Install MSAL and configure your project to use the library
Installing using CocoaPods
Installing CocoaPods
CocoaPods is a dependency manager for Swift and Objective-C Cocoa projects. It can be installed as a ruby gem, by using the following command.
$ sudo gem install cocoapods
Depending on your Ruby setup,
sudo
may or may not be needed.
Include MSAL in Podfile
For browser-delegated authentication:
You can use CocoaPods to install MSAL
by adding it to your Podfile
under target:
use_frameworks!
target 'your-target-here' do
pod 'MSAL'
end
For native-authentication:
To use the native authentication capabilities provided by MSAL in your iOS application, you need to specify native-auth
as subspec for the MSAL
dependency as follows:
use_frameworks!
target 'your-target-here' do
pod 'MSAL/native-auth'
end
If you're using the native-auth
subspec, you must include the use_frameworks!
setting in your Podfile
.
Note: if you're checking out a particular branch or tag of MSAL, you will need to add the :submodules => true flag to your podfile, so that CocoaPods finds MSAL dependencies
pod 'MSAL', :git => 'https://github.com/AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-objc', :branch => 'dev', :submodules => true
You then you can run either pod install
(if it's a new PodFile) or pod update
(if it's an existing PodFile) to get the latest version of MSAL.
Subsequent calls to pod update
will update to the latest released version of MSAL as well.
See CocoaPods for more information on setting up a PodFile
Installing using Carthage
Carthage is another popular dependency manager MSAL supports. The following is a sample using Carthage.
If you're building for iOS, tvOS, or watchOS
- Install Carthage on your Mac using a download from their website or if using Homebrew
brew install carthage
. - You must create a
Cartfile
that lists the MSAL library for this project on Github.
github "AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-objc" "dev"
Note: this will point Carthage to the dev branch, so you'll always get the latest official release. If you would like to use a particular version, you can do the following:
github "AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-objc" == <latest_released_version>
- Run
carthage update
. This will fetch dependencies into aCarthage/Checkouts
folder, then build the MSAL library. - On your application targets’ “General” settings tab, in the “Linked Frameworks and Libraries” section, drag and drop the
MSAL.framework
from theCarthage/Build
folder on disk. - On your application targets’ “Build Phases” settings tab, click the “+” icon and choose “New Run Script Phase”. Create a Run Script in which you specify your shell (ex:
/bin/sh
), add the following contents to the script area below the shell:
/usr/local/bin/carthage copy-frameworks
and add the paths to the frameworks you want to use under “Input Files”, e.g.:
$(SRCROOT)/Carthage/Build/iOS/MSAL.framework
This script works around an App Store submission bug triggered by universal binaries and ensures that necessary bitcode-related files and dSYMs are copied when archiving.
With the debug information copied into the built products directory, Xcode will be able to symbolicate the stack trace whenever you stop at a breakpoint. This will also enable you to step through third-party code in the debugger.
When archiving your application for submission to the App Store or TestFlight, Xcode will also copy these files into the dSYMs subdirectory of your application’s .xcarchive
bundle.
Installing MSAL using Swift Packages
You can add MSAL
as a swift package dependency.
For MSAL version 1.1.14 and above, distribution of MSAL binary framework as a Swift package is available.
- For your project in Xcode, click File → Swift Packages → Add Package Dependency...
- Choose project to add dependency in
- Enter : https://github.com/AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-objc as the package repository URL
- Choose package options with :
- Rules → Branch : main (For latest MSAL release)
- Rules → Version → Exact : [release version >= 1.1.14] (For a particular release version)
For any issues, please check if there is an outstanding SPM/Xcode bug. Workarounds for some bugs we encountered :
- If you have a plugin in your project you might encounter CFBundleIdentifier collision. Each bundle must have a unique bundle identifier error. Workaround
- While archiving, error : “IPA processing failed” UserInfo={NSLocalizedDescription=IPA processing failed}. Workaround
- For a macOS app, “Command CodeSign failed with a nonzero exit code” error. Workaround
Install MSAL using Git Submodule
If your project is managed in a git repository you can include MSAL as a git submodule. First check the GitHub Releases Page for the latest release tag. Replace <latest_release_tag> with that version.
git submodule add https://github.com/AzureAD/microsoft-authentication-library-for-objc msal
cd msal
git checkout tags/<latest_release_tag>
git submodule update --init --recursive
cd ..
git add msal
git commit -m "Use MSAL git submodule at <latest_release_tag>"
git push
Configuring your project to use MSAL
Adding MSAL to your project
- Register your app in the Microsoft Entra Admin Center.
- Make sure you register a redirect URI for your application. It should be in the following format:
msauth.$(PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER)://auth
- Add a new keychain group to your project Capabilities. Keychain group should be
com.microsoft.adalcache
on iOS andcom.microsoft.identity.universalstorage
on macOS.
