// Module included in the following assemblies:
//
// assembly-oauth-authentication.adoc

[id='{context}']
= Re-authenticating sessions

Configure `oauth` listeners to use Kafka _session re-authentication_ for OAuth 2.0 sessions between Kafka clients and Kafka.
This mechanism enforces the expiry of an authenticated session between the client and the broker after a defined period of time.
When a session expires, the client immediately starts a new session by reusing the existing connection rather than dropping it.

Session re-authentication is disabled by default.
To enable it, you set a time value for `maxSecondsWithoutReauthentication` in the `oauth` listener configuration.
The same property is used to configure session re-authentication for `OAUTHBEARER` and `PLAIN` authentication.
For an example configuration, see xref:con-oauth-authentication-broker-{context}[].

Session re-authentication must be supported by the Kafka client libraries used by the client.

Session re-authentication can be used with _fast local JWT_ or _introspection endpoint_ token validation.

.Client re-authentication

When the broker's authenticated session expires, the client must re-authenticate to the existing session by sending a new, valid access token to the broker, without dropping the connection.

If token validation is successful, a new client session is started using the existing connection.
If the client fails to re-authenticate, the broker will close the connection if further attempts are made to send or receive messages.
Java clients that use Kafka client library 2.2 or later automatically re-authenticate if the re-authentication mechanism is enabled on the broker.

Session re-authentication also applies to refresh tokens, if used.
When the session expires, the client refreshes the access token by using its refresh token.
The client then uses the new access token to re-authenticate to the existing session.

.Session expiry

When session re-authentication is configured, session expiry works differently for `OAUTHBEARER` and `PLAIN` authentication.

For `OAUTHBEARER` and `PLAIN`, using the client ID and secret method:

* The broker's authenticated session will expire at the configured `maxSecondsWithoutReauthentication`.

* The session will expire earlier if the access token expires before the configured time.

For `PLAIN` using the long-lived access token method:

* The broker's authenticated session will expire at the configured `maxSecondsWithoutReauthentication`.

* Re-authentication will fail if the access token expires before the configured time.
Although session re-authentication is attempted, `PLAIN` has no mechanism for refreshing tokens.

If `maxSecondsWithoutReauthentication` is _not_ configured, `OAUTHBEARER` and `PLAIN` clients can remain connected to brokers indefinitely, without needing to re-authenticate.
Authenticated sessions do not end with access token expiry.
However, this can be considered when configuring authorization, for example, by using `keycloak` authorization or installing a custom authorizer.