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Key OIDC Compliance Requirements

Andrios Robert

• 1 min read

OIDC builds on OAuth 2.0 to provide a standardized way to authenticate users and exchange identity information between applications. Compliance means following a strict set of technical rules. These rules make sure tokens are valid, endpoints are safe, and sensitive data stays protected.

Key OIDC Compliance Requirements

  1. Authorization Endpoint Security
    The authorization endpoint must use TLS. Plain HTTP is forbidden. Redirect URIs must be pre-registered, exact-match, and validated on every request. No wildcard patterns.
  2. Token Handling
    Access tokens and ID tokens must be cryptographically signed. Validate signatures using the provider's JSON Web Key Set (JWKS). Never trust unsigned tokens. Implement nonce checks to prevent replay attacks.
  3. Scopes and Claims
    Only request scopes you actually use. Over-permissioning increases risk. Validate that claims in ID tokens match the expected issuer, audience, and authorized scopes.
  4. Authentication Flow Integrity
    Use PKCE (Proof Key for Code Exchange) in public clients to prevent code interception. Ensure state parameters are present and verified in every response to block CSRF attacks.
  5. Session Management
    Implement secure cookie flags (HttpOnly, Secure, SameSite). Follow OIDC's Session Management specification for logout and session lifecycle tracking.
  6. Discovery Document Compliance
    Fetch the .well-known/openid-configuration document from the provider to dynamically validate endpoints and supported features. Avoid statically hardcoding values.
  7. Error Handling
    Return proper OIDC error codes and avoid exposing internal stack traces or infrastructure details in responses.

Meeting these requirements is not optional. Auditors, security teams, and regulators expect OIDC-compliant authentication flows to be airtight. A single missing check can open the door to token theft or impersonation.

Security standards move fast. Implement automated compliance testing in your build pipeline. Keep your OIDC client libraries up to date. Verify against the official OpenID Connect Core Specification and related profiles for your industry.

You can build OIDC-compliant flows now without wrestling with every spec detail yourself. Try hoop.dev to see secure, spec-ready authentication live in minutes.