Using the Ignore Authentication middleware with Tyk Classic APIs

The Ignore Authentication middleware instructs Tyk Gateway to skip the authentication step for calls to an endpoint, even if authentication is enabled for the API.

When working with Tyk Classic APIs the middleware is configured in the Tyk Classic API Definition. You can do this via the Tyk Dashboard API or in the API Designer.

If you’re using the newer Tyk OAS APIs, then check out the Tyk OAS page.

If you’re using Tyk Operator then check out the configuring the middleware in Tyk Operator section below.

Configuring the middleware in the Tyk Classic API Definition

To enable the middleware you must add a new ignored object to the extended_paths section of your API definition.

The ignored object has the following configuration:

• path: the endpoint path
• method: this should be blank
• ignore_case: if set to true then the path matching will be case insensitive
• method_actions: a shared object used to configure the mock response middleware

The method_actions object should be configured as follows, with an entry created for each allowed method on the path:

• action: this should be set to no_action
• code: this should be set to 200
• headers : this should be blank

For example:

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{
    "extended_paths": {
        "ignored": [
            {
                "disabled": false,
                "path": "/status/200",
                "method": "",
                "ignore_case": false,
                "method_actions": {
                    "GET": {
                        "action": "no_action",
                        "code": 200,
                        "headers": {}
                    }          
                }
            }
        ]
    }
}

In this example the ignore authentication middleware has been configured for requests to the GET /status/200 endpoint. Any such calls will skip the authentication step in the Tyk Gateway’s processing chain.

• the middleware has been configured to be case sensitive, so calls to GET /Status/200 will not skip authentication

Configuring the middleware in the API Designer

You can use the API Designer in the Tyk Dashboard to configure the Ignore Authentication middleware for your Tyk Classic API by following these steps.

Step 1: Add an endpoint for the path and select the plugin

From the Endpoint Designer add an endpoint that matches the path for which you want to ignore authentication. Select the Ignore plugin.

Step 2: Configure the middleware

Once you have selected the Ignore middleware for the endpoint, the only additional feature that you need to configure is whether to make it case-insensitive by selecting Ignore Case.

Step 3: Save the API

Use the save or create buttons to save the changes and activate the middleware.

Configuring the middleware in Tyk Operator

The process for configuring the middleware in Tyk Operator is similar to that explained in configuring the middleware in the Tyk Classic API Definition. It is possible to configure an enforced timeout using the ignored object within the extended_paths section of the API Definition.

In the example below the ignore authentication middleware has been configured for requests to the GET /get endpoint. Any such calls will skip the authentication step in the Tyk Gateway’s processing chain.

• the middleware has been configured to be case insensitive, so calls to GET /Get will also skip authentication

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apiVersion: tyk.tyk.io/v1alpha1
kind: ApiDefinition
metadata:
  name: httpbin-ignored
spec:
  name: httpbin-ignored
  use_keyless: false
  use_standard_auth: true
  protocol: http
  active: true
  proxy:
    target_url: http://httpbin.org/
    listen_path: /httpbin
    strip_listen_path: true
  version_data:
    default_version: Default
    not_versioned: true
    versions:
      Default:
        name: Default
        use_extended_paths: true
        paths:
          black_list: []
          ignored: []
          white_list: []
        extended_paths:
          ignored:
            - ignore_case: true
              method_actions:
                GET:
                  action: "no_action"
                  code: 200
                  data: ""
                  headers: {}
              path: "/get"