See more information about keychain groups and Silent SSO for MSAL.
iOS only steps:
- Add your application's redirect URI scheme to your
Info.plist
file
<key>CFBundleURLTypes</key>
<array>
<dict>
<key>CFBundleURLSchemes</key>
<array>
<string>msauth.$(PRODUCT_BUNDLE_IDENTIFIER)</string>
</array>
</dict>
</array>
- Add
LSApplicationQueriesSchemes
to allow making call to Microsoft Authenticator if installed.
Note that “msauthv3” scheme is needed when compiling your app with Xcode 11 and later.
<key>LSApplicationQueriesSchemes</key>
<array>
<string>msauthv2</string>
<string>msauthv3</string>
</array>
See more info about configuring redirect uri for MSAL
- To handle a callback, add the following to
appDelegate
:
Swift
func application(_ app: UIApplication, open url: URL, options: [UIApplication.OpenURLOptionsKey : Any] = [:]) -> Bool {
return MSALPublicClientApplication.handleMSALResponse(url, sourceApplication: options[UIApplication.OpenURLOptionsKey.sourceApplication] as? String)
}
Objective-C
- (BOOL)application:(UIApplication *)app
openURL:(NSURL *)url
options:(NSDictionary<UIApplicationOpenURLOptionsKey,id> *)options
{
return [MSALPublicClientApplication handleMSALResponse:url
sourceApplication:options[UIApplicationOpenURLOptionsSourceApplicationKey]];
}
Note, that if you adopted UISceneDelegate on iOS 13+, MSAL callback needs to be placed into the appropriate delegate method of UISceneDelegate instead of AppDelegate. MSAL handleMSALResponse:sourceApplication:
must be called only once for each URL. If you support both UISceneDelegate and UIApplicationDelegate for compatibility with older iOS, MSAL callback would need to be placed into both files.
Swift
func scene(_ scene: UIScene, openURLContexts URLContexts: Set<UIOpenURLContext>) {
guard let urlContext = URLContexts.first else {
return
}
let url = urlContext.url
let sourceApp = urlContext.options.sourceApplication
MSALPublicClientApplication.handleMSALResponse(url, sourceApplication: sourceApp)
}
Objective-C
- (void)scene:(UIScene *)scene openURLContexts:(NSSet<UIOpenURLContext *> *)URLContexts
{
UIOpenURLContext *context = URLContexts.anyObject;
NSURL *url = context.URL;
NSString *sourceApplication = context.options.sourceApplication;
[MSALPublicClientApplication handleMSALResponse:url sourceApplication:sourceApplication];
}
macOS only steps:
- Make sure your application is signed with a valid development certificate. While MSAL will still work in the unsigned mode, it will behave differently around cache persistence.
Microsoft Enterprise SSO plug-in for Apple devices
Microsoft has recently released a new plug-in that uses the newly announced Apple feature called Enterprise Single Sign-On. Microsoft Enterprise SSO plug-in for Apple devices offers the following benefits:
- Comes delivered in Microsoft Authenticator app automatically and can be enabled by any MDM.
- Provides seamless SSO for Active Directory joined accounts across all applications that support Apple's Enterprise Single Sign-On feature.
- COMING SOON: Provides seamless SSO across Safari browsers and applications on the device.
MSAL 1.1.0 and above will use Microsoft Enterprise SSO plug-in automatically instead of the Microsoft Authenticator app when it is active on the device. To use Microsoft Enterprise SSO plug-in in your tenant, you need to enable it in your MDM profile.
See more information about configuring Microsoft Enterprise SSO plug-in for your device here
Single Account Mode
If your app needs to support just one signed-in user at a time, MSAL provides a simple way to read the signed in account. This API must be also used when you are building an application to run on devices that are configured as shared devices - meaning that a single corporate device is shared between multiple employees. Employees can sign in to their devices and access customer information quickly. When they are finished with their shift or task, they will be able to sign-out of all apps on the shared device.
Here is a code snippet that shows how you can retrieve current account. You must call API every time when your app comes to foreground or before performing a sensitive operation to detect any signed-in account changes.
Swift
let msalParameters = MSALParameters()
msalParameters.completionBlockQueue = DispatchQueue.main
application.getCurrentAccount(with: msalParameters, completionBlock: { (currentAccount, previousAccount, error) in
// currentAccount is the currently signed in account
// previousAccount is the previously signed in account if any
})
Objective-C
MSALParameters *parameters = [MSALParameters new];
parameters.completionBlockQueue = dispatch_get_main_queue();
[application getCurrentAccountWithParameters:parameters
completionBlock:^(MSALAccount * _Nullable account, MSALAccount * _Nullable previousAccount, NSError * _Nullable error)
{
// currentAccount is the currently signed in account
// previousAccount is the previously signed in account if any
}];
Multiple Accounts Mode
MSAL also provides a public API to query multiple accounts, granted that they exist in the MSAL cache.
