Modern Authentication in Django: Implementing Azure AD, JWT, and OAuth2

Authentication is a critical part of any Django application, and with modern security standards, developers need robust, scalable, and secure authentication mechanisms. Traditional authentication using username and password is no longer sufficient, especially for enterprise applications.

In this guide, we will explore modern authentication techniques in Django, covering:
✅ Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) — Enterprise-level authentication for Microsoft services.

✅ JWT (JSON Web Tokens) — Stateless authentication for APIs.

✅ OAuth2 — Secure third-party authentication (Google, GitHub, Facebook, etc.).

By the end, you’ll have a clear understanding of how to implement these authentication methods in your Django projects.

1️⃣ Implementing Azure AD Authentication in Django

Why Use Azure AD?

Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) provides secure authentication for Microsoft services and enterprise apps. It enables Single Sign-On (SSO) and Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), making it ideal for organizations.

Step 1: Register Your Django App in Azure

1. Go to Azure Portal → Azure Active Directory → App Registrations.
2. Click New Registration and enter the following details:

• Name: Django App
• Redirect URI: http://localhost:8000/auth/callback/

3. Save the Client ID and Tenant ID.

Step 2: Install Required Packages

pip install django-auth-adfs

Step 3: Configure Django for Azure AD

Add django_auth_adfs to INSTALLED_APPS:

INSTALLED_APPS = [ 
    "django.contrib.admin", 
    "django.contrib.auth", 
    "django_auth_adfs", 
]

Update AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS in settings.py:

AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS = [ 
    "django_auth_adfs.backend.AdfsAuthCodeBackend", 
    "django.contrib.auth.backends.ModelBackend", 
]

Define Azure AD settings:

AUTH_ADFS = { 
    "SERVER": "login.microsoftonline.com", 
    "CLIENT_ID": "your-client-id", 
    "TENANT_ID": "your-tenant-id", 
    "RELYING_PARTY_ID": "your-client-id", 
    "REDIRECT_URI": "http://localhost:8000/auth/callback/", 
}

Step 4: Create Authentication Views

from django.shortcuts import redirect 
from django_auth_adfs.views import OAuth2LoginView 
 
def azure_login(request): 
    return OAuth2LoginView.as_view()(request) 
 
def logout_view(request): 
    logout(request) 
    return redirect("/")

✅ Azure AD is now set up for authentication in Django!

2️⃣ Implementing JWT Authentication in Django

Why Use JWT?

JWT (JSON Web Token) provides stateless authentication, making it ideal for REST APIs and Single Page Applications (SPAs). Unlike session-based authentication, JWT tokens do not require server-side storage.

Step 1: Install Django REST Framework & JWT Library

pip install djangorestframework-simplejwt

Step 2: Update Django Settings

Modify settings.py to use JWT for authentication:

from datetime import timedelta 
 
INSTALLED_APPS += ["rest_framework"] 
 
REST_FRAMEWORK = { 
    "DEFAULT_AUTHENTICATION_CLASSES": [ 
        "rest_framework_simplejwt.authentication.JWTAuthentication", 
    ], 
} 
 
SIMPLE_JWT = { 
    "ACCESS_TOKEN_LIFETIME": timedelta(minutes=30), 
    "REFRESH_TOKEN_LIFETIME": timedelta(days=7), 
}

Step 3: Create JWT Views

from rest_framework_simplejwt.views import TokenObtainPairView, TokenRefreshView 
from django.urls import path 
 
urlpatterns = [ 
    path("api/token/", TokenObtainPairView.as_view(), name="token_obtain_pair"), 
    path("api/token/refresh/", TokenRefreshView.as_view(), name="token_refresh"), 
]

We can call these api to obtain new token and refresh token

Step 4: Protect API Views with JWT

from rest_framework.permissions import IsAuthenticated 
from rest_framework.response import Response 
from rest_framework.decorators import api_view, permission_classes 
 
@api_view(["GET"]) 
@permission_classes([IsAuthenticated]) 
def protected_view(request): 
    return Response({"message": "You are authenticated!"})

✅ Now, users can log in with JWT and access protected views!

3️⃣ Implementing OAuth2 Authentication in Django

Why Use OAuth2?

OAuth2 allows users to log in using third-party providers like Google, GitHub, and Facebook without sharing passwords.

Step 1: Install django-allauth

pip install django-allauth

Step 2: Configure Django Settings

Add allauth to INSTALLED_APPS:

INSTALLED_APPS += [ 
    "allauth", 
    "allauth.account", 
    "allauth.socialaccount", 
    "allauth.socialaccount.providers.google",  # Add providers as needed 
]

Update AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS:

AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS = [ 
    "django.contrib.auth.backends.ModelBackend", 
    "allauth.account.auth_backends.AuthenticationBackend", 
]

Set OAuth2 login redirect URLs:

SITE_ID = 1 
LOGIN_REDIRECT_URL = "/" 
ACCOUNT_LOGOUT_REDIRECT_URL = "/"

Step 3: Register Your App with Google

1. Go to Google Developer Console → Credentials.
2. Create a new OAuth2 Client ID.
3. Set the redirect URI to http://localhost:8000/accounts/google/login/callback/.
4. Copy the Client ID and Client Secret.

Step 4: Add Google Provider in Django Admin

1. Open Django Admin → Social Applications.
2. Add a new application:

• Provider: Google
• Name: Google Login
• Client ID: Paste from Google Console
• Client Secret: Paste from Google Console
• Sites: Select your site

Step 5: Create Login URLs

from django.urls import path, include 
 
urlpatterns = [ 
    path("accounts/", include("allauth.urls")), 
]

Now, visiting /accounts/login/ will allow users to log in with Google! 🚀

📌 Choosing the Right Authentication for Your Django App

• Azure AD — Enterprise apps, corporate authentication
• JWTAPI — authentication, mobile apps, SPAs
• OAuth2 — Social login (Google, GitHub, Facebook)

🚀 Conclusion

Modern authentication in Django is more secure, scalable, and user-friendly than traditional login methods. Whether you’re integrating Azure AD for enterprise authentication, JWT for APIs, or OAuth2 for social logins, these techniques help protect user data while improving user experience.

🔐 Which authentication method do you use in your Django projects? Let me know in the comments! 🚀