Customized Authentication for kdb VS Code Extension

This guide provides a template for implementing customized authentication in the kdb VS Code extension.

Customized authentication for the kdb VS Code extension allows integration with external identity providers or custom logic for authenticating kdb+ connections.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding, ensure you meet the following prerequisites:

• You must have Node.js and npm installed
• You must clone the kx-vscode-auth repo and build the vsix extension yourself.
• You must manually install the generated .vsix file into your local or target VS Code instance.
• You must write your own authentication logic in TypeScript by customizing the provided template

Important notes

• Custom authentication is supported only for kdb+ connections.
• The provided sample extension must be customized and compiled for your use case. It does not work out-of-the-box.
• When installed, the main kdb VS Code extension automatically attempts to use the custom authentication extension first for kdb+ connections.
• There is currently no UI indication that the custom authentication is active. If you're still prompted for a username/password, it likely means the custom auth extension was not triggered or failed.

Set up instructions

1. Clone the custom authentication extension

   Open a terminal in your VSCode Studio and run the following command:

   git clone https://github.com/KxSystems/kx-vscode-auth.git
   cd kx-vscode-auth
   npm install

2. Customize the authentication logic

   • Modify the auth function in extension.ts to implement your specific custom authentication logic.
   • The kdb VS Code extension passes the configuration parameters to auth, as defined in customAuth.ts.

3. Build the extension

   The following commands build the extension. From the workspace root, run:

   npm test
   npm run vsix

   This generates kdb-auth-1.0.0.vsix, which is your custom auth extension.

4. Install the extension

   It's recommended to install the .vsix file on the target VS Code instance that uses custom authentication.

5. Check the setup

   Check for errors or logs in the VS Code Output panel under the relevant extension category to debug.

   Add logging in your custom auth function to confirm that it is being executed. If you're still prompted with a username/password dialog, the custom authentication extension may not be properly installed or functioning.

Testing

A basic test case is provided in extension.test.ts. Expand this to include tests specific to your authentication logic.

Configuration guidelines

Do not change the extension name and publisher in package.json.

By following this guide and tailoring the sample code, you can implement secure and flexible authentication for your kdb+ workflows within VS Code.

Example custom authentication

A demo for Portier login service can be found on portier branch.