Make sure the umbrella header MSAL-umbrella.h is imported (just MSAL for Swift)
Create config, then use it to initialize an application object
Also initialize `MSALAccountEnumerationParameters`` object with the account identifier. Each MSALAccount object has a parameter called “identifier”, which represents the unique account identifier associated with the given MSALAccount object. We recommend using it as the primary search criterion.
Then invoke the API "accountsFromDeviceForParameters" from the application object using the enumeration parameter. If you have multiple accounts in MSAL cache, it will return an array containing MSALAccounts that have the account identifier you specified in the previous step.
Once the MSAL account is retrieved, invoke acquire token silent operation
Swift
#import MSAL //Make sure to import MSAL
let config = MSALPublicClientApplicationConfig(clientId:clientId
redirectUri:redirectUri
authority:authority)
guard let application = MSALPublicClientApplication(configuration: config) else { return }
let accountIdentifier = "9f4880d8-80ba-4c40-97bc-f7a23c703084.f645ad92-e38d-4d1a-b510-d1b09a74a8ca"
let parameters = MSALAccountEnumerationParameters(identifier:accountIdentifier)
var scopeArr = ["https://graph.microsoft.com/.default"]
if #available(macOS 10.15, *)
{
application.accountsFromDeviceForParameters(with: parameters, completionBlock:{(accounts, error) in
if let error = error
{
//Handle error
}
guard let accountObjs = accounts else {return}
let tokenParameters = MSALSilentTokenParameters(scopes:scopeArr, account: accountObjs[0]);
application.acquireTokenSilentWithParameters(with: tokenParameters, completionBlock:{(result, error) in
if let error = error
{
//handle error
}
guard let resp = result else {return} //process result
})
})
}
Objective-C
//import other key libraries
#import "MSAL-umbrella.h" //Make sure to import umbrella file
MSALPublicClientApplicationConfig *config = [[MSALPublicClientApplicationConfig alloc] initWithClientId:clientId
redirectUri:redirectUri
authority:authority];
MSALPublicClientApplication *application = [[MSALPublicClientApplication alloc] initWithConfiguration:config error:&error];
MSALAccountEnumerationParameters *parameters = [[MSALAccountEnumerationParameters alloc] initWithIdentifier:@"9f4880d8-80ba-4c40-97bc-f7a23c703084.f645ad92-e38d-4d1a-b510-d1b09a74a8ca"]; //init with account identifier
NSArray<NSString *> *scopeArr = [[NSArray alloc] initWithObjects: @"https://graph.microsoft.com/.default",nil]; //define scope
if (@available(macOS 10.15, *)) //Currently, this public API requires macOs version 10.15 or greater.
{
[application accountsFromDeviceForParameters:parameters
completionBlock:^(NSArray<MSALAccount *> * _Nullable accounts, __unused NSError * _Nullable error)
{
if (error)
{
//Log error & return
}
if (accounts)
{
NSLog(@"hi there");
MSALSilentTokenParameters *tokenParameters = [[MSALSilentTokenParameters alloc] initWithScopes:scopeArr account:accounts[0]];
[application acquireTokenSilentWithParameters:tokenParameters
completionBlock:^(MSALResult * _Nullable result, NSError * _Nullable error)
{
if (error)
{
//Log Error & return
}
if (result)
{
//process result
}
}
];
}
}];
}
Detect shared device mode
Use following code to read current device configuration, including whether device is configured as shared:
Swift
application.getDeviceInformation(with: nil, completionBlock: { (deviceInformation, error) in
guard let deviceInfo = deviceInformation else {
return
}
let isSharedDevice = deviceInfo.deviceMode == .shared
// Change your app UX if needed
})
Objective-C
[application getDeviceInformationWithParameters:nil
completionBlock:^(MSALDeviceInformation * _Nullable deviceInformation, NSError * _Nullable error)
{
if (!deviceInformation)
{
return;
}
BOOL isSharedDevice = deviceInformation.deviceMode == MSALDeviceModeShared;
// Change your app UX if needed
}];
Implement signout
To signout account from your app, call MSAL's signout API. You can also optionally sign out from the browser. When MSAL is running on a shared device, signout API will signout globally from all apps on user's device.
Swift
let account = .... /* account retrieved above */
let signoutParameters = MSALSignoutParameters(webviewParameters: self.webViewParameters!)
signoutParameters.signoutFromBrowser = false
application.signout(with: account, signoutParameters: signoutParameters, completionBlock: {(success, error) in
if let error = error {
// Signout failed
return
}
// Sign out completed successfully
})
Objective-C
MSALAccount *account = ... /* account retrieved above */;
MSALSignoutParameters *signoutParameters = [[MSALSignoutParameters alloc] initWithWebviewParameters:webViewParameters];
signoutParameters.signoutFromBrowser = NO;
[application signoutWithAccount:account signoutParameters:signoutParameters completionBlock:^(BOOL success, NSError * _Nullable error)
{
if (!success)
{
// Signout failed
return;
}
// Sign out completed successfully
}];