How does delegated authentication work with a reverse proxy?

A reverse proxy sits in front of the apps and handles login centrally: unauthenticated requests are redirected to a login service, and only after a session is established does the proxy forward traffic to the app — so the apps never deal with passwords and SSO becomes possible.

Flow:

1. Client requests /application1 → Reverse Proxy
2. Proxy checks: No authenticated session → Returns 302 redirect to /login
3. Client GETs /login → Receives HTML login form
4. Client POSTs credentials → Authentication Service verifies
5. On success: Session established, 302 redirect back to /application1
6. Client requests /application1 with session → Proxy forwards to Application

Benefits:

• Applications don't handle authentication directly
• Centralized authentication logic
• Single Sign-On (SSO) possible across multiple applications