Relay Auth Bundle Laravel Package

Product Decisions This Supports

• API Gateway Authentication Integration: Enables seamless OAuth2/OIDC authentication for Laravel-based API gateways, reducing custom auth boilerplate.
• Microservices & Relay Adoption: Accelerates implementation of Digital Blueprint’s Relay API gateway pattern, aligning with a modular architecture.
• Compliance & Security: Supports AGPL-3.0 (open-source) for internal or open-core projects requiring strict authentication standards.
• Roadmap Efficiency: Avoids reinventing OIDC/OAuth2 wheels if the team already uses Relay or similar API gateway frameworks.
• Build vs. Buy: Justifies "buy" for teams prioritizing speed over customization, given the package’s niche focus (Relay-specific).

When to Consider This Package

• Use this if:

  • Your Laravel app integrates with Relay API Gateway or a similar microservices framework.
  • You need OIDC/OAuth2 authentication with minimal setup and Relay-specific optimizations.
  • Your team lacks bandwidth to build a custom auth solution but requires compliance with OIDC standards.
  • You’re evaluating open-source (AGPL-3.0) for internal projects with no vendor lock-in concerns.

• Look elsewhere if:

  • Your auth needs are generic (not Relay-specific) → Use league/oauth2-server or spatie/laravel-permission.
  • You require enterprise support or SLAs → Consider commercial packages like Auth0 or Okta.
  • Your stack isn’t Laravel/PHP → Evaluate framework-native auth solutions (e.g., Django REST OAuth2).
  • The archived status is a dealbreaker (low maintenance risk).

How to Pitch It (Stakeholders)

For Executives: "This package lets us integrate OAuth2/OIDC authentication into our Laravel API gateway without building from scratch, cutting dev time by [X] weeks. It’s open-source (AGPL-3.0) and aligns with our Relay microservices strategy, reducing security risks while keeping costs low. Trade-off: Minimal maintenance risk due to archival status, but ideal for proof-of-concept or internal tools."

For Engineering: *"The dbp/relay-auth-bundle provides a pre-built OIDC bridge for Relay API Gateway in Laravel. Key benefits:

• Plug-and-play: Connects Relay’s core bundle to OIDC providers (e.g., Keycloak, Auth0) with minimal config.
• Leverages Relay’s ecosystem: Avoids reinventing auth for microservices.
• Lightweight: ~90% of auth logic is handled; focus on business logic. Downsides: Archived (no active updates), but docs/changelog exist. Best for teams already using Relay or evaluating it."*

For Developers: *"If you’re tired of writing OAuth2 middleware from scratch, this bundle handles token validation, scopes, and Relay-specific routing. Example use case:

// Configure OIDC provider in config/relay_auth.php
$relayAuth->provider('https://your-oidc-server/.well-known/openid-configuration');

• Pros: Relay-optimized, AGPL (no licensing fees).
• Cons: Limited community support; test thoroughly if using long-term. Alternative: Roll your own with league/oauth2-server if you need more control."*