Java 2 Connector (J2C) Authentication Credentials Provider

This topic describes J2C Authentication Credentials Providers that are used within a Service Description.

Purpose of the J2C Credentials Provider

The J2C Authentication Credentials Provider provides a mechanism that allows user name and password credentials to be provided to a Service Transport without being hardcoded within the Service Description. The credentials are defined by the WebSphere® Application Server administrator and associated with an alias that is then used within the Service Description.

When to use the J2C Credentials Provider

Use the J2C Authentication Credentials Provider when a Service Description needs to define a static set of credentials, typically used to access a backend resource or service, and not specific to a particular user starting the service.

How to Configure the J2C Credentials Provider

To use the J2C Authentication Credential Provider, the WebSphere Application Server administrator must first define a user identity (User ID, Password, and Alias name) within the JAAS – J2C authentication data section of the WebSphere Application Server administrative console. For an example of the WebSphere Application Server Network Deployment 8.5.5, see the WebSphere Application Server documentation.

Using the J2C Credentials Provider in a Service Description

The provider ID for the J2C Credentials Provider to enter in a Service Description is: j2cAlias

Credentials Provider Parameters

Name	Description	Mandatory	Default
alias	The Alias name of a user identity that contains the credentials that are required for the Service Description.	Yes	N/A

Sample Service Description

<serviceDescription>
   <id>watsonTranslateJ2C</id>
   <defaultLocale>en</defaultLocale>
   <transportId>HTTPServiceTransport</transportId>
   <name xml:lang="en">Watson Translator J2C</name>
   <description xml:lang="en">
    Translate text using the bluemix Watson Service
   </description>
    <credentials providerId="j2cAlias">
        <property name="alias" value="someNode01/BlueMixTranslateService"/>
    </credentials>
   <inbound>
       <parameters>
            <parameter>
                <id>text</id>
                <type>STRING</type>
                <name xml:lang="en">Text</name>
                <description xml:lang="en">Text to be translated</description>
                <mandatory>true</mandatory>
            </parameter>
            <parameter>
                <id>model_id</id>
                <type>STRING</type>
                <name xml:lang="en">Model ID</name>
                <description xml:lang="en">Translation to be performed (ex. 'en-fr' to translate from English to French)</description>
                <mandatory>true</mandatory>
            </parameter>
        </parameters>
    <serviceMapping>
      <constants>
        <constant>
          <id>request-url</id>
          <value>https://gateway.watsonplatform.net/language-translation/api/v2/translate</value>
        </constant>
        <constant>
          <id>request-method</id>
          <value>GET</value>
        </constant>
      </constants>

      <mapping xmlns="">
        <mapping target="transport:request-url" source="constant:request-url"/>
        <mapping target="transport:request-method" source="constant:request-method"/>
        <mapping target="transport:request-query-txt" source="parameter:text"/>
        <mapping target="transport:request-query-model_id" source="parameter:model_id"/>
      </mapping>
    </serviceMapping>
  </inbound>

   <outbound>
    <parameters>
      <parameter>
        <id>response-entity</id>
        <type>STRING</type>
        <name xml:lang="en">Translated Text</name>
        <description xml:lang="en">Text containing new translation.</description>
      </parameter>
    </parameters>
   </outbound>
</serviceDescription>

Parent topic: Services