authentication issue with web API

RE: authentication issue with web API

payal31 — Thu, 25 Feb 2021 09:13:52 GMT

Hi Vidhu,

There are two way to authenticate API.

1. Create service account, go to admin console and create a web key. You can use this API key in Header.

2. You can provide basic user authentication (username and password). User should be either basic user or system admin.

As I can see, You have added user in Service Account group, therefore you are getting this 'Authentication Error'. Can you please remove the user from Service Account group and give access it?

RE: authentication issue with web API

ramyap826 — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 12:30:36 GMT

Hi Robert,

I have a similar issue with Web API Basic Authentication. I followed below steps for my use case:

1. Created an API with a start process ,it's an xml POST method. So a header with Content-Type application/xml exists.

2. My third party system needs Basic authentication , so created an Appian user and added into Web API viewer groups .

When i run the URL generated from Web API wit some body in Appian it works but when i run in POSTMAN with username and password and header content -type , it is giving 404- Not Found Error,

Anyone Please suggest what could be possible issues I'm doing here?

Thanks in Advance.

RE: authentication issue with web API

Peter Lewis — Mon, 13 Jan 2020 14:15:48 GMT

Can you clarify how you are calling the Web API using your service account? Once you add the user to the service accounts group, you cannot authenticate using username / password via your API anymore - you must use the API key.

Also, once you add a user to the Service Accounts group, they shouldn't be able to log into Appian any more using that account.

RE: authentication issue with web API

chandhinir — Sat, 11 Jan 2020 03:51:14 GMT

Please check the security for web api and Datastore objects whether that user has proper access.

RE: authentication issue with web API

Vidhu — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 19:06:34 GMT

Any other suggestions from anyone ?

RE: authentication issue with web API

Vidhu — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 13:43:53 GMT

I tried that too, did not work.

RE: authentication issue with web API

chandhinir — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 02:06:51 GMT

Hi Vidhu,

Can you make the service account user as system administrator instead of basic user and try?

RE: authentication issue with web API

Vidhu — Thu, 09 Jan 2020 22:45:33 GMT

Thanks Dudeand Peter Lewis for suggestions.

I was finally able to get the data via SOAP UI. I now have a user which I have assigned to my API but as soon as I put that user in Service Accounts groups, I stop getting data and API starts to fail with Authentication failed error. Any suggestion how can I resolve this ? The user I have created is a Basic user which has access to webAPI hence it is working but I am able to login in my application using that user as well (which I dont want).

RE: authentication issue with web API

Peter Lewis — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 13:47:25 GMT

I actually don't think creating a connected system / integration is necessary. This would only be necessary if you wanted to do a circular reference - essentially have Appian call itself for testing purposes.

Since you mentioned that you plan on calling the Web API from an external system, I'd recommend testing it externally too since that will be a better test of how your Web API should be used. There are a bunch of external tools you can use that call rest APIs (for example, I like SOAP UI). You can set up a tool like that to point to your web API and provide the API key credentials. See the Web API documentation for the different methods of adding your credentials to the request: https://docs.appian.com/suite/help/latest/Web_API_Authentication.html#using-api-keys

RE: authentication issue with web API

Dude — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 04:36:49 GMT

Robert Shankin I have mentioned both the ways of creation for the learner's convenience. Thank you.

RE: authentication issue with web API

Dude — Fri, 03 Jan 2020 04:35:35 GMT

Vidhu

Inside the integration designer, under Headers section click on Add Header link. Type Appian-API-Key as a name and paste the API key under value. For further details you can find in this link community

RE: authentication issue with web API

Vidhu — Thu, 02 Jan 2020 21:14:02 GMT

Hi , Thanks for the response. I followed the steps, and request you to provide some additional guidance.

Create one Service Account user

Add the Service Account user to the Service Account group

Go to the Admin console, under API Keys create one API key and mention the Service Account User

Once you create you will get the API key and save it first.

Create Web API access group, add the Service Account user in that group

Create Web API

Add security for the Web API by making Web API access group as viewers

Create a connected system with API key Authentication by providing header Appian-API-Key or as mentioned in community

[Vidhu] : Completed the steps mentioned above successfully

Call the integration as a rule by passing the required parameters if any.

[Vidhu] : you please elaborate this one. Where in API I would enter/pass my API Key.??

RE: authentication issue with web API

Robert Shankin — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 18:41:38 GMT

Dude A service account is recommended but not required. Good to keep these in mind as typically, not that service accounts are available, there are benefits to using them in production.

Also, while there are some use cases to connect to an Appian Web API from an Appian Integration; two things to consider:
1) speaking personally - I've only encountered 1 use case of this that I believe is valid.
2) for the general public the use case is going to be to access Appian from an external system. for this reason, I would encourage the use of a 3rd party client for testing. Calling Appian from Appian isn't a strong validation of the expected behavior of request that originates from an external source.

RE: authentication issue with web API

Dude — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 12:53:10 GMT

Hi Vidhu,

In order to use a Web API, follow the steps.

Create one Service Account user

Add the Service Account user to the Service Account group

Go to the Admin console, under API Keys create one API key and mention the Service Account User

Once you create you will get the API key and save it first.

Create Web API access group, add the Service Account user in that group

Create Web API

Add security for the Web API by making Web API access group as viewers

Create a connected system with API key Authentication by providing header Appian-API-Key or as mentioned in community

Call the integration as a rule by passing the required parameters if any.

In old versions.

You have to create a user with the same basic authentication username and password

You need to create the secure credential store with the same basic authentication username and password

You have to add the user to the Web API Access group (Any group that has to access the Web API)

You have to make Web API Access group as a viewer to the web api and the application.

RE: authentication issue with web API

Robert Shankin — Wed, 18 Dec 2019 02:36:20 GMT

Appian doesn't support authentication via the browser address bar right now.

Try accessing your Appian Web API object using a proper web client (e.g. SoapUI or POSTman) and make sure you authenticate preemptively with user name and password.