How to authenticate with Azure OpenAI using Managed Identity instead of API keys

[Laura219]

Current Implementation

I’m currently using API keys to connect to Azure OpenAI, but I want to switch to Managed Identity for better security. Here’s my existing setup:

import fetch from 'node-fetch';

const azureApiKey = process.env.AZURE_OPENAI_KEY;
const azureEndpoint = process.env.AZURE_OPENAI_ENDPOINT;

const apiUrl = `${azureEndpoint}/openai/deployments/gpt-35-turbo/chat/completions?api-version=2024-02-01`;

interface ChatResponse {
  choices: { message: { content: string } }[];
}

export const callOpenAI = async (userPrompt: string): Promise<string> => {
    const response = await fetch(apiUrl, {
      method: 'POST',
      headers: {
        'Content-Type': 'application/json',
        'api-key': azureApiKey
      },
      body: JSON.stringify({
        messages: [{ role: 'user', content: userPrompt }],
        max_tokens: 100,
        temperature: 0.5
      })
    });
    
    return response.json() as ChatResponse;
};

What I’ve Done So Far

1. Created a user-assigned managed identity in Azure.
2. Assigned it to my static web application.
3. Gave the identity “Cognitive Services OpenAI User” role on my OpenAI resource.
4. Modified my code to use InteractiveBrowserCredential:

const callOpenAI = async (userPrompt: string): Promise<string> => {
  const credential = new InteractiveBrowserCredential({
    additionallyAllowedTenants: ["*"],
    clientId: "",
    tenantId: "", 
    redirectUri: ""
  });

  const token = await credential.getToken('https://cognitiveservices.azure.com/.default');
  const bearerToken = token?.token;

  const response = await fetch(apiUrl, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
      'Content-Type': 'application/json',
      Authorization: `Bearer ${bearerToken}`
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
      messages: [{ role: 'user', content: userPrompt }],
      max_tokens: 100,
      temperature: 0.5
    })
  });
};

My Questions

Is this the right approach for implementing Managed Identity authentication? I’m confused about the cross-tenant setup since my OpenAI resource is in Tenant A but my web app runs in Tenant B. Which tenant’s values should I use for clientId, tenantId, and redirectUri in the credential configuration?

[Mandy_45Photography]

Ugh, cross-tenant auth is the worst! Been there. Your scope’s wrong - use https://cognitiveservices.azure.com/.default and authenticate against tenant A where your OpenAI resource lives. Drop InteractiveBrowserCredential, that’s for desktop apps. Try ChainedTokenCredential instead - it’ll let you fallback between different credential types.

[Oscar64]

I had the same issue with cross-tenant Azure OpenAI auth. InteractiveBrowserCredential won’t work on static web apps - it needs user interaction. Here’s what actually works: skip the cross-tenant managed identity mess entirely. Set up a service principal in Tenant A that matches your Tenant B managed identity, give it OpenAI permissions, then use ClientSecretCredential or ClientCertificateCredential with those service principal details. Just hit Tenant A’s endpoint with the service principal creds. Way more reliable than fighting cross-tenant managed identity issues, which Azure’s docs barely mention and work inconsistently across regions anyway.

[lily_luminesce]

Cross tenant managed identity is a nightmare to debug and maintain. Hit this same wall when our resources were spread across different tenants.

You’re making authentication way harder than it needs to be. Skip the credential config headaches and cross tenant permission wrestling - just automate the whole auth flow.

I built a workflow that grabs Azure tokens, checks permissions, and handles OpenAI calls without any fuss. No more hardcoded tenant IDs or manual credential babysitting.

It watches token expiration and refreshes automatically. Logs all auth events so you can see what’s happening across tenants. When tokens bomb out, it retries with exponential backoff.

For your cross tenant mess, the workflow authenticates against Tenant A using Tenant B credentials. Handles OAuth flows and scope validation behind the scenes.

Just send your prompt, get your results. Done with debugging credential objects or guessing which tenant values to use.

Scales way better too. Add more OpenAI resources or change tenant configs? Update the workflow once instead of hunting down code everywhere.

