implementing-admin-portal

name	implementing-admin-portal
description	Implements Scalekit's admin portal for customer self-serve SSO and SCIM configuration. Generates portal links server-side and embeds the portal as an iframe in the app's settings UI. Use when the user asks to add an admin portal, customer self-serve SSO setup, iframe embed for SSO config, shareable setup link, or let customers configure their own SSO or SCIM connection.

Admin Portal with Scalekit

Adds a self-serve portal where customers configure their own SSO and SCIM settings — embedded inside your app's settings UI.

If the user only needs a quick shareable link with no code (e.g., for a one-time onboarding call), skip to the Shareable link section at the bottom.

---

Implementation progress

Admin Portal Implementation Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Install SDK
- [ ] Step 2: Set environment credentials
- [ ] Step 3: Register app domain in dashboard
- [ ] Step 4: Generate portal link (server-side)
- [ ] Step 5: Render iframe (client-side)
- [ ] Step 6: Handle session expiry events
- [ ] Step 7: Verify portal loads and events fire correctly

---

Step 1: Install SDK

Detect the project's language/framework from existing files and install:

Stack	Install
Node.js	npm install @scalekit-sdk/node
Python	pip install scalekit-sdk-python
Go	go get github.com/scalekit-inc/scalekit-sdk-go/v2
Java	Add com.scalekit:scalekit-sdk to pom.xml

---

Step 2: Set environment credentials

Add to .env (never hardcode):

SCALEKIT_ENVIRONMENT_URL='https://<your-env>.scalekit.com'
SCALEKIT_CLIENT_ID='<CLIENT_ID>'
SCALEKIT_CLIENT_SECRET='<CLIENT_SECRET>'

Credentials are in Dashboard > Developers > Settings > API Credentials.

---

Step 3: Register app domain

In Dashboard > Developers > API Configuration > Redirect URIs, add the domain where the portal will be embedded. The iframe will be blocked if this is missing.

---

Step 4: Generate the portal link (server-side)

Generate a new link on every page load — links are single-use. Plug into the existing route or controller that serves the settings/admin page:

Node.js:

const { location } = await scalekit.organization.generatePortalLink(organizationId);
// Pass `location` to the frontend as a template variable or API response

Python:

portal = scalekit_client.organization.generate_portal_link(organization_id)
location = portal.location
# Pass `location` to your template or JSON response

Never cache this value — each link is single-use and will fail if reused.

---

Step 5: Render the iframe (client-side)

In the frontend settings/admin template, inject location as the src:

<iframe
  src="{{ portalLink }}"
  width="100%"
  height="600px"
  frameborder="0"
  allow="clipboard-write"
></iframe>

Minimum recommended height: 600px. Match the variable name to the project's existing templating convention.

---

Step 6: Handle portal UI events

Listen for messages from the iframe to react to configuration changes and session expiry:

window.addEventListener('message', (event) => {
  if (event.origin !== process.env.SCALEKIT_ENVIRONMENT_URL) return;

  const { type } = event.data;
  switch (type) {
    case 'SSO_CONFIGURED':
      // Refresh org SSO status, show success banner, etc.
      break;
    case 'SESSION_EXPIRED':
      // Re-fetch a new portal link and reload the iframe src
      reloadPortalIframe();
      break;
  }
});

SESSION_EXPIRED handling is required — without it the portal silently breaks for long-lived sessions.

---

Step 7: Verify

• Open the settings page — confirm the iframe renders without console errors
• Complete a test SSO configuration inside the portal — confirm SSO_CONFIGURED fires
• Wait for session expiry (or simulate it) — confirm SESSION_EXPIRED triggers a link refresh
• Confirm portal link is never the same across two page loads (single-use verification)

---

Branding (optional)

Configure at Dashboard > Settings > Branding: logo, accent color, favicon. Custom domain support (e.g., sso.yourapp.com) is available in the Scalekit dashboard.

---

Guardrails

• Generate link server-side only — never expose CLIENT_SECRET to the browser
• Re-generate on every page load — caching will break the portal
• Register your domain in Redirect URIs before testing or the iframe will be blocked
• Handle SESSION_EXPIRED — re-generate and reload, don't let it fail silently

---

Shareable link (no-code alternative)

For one-time onboarding calls or zero-engineering setup: go to Dashboard > Organizations, select the org, click Generate link, and share the URL directly. The link gives anyone who has it full access to configure that org's SSO/SCIM settings — use the iframe approach for production. Also share Scalekit's SSO setup guides so the IT admin has provider-specific configuration steps alongside the portal link.