Google Analytics

Google Analytics can be used to deliver useful statistics. create custom dimensions and metrics to gain insight into CAS and user traffic.

Compatibility

Google Analytics 4 is the next-generation measurement solution, and it has replaced Universal Analytics in CAS. On July 1, 2023, standard Universal Analytics properties will stop processing new hits. If you still rely on Universal Analytics, we recommend that you prepare to use Google Analytics 4 going forward.

Support is enabled by including the following module in the WAR Overlay:

<dependency>
    <groupId>org.apereo.cas</groupId>
    <artifactId>cas-server-support-google-analytics</artifactId>
    <version>${cas.version}</version>
</dependency>

implementation "org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-google-analytics:${project.'cas.version'}"

dependencyManagement {
    imports {
        mavenBom "org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-bom:${project.'cas.version'}"
    }
}

dependencies {
    implementation "org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-google-analytics"
}

dependencies {
    /*
        The following platform references are included automatically and are listed for reference only.

        implementation enforcedPlatform("org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-bom:${project.'cas.version'}")
        implementation platform(org.springframework.boot.gradle.plugin.SpringBootPlugin.BOM_COORDINATES)
        
    */
    implementation "org.apereo.cas:cas-server-support-google-analytics"
}

Furthermore, CAS presents the ability to drop in a special cookie upon successful authentication events to be later process and consumed by Google Analytics. The value of this cookie is determined as a principal/authentication attribute.

The following settings and properties are available from the CAS configuration catalog:

cas.google-analytics.google-analytics-tracking-idThe tracking id.

no default

Required

The tracking id. Configuring the tracking activated google analytics in CAS on UI views, etc.

Type: String
Default: none
Defined by: GoogleAnalyticsProperties

cas.google-analytics.cookie.attribute-nameAttribute name to collect from the authentication event to serve as the cookie value.

no default

Attribute name to collect from the authentication event to serve as the cookie value.

Type: String
Default: none
Defined by: GoogleAnalyticsCookieProperties

cas.google-analytics.cookie.attribute-value-patternA regular expression pattern that is tested against attribute values to only release and allow those that produce a successful match.

.+

Regex

A regular expression pattern that is tested against attribute values to only release and allow those that produce a successful match.

Type: String
Default: .+
Defined by: GoogleAnalyticsCookieProperties

cas.google-analytics.cookie.domainCookie domain.

no default

Cookie domain. Specifies the domain within which this cookie should be presented. The form of the domain name is specified by RFC 2965. A domain name begins with a dot (.foo.com) and means that the cookie is visible to servers in a specified Domain Name System (DNS) zone (for example, www.foo.com, but not a.b.foo.com). By default, cookies are only returned to the server that sent them.

Type: String
Default: none
Defined by: GoogleAnalyticsCookieProperties

cas.google-analytics.cookie.http-onlytrue if this cookie contains the HttpOnly attribute.

true

true if this cookie contains the HttpOnly attribute. This means that the cookie should not be accessible to scripting engines, like javascript.

Type: Boolean
Default: true
Defined by: GoogleAnalyticsCookieProperties

cas.google-analytics.cookie.max-ageThe maximum age of the cookie, specified in seconds.

-1

Duration

The maximum age of the cookie, specified in seconds. By default, -1 indicating the cookie will persist until browser shutdown. A positive value indicates that the cookie will expire after that many seconds have passed. Note that the value is the maximum age when the cookie will expire, not the cookie's current age. A negative value means that the cookie is not stored persistently and will be deleted when the Web browser exits. A zero value causes the cookie to be deleted.

Type: String
Default: -1
Defined by: GoogleAnalyticsCookieProperties

cas.google-analytics.cookie.nameCookie name.

no default

Cookie name. Constructs a cookie with a specified name and value. The name must conform to RFC 2965. That means it can contain only ASCII alphanumeric characters and cannot contain commas, semicolons, or white space or begin with a $ character. The cookie's name cannot be changed after creation. By default, cookies are created according to the RFC 2965 cookie specification. Cookie names are automatically calculated assigned by CAS at runtime, and there is usually no need to customize the name or assign it a different value unless a special use case warrants the change.

Type: String
Default: none
Defined by: GoogleAnalyticsCookieProperties

cas.google-analytics.cookie.pathCookie path.

no default

Cookie path. Specifies a path for the cookie to which the client should return the cookie. The cookie is visible to all the pages in the directory you specify, and all the pages in that directory's subdirectories. A cookie's path must include the servlet that set the cookie, for example, /catalog, which makes the cookie visible to all directories on the server under /catalog. Consult RFC 2965 (available on the Internet) for more information on setting path names for cookies.

