tokens
SP (traccar.motoshare.in): Accepts these tokens and logs in the user

🟢 Key Points

IdP = the “login authority” (where the user logs in)
SP = the “app” (where the user is using a service, but does not log in directly)

🟢 Simple Visual

[MOTOSHARE.in]  <-- is the source of login, credentials, identity, and issues tokens (IdP)
      │
      │      (user clicks GPS Tracker)
      │
      ▼
[traccar.motoshare.in]  <-- trusts the tokens, logs user in automatically (SP)

You only have to build/maintain authentication in one place—MOTOSHARE.in—and everything else (like Traccar) delegates authentication to it!