Offline Authentication

Offline Authentication Feature was introduced in Auth version 4.15.10.

Overview

This feature introduces a configurable offline mode for the authentication flow. The new solution allows users to proactively choose to enter a limited offline state when the device is deemed offline. In this mode, users can enter a user ID for tracking purposes and are granted a predefined offline session, providing access to a specific set of applications configured for offline use. The system also monitors network connectivity in the background and notifies the user when it is restored.

User Guide

Prerequisites

To use offline mode, the following must be true:

1. Configuration: Your system administrator must have pre-configured and enabled the offline mode feature in the application settings (bfAuth.offline.enableOfflineMode = true).

2. Offline Applications: Applications must be pre-configured in the Launcher under the designated "Offline" group.

Offline Authentication Process

The offline authentication process follows a strict sequence when the device cannot reach the predefined server urls (networkCheckUrls).

1

Step 1

When you attempt to log in, the system first performs an automatic check against the predefined server urls. If the server URLs can't be reached, the system will fail first and present a dialog box stating: "Network not available. Unable to login because servers are unreachable. Proceed to offline mode?" At this point, you must choose to either No to abort the login attempt or select Yes to proceed.

No network connection prompt

2

Step 2

If you proceed, a new prompt will appear asking you to Enter User ID. You should enter an identifier for tracking purposes; this step is for auditing and is not validated against any network service. After entering a user ID, you finalize the request by selecting Ok.

Enter User Id prompt

3

Step 3

Upon submission, the system grants a local offline session with a predefined user name and group membership as configured by an administrator. If secondary authentication like a PIN or NFC is enabled, you will be prompted to complete that step next. Once successfully authenticated, you will have access to the Launcher's Offline group of applications.

Secondary Authentication prompt

4

Final Step

Finally, the system begins monitoring for network connectivity in the background. When the network is restored, you will receive an Android notification stating: "Network is now available, logoff and login to connect to your network." To access online features and resources, you must manually log out from the offline session and perform a standard online login.

Network availability notification

Setting Up Offline Mode

"appConfig" : {
  "bfAuth": {
    "offline": {
      "networkCheckUrls": [
        "https://bluefletch.okta.com/.well-known/openid-configuration",
        "https://accounts.google.com/.well-known/openid-configuration"
      ],
      "enableOfflineMode": false,
      "group": "Offline",
      "userIdValidationPattern": "^[a-zA-Z0-9_]{6,}$"
    }
  }
}

Settings for Offline Mode

networkCheckUrls	string[]	List of URLs for offline mode functionality to validate connectivity (if one fails, it is automatically marked as offline).
enableOfflineMode	boolean	To enable/disable offline mode functionality.
userName	string	Default Username in Session if offline mode proceeded.
group	string	Default Group in Session if offline mode proceeded.
userIdValidationPattern	string	A regular expression string pattern for validating the user id input.