Type: String
Default: none
Defined by: GoogleAnalyticsCookieProperties

cas.google-analytics.cookie.same-site-policyIf a cookie is only intended to be accessed in a first party context, the developer has the option to apply one of settings SameSite=Lax or SameSite=Strict or SameSite=None to prevent external access.

no default

If a cookie is only intended to be accessed in a first party context, the developer has the option to apply one of settings SameSite=Lax or SameSite=Strict or SameSite=None to prevent external access.

To safeguard more websites and their users, the new secure-by-default model assumes all cookies should be protected from external access unless otherwise specified. Developers must use a new cookie setting, SameSite=None, to designate cookies for cross-site access. When the SameSite=None attribute is present, an additional Secure attribute is used so cross-site cookies can only be accessed over HTTPS connections.

Accepted values are:

Lax
Strict
None
Off: Disable the generation of the SameSite cookie attribute altogether.
Path to a Groovy script that is able to generate the SameSite cookie attribute dynamically.
Fully qualified name of a class that implements org.apereo.cas.web.cookie.CookieSameSitePolicy

Type: String
Default: none
Defined by: GoogleAnalyticsCookieProperties

cas.google-analytics.cookie.secureTrue if sending this cookie should be restricted to a secure protocol, or false if the it can be sent using any protocol.

true

True if sending this cookie should be restricted to a secure protocol, or false if the it can be sent using any protocol.

Type: Boolean
Default: true
Defined by: GoogleAnalyticsCookieProperties

Required settings may be needed to activate or affect the feature; review them even when they have a default. Optional settings only need to be set to change a default or to turn on the behavior they control. Third party settings belong to libraries such as Spring Boot that CAS builds on; their own documentation may have more detail.

Notes on configuration

Configuration Metadata

The collection of configuration properties listed in this section are automatically generated from the CAS source and components that contain the actual field definitions, types, descriptions, modules, etc. This metadata may not always be 100% accurate, or could be lacking details and sufficient explanations.

Be Selective

This section is meant as a guide only. Do NOT copy/paste the entire collection of settings into your CAS configuration; rather pick only the properties that you need. Do NOT enable settings unless you are certain of their purpose and do NOT copy settings into your configuration only to keep them as reference. All these ideas lead to upgrade headaches, maintenance nightmares and premature aging.

YAGNI

Note that for nearly ALL use cases, declaring and configuring properties listed here is sufficient. You should NOT have to explicitly massage a CAS XML/Java/etc configuration file to design an authentication handler, create attribute release policies, etc. CAS at runtime will auto-configure all required changes for you. If you are unsure about the meaning of a given CAS setting, do NOT turn it on without hesitation. Review the codebase or better yet, ask questions to clarify the intended behavior.

Naming Convention

Property names can be specified in very relaxed terms. For instance cas.someProperty, cas.some-property, cas.some_property are all valid names. While all forms are accepted by CAS, there are certain components (in CAS and other frameworks used) whose activation at runtime is conditional on a property value, where this property is required to have been specified in CAS configuration using kebab case. This is both true for properties that are owned by CAS as well as those that might be presented to the system via an external library or framework such as Spring Boot, etc.

Note

When possible, properties should be stored in lower-case kebab format, such as cas.property-name=value. The only possible exception to this rule is when naming actuator endpoints; The name of the actuator endpoints (i.e. ssoSessions) MUST remain in camelCase mode.

Settings and properties that are controlled by the CAS platform directly always begin with the prefix cas. All other settings are controlled and provided to CAS via other underlying frameworks and may have their own schemas and syntax. BE CAREFUL with the distinction. Unrecognized properties are rejected by CAS and/or frameworks upon which CAS depends. This means if you somehow misspell a property definition or fail to adhere to the dot-notation syntax and such, your setting is entirely refused by CAS and likely the feature it controls will never be activated in the way you intend.

Validation

Configuration properties are automatically validated on CAS startup to report issues with configuration binding, especially if defined CAS settings cannot be recognized or validated by the configuration schema. Additional validation processes are also handled via Configuration Metadata and property migrations applied automatically on startup by Spring Boot and family.

Indexed Settings

CAS settings able to accept multiple values are typically documented with an index, such as cas.some.setting[0]=value. The index [0] is meant to be incremented by the adopter to allow for distinct multiple configuration blocks.