Check out how to build this authentication automation: https://latenode.com

[SurfingWave]

The problem is you’re trying to use managed identity across tenants - that’s always a mess. I hit this same issue six months ago and ended up scrapping the whole auth flow. Skip InteractiveBrowserCredential and use the managed identity assigned to your static web app instead. But here’s the catch: your OpenAI resource is in Tenant A and your web app is in Tenant B. Azure hates cross-tenant auth and it shows. My fix was creating a system-assigned managed identity in the same tenant as OpenAI, then dropping an Azure Function in between as a proxy. The function handles auth locally in Tenant A, and your web app just calls the function endpoint instead of hitting OpenAI directly. Kills the cross-tenant headache and keeps everything clean.

[omarR_85]

The Problem:

You’re encountering difficulties authenticating to Azure OpenAI from a static web application in Tenant B when your OpenAI resource resides in Tenant A, leading to authentication failures. You’re attempting to use Managed Identities across tenants, which is a complex and often problematic approach.

Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):

Azure’s managed identity functionality, while powerful, introduces complexities when attempting cross-tenant authentication. Directly using a managed identity from Tenant B to access resources in Tenant A often leads to authentication errors due to limitations in how Azure handles cross-tenant access. The InteractiveBrowserCredential is unsuitable for serverless or static web apps as it requires user interaction. This makes the authentication process brittle and difficult to debug.

Step-by-Step Guide:

The recommended solution automates the authentication process using a workflow, eliminating the need for complex manual configurations and cross-tenant credential management. This approach removes the need to directly handle intricate authentication details within your application code.

1. Implement an Automated Authentication Workflow: Instead of relying on direct cross-tenant authentication within your static web application, create an automated workflow (e.g., using a tool like LateNode, mentioned in several forum posts, or a custom solution using Azure Functions). This workflow will handle the complete authentication process, including token acquisition and refresh, between Tenant B (your web app) and Tenant A (your OpenAI resource).

2. Configure the Workflow: Configure your workflow to use your Tenant B’s managed identity to obtain an access token from Azure Active Directory. This workflow will specifically target the necessary permissions and scopes for accessing your OpenAI resource in Tenant A. The workflow itself will manage the complexities of cross-tenant authentication transparently.

3. Call the Workflow from your Web App: From your static web app, simply make API calls to your newly created authentication workflow. The workflow will return the necessary access token for your OpenAI API calls. Your web app is now decoupled from the complexities of cross-tenant authentication.

4. Integrate with your OpenAI calls: Use the token retrieved from the workflow to authorize your requests to the Azure OpenAI API. This approach maintains a clear separation of concerns, simplifying your web application and improving its resilience to authentication-related issues.

Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:

• Workflow Configuration: Carefully review your workflow configuration to ensure the correct tenant IDs, application IDs, and permissions are set up. Incorrect configuration can lead to authentication failures.
• Error Handling: Implement robust error handling in your workflow to catch and handle authentication failures, network issues, or API rate limits. Log detailed error messages for debugging purposes.
• Resource Permissions: Ensure that your Tenant B managed identity has the necessary permissions to access the OpenAI resource in Tenant A. These permissions should include the “Cognitive Services OpenAI User” role.

Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!

[Tom01_Wonder]

You’ve got the right idea, but there’s a basic problem with your cross-tenant setup. Your OpenAI resource is in Tenant A, but your web app is in Tenant B. You need to authenticate against Tenant A where the resource actually lives. I hit this same issue last year. InteractiveBrowserCredential isn’t great for static web apps anyway. Use ManagedIdentityCredential since you already mentioned creating a user-assigned managed identity. For cross-tenant auth, use the tenantId from Tenant A (where your OpenAI resource is), not Tenant B. Your managed identity from Tenant B needs access to Tenant A resources through proper cross-tenant configuration. Honestly though, just move your OpenAI resource to the same tenant as your web app if you can. Cross-tenant managed identity auth adds complexity and security headaches that aren’t worth it unless you’ve got specific compliance requirements forcing this setup.

[lucask]

You’ve got the basics right, but InteractiveBrowserCredential won’t work here. That’s for desktop apps where users can click through browser popups - not what you want for a static web app. Use DefaultAzureCredential instead. It’ll automatically grab the managed identity token when your app runs. The real problem is your cross-tenant setup. Your managed identity lives in Tenant B but needs to hit resources in Tenant A. You’ve got two options: set up a guest user or service principal in Tenant A that maps to your Tenant B managed identity, or just move the managed identity to Tenant A if you can relocate your static web app there. Your auth scope looks fine though. Honestly, if you can keep everything in the same tenant, you’ll dodge like 90% of these auth nightmares.