Azure AD B2C: Clients must send a client_secret when redeeming a confidential grant

Question

I try to setup authentification for an Angular app using authorization code and Azure AD B2C (oidc-client on client side), but I'm getting these errors from Angular:

After looking in B2C audit logs, I found this error message:

Clients must send a client_secret when redeeming a confidential grant.

Here's my client side configuration:

const settings = {
  stsAuthority: 'https://supportodqqcdev.b2clogin.com/supportodqqcDev.onmicrosoft.com/v2.0/.well-known/openid-configuration?p=B2C_1_SignUpSignInOdqPlatine',
  clientId: '8447df5b-35a0-40a7-944f-5dcce87a2193',
  clientRoot: 'https://localhost:4200',
  scope: 'openid https://supportodqqcDev.onmicrosoft.com/platineclientdev/read',
};
this.userManager = new UserManager({
  authority: settings.stsAuthority,
  client_id: settings.clientId,
  redirect_uri: `${settings.clientRoot}/signin-callback`,
  scope: settings.scope,
  response_type: 'code',
  post_logout_redirect_uri: `${settings.clientRoot}/signout-callback`,
  automaticSilentRenew: true,
  silent_redirect_uri: `${settings.clientRoot}/assets/signin-silent-callback.html`,
});

If I switch the above configuration to use a local IdentityServer instance, everthings works has expected.

Is someone able to point me out where or how I should investigate this?

Answer 1

I had the exact same issue as you and was just able to resolve it.

AD is requesting the client_secret from you, because it isn't configured for PKCE yet. To tell AD that you want to use PKCE for a specific redirect url you need to set its type from 'Web' to 'Spa'. This can be done in the manifest.

Search for the property replyUrlsWithType in the Manifest and look for your .../signin-callback url. Change its type to 'Spa' and you should be good.

eg.:

"replyUrlsWithType": [
    {
        "url": "http://localhost:8080/signin-callback",
        "type": "Spa"
    },
]

The configured url will now disappear from your Authorization page but thats ok -> it's still present in the Manifest. The MS team is working on this new type.

Also make sure you marked your application as a public client.

For more information, see my answer here: Is Active Directory not supporting Authorization Code Flow with PKCE?

Answer 2

In few comments, I read it as 'ADB2C currently supporting PKCE flow for Native Applications but not for Web', I know it's bit old discussion thread but I just wanted to inform that currently PKCE is recommended for all applications including web application.

Source

Answer 3

Your image shows a CORS error.

I'm not sure if oidc-client works OOTB with B2C. It's more for identityserver.

Have a look at the msal.js sample.

Answer 4

I suspect that your code is fine but ...

The last I heard, Azure AD does not allow cross origin calls to the token endpoint - and therefore does not support the Authorization Code Flow (PKCE) that SPAs should use in 2019.

Unless I'm mistaken this will mean you need to use the (unrecommended) implicit flow when integrating with Azure AD. There have been problems for SPAs for a couple of years now.

Out of interest I wrote a couple of posts on Azure SPA workrounds a couple of years ag - I suspect some of this is still relevant: https://authguidance.com/2017/11/30/azure-active-directory-setup/

Answer 5

In the Azure AD B2C App there is now a simpler option to do that. In the Authentication tab where the Web Redirect URIs are you will probably see a message This app has implicit grant settings enabled. If you are using any of these URIs in a SPA with MSAL.js 2.0, you should migrate URIs. When you click that, a new window will let you choose which Redirect URI you want to move to the SPA Redirect URIs instead:

After that just click Configure and it should work. The Redirect URI will now be located in the SPA section instead of the Web one.