Enterprise apps and services must easily communicate within today’s cloud-driven environment for efficient operations and accurate data interchange. Workday is widely utilized as a payroll, finance, human resources (HR) management solution with its extensive API suite allowing companies to interface its cloud solutions with external systems for automation purposes, real time sync up of data synchronisation as well as effective processes.
Authentication is one of the key components of API connections, ensuring sensitive data only reaches authorized individuals or systems. Workday utilizes OAuth 2.0 protocol which offers secure token-based access for authentication when interfacing with its REST APIs.
This article provides a thorough introduction to Workday REST API authentication, outlining its main concepts, the authentication process, and recommended practices for integration security.
OAuth 2.0 allows third-party apps to gain access to resources on behalf of a user or service using OAuth 2.0, an open authorisation standard without disclosing login details of that person or service. As it’s safe, adaptable, and simple – OAuth 2.0 has quickly become the go-to authentication technique for RESTful APIs.
OAuth 2.0 authentication makes secure delegated access to Workday REST APIs possible, providing safe yet delegated access. Once integrated with Workday, no credentials need to be tracked down after being validated – instead your system will use access tokens issued by Workday which you can then use access particular API endpoints depending on their authorisation level.
Security: Systems using OAuth 2.0 can authenticate without disclosing user credentials; OAuth grants delegated access for apps to gain access resources on behalf of their user without direct login credentials access.
Scalability: OAuth 2.0 makes managing multiple user permissions and access levels simple, as is its integration into other services.
Understanding how OAuth 2.0 operates within Workday’s environment is necessary in order to submit API requests via its REST APIs. In most instances, authentication typically proceeds as follows:
Before initiating the authentication process, it is necessary to set up an integration system within Workday.
An integration system serves as a central place within Workday that oversees third-party integrations and oversight for third parties integrating their products or services with yours.
Client ID and Secret are unique identifiers used by your integration system for identification.
Tenancy URL: Tenancy URL provides specific access information related to your company’s Workday Tenancy.
Scope and Permissions: Provide information regarding what level of read, write and access access the integration system will have.
Grant Flow for OAuth 2.0 Authorisation Codes After creating and registering an Integration System in Workday and providing your client credentials, an access token will be issued. Workday uses Authorisation Code Grant Flows for OAuth 2.0 authentication on most API interfaces to authenticate users.
1. Authorisation Request: Submitting the user or client system’s URL directly to Workday’s Authorisation Server initiates this flow; for more information see here: bash
2. Grants for User Authorisation: Workday will ask its user to approve or deny requested permissions (such as accessing employee data). Once accepted, Workday uses an authorisation code in query parameters to reroute users back to the designated redirect.
3. Exchange Authorisation Code for Access Token: In order to exchange their authorisation code for an access token, client systems can submit a POST request directly to Workday’s token endpoint.
Step 3: Utilizing Your Access Token
Once obtained, an Access Token may be used to authenticate API requests made against Workday REST APIs using it as authentication information in Authorisation header requests. Every request’s Authorisation header needs to include this token for this to work correctly.
Access tokens allow for secure and authorised access to resources specified during an OAuth flow, providing quick and seamless access. Workday will respond accordingly if the access token meets all eligibility requirements and contains necessary authorisation.
Step 4: Refresh Your Access Token
Access tokens typically expire every hour; once this period passes, any API calls made using that token become invalid as soon as they no longer correspond with its identity. To renew an expired token is an integral component to maintaining optimal service levels in API environments and applications.
OAuth flows that contain refresh tokens allow users to obtain new access tokens without repeating the authorisation process.
Simply send a POST request with their refresh_token to refresh it on an endpoint for easy renewal of tokens.
1. Safeguard Your Credentials: Whenever posting or uploading client ID or secret credentials online or publicly accessible repositories, make sure they remain safe with secrets management services or environment variables.
2. Implement HTTPS: To protect both Workday and your system from security risks, always utilize HTTPS when connecting.
3. Require Minimal Permissions: Only For Integration Purposes In order to avoid security concerns associated with integration projects, only request minimal permissions necessary for its completion.
4. Monitor Token Expiration: Keep track of when your access tokens expire and use token refreshing logic where needed.
5. Address Mistakes Calmly: Make sure that when authentication errors arise – such as expired tokens – they’re dealt with calmly so as to retry procedures as appropriate.
Secure authentication is key when connecting Workday REST APIs, to protect the confidential information within your company from being accessible by unapproved systems.
OAuth 2.0 authentication offers a reliable means for accessing its APIs securely without disclosing user credentials – something Workday offers with its REST API integration platform.
This article covers each step in the authentication process, from utilising Authorisation Code Grant Flow and handling access tokens, configuring an Integration System in Workday and updating them regularly as necessary, through to refreshing.
Adhere to best practices and implement appropriate security measures so as to guarantee the success of Workday API integration and maintain its security and effectiveness.
Integrating Workday’s robust cloud apps safely into your business needs by understanding and following this blog’s procedures will enable you to safely create integrations that take full advantage of them and expand their capacities as necessary for meeting those demands.
