Integrating Red Hat OpenStack 17.1 with Azure Entra ID: A Complete Federation Guide

How to implement enterprise-grade identity federation between Azure Entra ID and OpenStack Keystone with group-based role mapping

Introduction

In today’s hybrid cloud landscape, organizations need seamless identity management across multiple platforms. One common challenge is integrating Red Hat OpenStack with Microsoft Azure Entra ID (formerly Active Directory) to provide single sign-on (SSO) capabilities and centralized user management.

This comprehensive guide walks through implementing Azure Entra ID federation with Red Hat OpenStack 17.1, including advanced group-based role mapping that automatically assigns OpenStack roles based on Azure group membership.

Why Federation Matters

Traditional OpenStack deployments require separate user accounts and password management. Federation eliminates this overhead by:

• Centralizing Identity Management: Users authenticate with their existing Azure credentials
• Improving Security: Leverages Azure’s advanced security features (MFA, conditional access)
• Reducing Administrative Burden: No need to manage separate OpenStack user accounts