Server-side Sessions
In the event that you wish to use server-side session storage for managing the webflow session, you will need to enable this behavior via CAS properties.
The following settings and properties are available from the CAS configuration catalog:
cas.webflow.session.storageControls whether spring webflow sessions are to be stored server-side or client side.
falseControls whether spring webflow sessions are to be stored server-side or client side. By default state is managed on the client side, that is also signed and encrypted.
cas.webflow.session.pin-to-sessionControls whether the webflow session is pinned to the client's IP address and user-agent.
falseControls whether the webflow session is pinned to the client's IP address and user-agent.
cas.webflow.session.server.compressWhether or not the snapshots should be compressed.
falseWhether or not the snapshots should be compressed. Only relevant if session storage is done on the server.
cas.webflow.session.server.lock-timeoutSets the time period that can elapse before a timeout occurs on an attempt to acquire a conversation lock.
PT30SSets the time period that can elapse before a timeout occurs on an attempt to acquire a conversation lock. The default is 30 seconds. Only relevant if session storage is done on the server.
cas.webflow.session.server.max-conversationsUsing the maxConversations property, you can limit the number of concurrently active conversations allowed in a single session.
5Using the maxConversations property, you can limit the number of concurrently active conversations allowed in a single session. If the maximum is exceeded, the conversation manager will automatically end the oldest conversation. The default is 5, which should be fine for most situations. Set it to -1 for no limit. Setting maxConversations to 1 allows easy resource cleanup in situations where there should only be one active conversation per session. Only relevant if session storage is done on the server.
spring.session.servlet.filter-dispatcher-typesSession repository filter dispatcher types.
["async", "error", "request"]Session repository filter dispatcher types.
spring.session.servlet.filter-orderSession repository filter order.
Session repository filter order.
spring.session.timeoutSession timeout.
Session timeout. If a duration suffix is not specified, seconds will be used.
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.
Doing so will likely require you to also enable sticky sessions and/or session replication in a clustered deployment of CAS.
Usage Warning!Generally speaking, you do not need to enable server-side sessions unless you have a rather specialized deployment or are in need of features that store bits and pieces of data into a sever-backed session object. It is recommended that you stick with the default client-side session storage and only switch if and when mandated by a specific CAS behavior.
Storage Options
If you do wish to use server-side session storage, CAS supports the following options for storing webflow sessions:
| Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Hazelcast | See this guide. |
| JDBC | See this guide. |
| MongoDb | See this guide. |
| Redis | See this guide. |
| Ticket Registry | See this guide. |